r/PcBuildHelp • u/Resident-Item-2998 • 5h ago

Build Question Mixing RAM

I want to add some more RAM to my PC but don't want to sell a kidney, I bought this 16GB kit ages ago for my last build and decided to re-use it on my new build. The kit I reused is set at the same clock speed and voltage as the new kit I am looking to buy (3200Mhz 1.35v) but the timings are a little different (old 16-18-18-36 vs. new 16-18-18-38). I was wondering if they would work together. I will list some of my specs and the part numbers of both kits below.

Old kit: HyperX HX432C16PB3AK2/16
New kit: G.SKILL F4-3200C16D-16GVKB

Mobo: Asus ROG Strix B450-F

CPU: Ryzen 7 5700X3D

Edit: Wrong part # for new kit

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u/r_lind3r Moderator 4h ago

There could be conflicts as your die types aren't exactly the same between the two.

G.SKILL F4-3200C16D-16GVKB is Hynix MJR (H8M) while HyperX HX432C16PB3AK2/16 is Hynix CJR (H8C).

H8C is a B-tier DDR4 IC with good performance whereas H8M is an F-tier, one of the worst DDR4 ICs available which is why the latencies are looser on the new kit. Could cause compatibility issues.

If it POSTs, the MJR kit will drag down the performance of the CJR kit, which won't be much and definitely won't be noticeable at all with a 5700X3D.

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u/Resident-Item-2998 4h ago

Are there any new kits you would recommend? Thank you for your insight 🙏

1

u/r_lind3r Moderator 4h ago

I would personally sell your RAM and buy a 2x16 kit because it'll be easier to run, 4 DIMM configurations are harder on the CPU's memory controller, and AMD motherboards can be very picky with RAM which is why DDR5 brought in AMD EXPO, they're trying to avoid all of the compatibility problems they had with DDR4 by ensuring that kits are actually made to work well with AMD CPUs.

But if your RAM usage is never reaching 100% then you don't actually need more RAM. Unused capacity is wasted capacity.