X99 - Crucial Ballistix 16GB combined with 32GB

RevDr

RevDr

RevDr

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9 Feb 2015
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15
Hi,

Like a few people when I built an X99 5820K system (ASUS X99-S motherboard) I opted for a 16 GB memory option. I went for Crucial Ballistix 4GBX4 DDR4 kit and have been very happy with my system.

I am now looking to increase my memory as I tend to do a lot of video based work 'for fun' and frequently use all 16GB. I am considering adding 32GB (Crucial Ballistix 8GB*4 DDR4) kit to fill the other 4 memory slots and take my memory up to 48GB (my budget right now is limited to adding 32GB). The motherboard manual (page 1-8) seems to indicate that it is possible to have different memory sizes.

I thought I would see if anyone else has experience of this as there seems to be varying opinions on mixing memory kits even of the same type.

I will not be overclocking the memory

Thanks for any help.
 
Thanks.

Which memory make/model were you using?

I notice you now have 64GB - did you do that by getting the 64GB in one hit or did you buy one 32GB kit and then another later on?

Thanks
 
RevDr said:
Thanks.

Which memory make/model were you using?

I notice you now have 64GB - did you do that by getting the 64GB in one hit or did you buy one 32GB kit and then another later on?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I went with a Crucial 2133 4*4 kit first. I then added a second Crucial 2133 4*4 kit to get to 32GB. I then got a Crucial 2133 32GB 4*8 kit but could not get it to work with 4*8+4*4 so I sold both 4*4 kits and used the 4*8 kit for a bit. I now have Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000 64GB(4*16GB), they can be found much cheaper than OCUK is selling them.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience.

A little unsure of which to progress.

Will have a bit of a think - no rush.

Thanks again.
 
I've used mixed setups on other rigs, it's been no issue.

Even if they are different speeds / timings / manufacturers it will be fine.

All you really need to know is that if you do get different kits, both kits will work at the slower speeds... that's ll.

Otherwise some X99 motherboards seem to be having some memory slot issues... but that would just need a motherboard RMA if you did happen to be in that small percentage stopping you from using all 8 slots.

Some (laptops especially) retail computers use mixed ram kits... surprisingly often.
 
crinkleshoes said:
I've used mixed setups on other rigs, it's been no issue.

Even if they are different speeds / timings / manufacturers it will be fine.

All you really need to know is that if you do get different kits, both kits will work at the slower speeds... that's ll.

Otherwise some X99 motherboards seem to be having some memory slot issues... but that would just need a motherboard RMA if you did happen to be in that small percentage stopping you from using all 8 slots.

Some (laptops especially) retail computers use mixed ram kits... surprisingly often.
Click to expand...


It's fairly narrow sighted to assume as it worked for you, it should work for others.

Mixing memory kits is ill advised for most users even if assuming they will work at the lower binned frequency. Most people won't understand the real reasons why this is not a good idea but on the face of it:

Vendors bin kits to work at a particular frequency, voltage and timings at a particular density - doubling this density will result in necessary tuning in all these areas to obtain a reasonable bin depending on both kits original bin and frequency, but also the guardband given by the vendor when binning.

Once this has all been accommodated for, you may has well have bought memory rated at JEDEC spec. It's always a far better idea to buy a kit rated at the density and speed you wish to stick with - so much so that despite potentially losing further sales, memory kit vendors advise you not to mix them.

FredFlint said:
I went with a Crucial 2133 4*4 kit first. I then added a second Crucial 2133 4*4 kit to get to 32GB. I then got a Crucial 2133 32GB 4*8 kit but could not get it to work with 4*8+4*4 so I sold both 4*4 kits and used the 4*8 kit for a bit. I now have Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000 64GB(4*16GB), they can be found much cheaper than OCUK is selling them.
Click to expand...



Can I ask if you have that kit running at 3000Mhz stable? Only I doubt the certification on X99 at that speed.
 
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I think you forgot to read a part of my post. It is not simply a personal experience based of one or two rigs. I have professional experience of this, having started my career as a hardware tech.

The manufacturer recommendation is based solely off the fact that they cannot guarantee that it will work, not that it won't work.

It IS possible that you will have an issue, but it's highly unlikely... I'd estimate 9/10 peculiar combos work without issue.

As I mentioned, you can also get mismatched combos in many modern laptops, usually the ones that only have one user accessible slot.

Memory mis-matching is surprisingly common and unlikely to cause issues.

I'd still recommend the ideal would be not to...
 
crinkleshoes said:
I think you forgot to read a part of my post. It is not simply a personal experience based of one or two rigs. I have professional experience of this, having started my career as a hardware tech.

The manufacturer recommendation is based solely off the fact that they cannot guarantee that it will work, not that it won't work.

It IS possible that you will have an issue, but it's highly unlikely... I'd estimate 9/10 peculiar combos work without issue.

As I mentioned, you can also get mismatched combos in many modern laptops, usually the ones that only have one user accessible slot.

Memory mis-matching is surprisingly common and unlikely to cause issues.

I'd still recommend the ideal would be not to...
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I suggest you read my post again, it depends entirely on the frequency and density you are aiming for. Also I've heard the 20 years experience building PC line many times before. Unless you have an understanding of impedance and how vendors determine the level of guardband, it's best not to say things like 9/10 times. But obviously it is your prerogative to blindly suggest people mix kits that are overclocked, it's poor advise to suggest it's not problematic as more often than not more tuning will be required outside of the users capability, if one understands these things this shouldn't be up for debate, least of all on X99.
 
Silent_Scone said:
It's fairly narrow sighted to assume as it worked for you, it should work for others.

Mixing memory kits is ill advised for most users even if assuming they will work at the lower binned frequency. Most people won't understand the real reasons why this is not a good idea but on the face of it:

Vendors bin kits to work at a particular frequency, voltage and timings at a particular density - doubling this density will result in necessary tuning in all these areas to obtain a reasonable bin depending on both kits original bin and frequency, but also the guardband given by the vendor when binning.

Once this has all been accommodated for, you may has well have bought memory rated at JEDEC spec. It's always a far better idea to buy a kit rated at the density and speed you wish to stick with - so much so that despite potentially losing further sales, memory kit vendors advise you not to mix them.





Can I ask if you have that kit running at 3000Mhz stable? Only I doubt the certification on X99 at that speed.
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Hi, yes its running fine at 3000. I ran it @2133 for a bit but was having a few errors with Firefox and Outlook so went back to 3000. It passed Memtest @2133 and @3000 but seems more stable at 3000.
 
FredFlint said:
Hi, yes its running fine at 3000. I ran it @2133 for a bit but was having a few errors with Firefox and Outlook so went back to 3000. It passed Memtest @2133 and @3000 but seems more stable at 3000.
Click to expand...

Memtest? HCI Memtest or variant of Memtest86? It's just the latter is less than meaningless on this platform. Would be interested to see some stability results and associated voltages required for proper stability in terms of SA/IO and uncore if you are overclocking
 
Silent_Scone said:
Memtest? HCI Memtest or variant of Memtest86? It's just the latter is less than meaningless on this platform. Would be interested to see some stability results and associated voltages required for proper stability in terms of SA/IO and uncore if you are overclocking
Click to expand...
I used Memtest from:http://www.memtest86.com/. I don't overclock manually but setting the XMP locks the CPU @ 3.75Ghz and the CPU = 1.2V and the RAM=1.35V. I tried turning Turbo Mode back on but the CPU was @ 4.6Ghz:eek: I did a quick super pi just to see what it got:8.138s for 1M, it still seemed stable but I use the PC for work so don't want to risk running it like that. I have been working will high RAM usage and lots of threads now for about two weeks and had no problems so I am happy it’s OK, I would prefer to run it @2133 so the CPU was @ stock but I don't have time to mess with it just now.
 
Thanks for all the input.

So ther bottom line is...
My 4*4GB (2400MHz) Crucial Ballistix DDR4 may or may not work with a 4*8GB (2400MHZ) Crucial Ballistix DDR4 - seems a bit of a gamble to me.

If I bought a 4*8GB kit now and then bought an identical kit in a year is there also a risk of incompatibility? Is the recommendation then to always buy the amount you need in one kit and sell on any existing?

Thanks
 
I recommend that you try it... I think it will work, the only thing that could cause problems is if you have a motherboard issue, but that would be easy to determine (ie trying the new sticks in the same location as the current sticks and other tests available to you).

The second option you mention, you're even less likely to come up against any issues if you buy the same kit again in a year to make it up to 64GB. There is still a chance it won't work, but it's unlikely.

By then, 64GB kits might be very cheap anyway ;) When I built my current X99 build a little over a year ago, the 16GB kits were twice the price of current 32GB kits!

You can't guarantee it, but it's a gamble I'd be willing to put money on it working... either way ;)

Worst case you have DSR to return the new kit or you have 32GB and sell the 16GB kit.
 
RevDr said:
Hi,

Like a few people when I built an X99 5820K system (ASUS X99-S motherboard) I opted for a 16 GB memory option. I went for Crucial Ballistix 4GBX4 DDR4 kit and have been very happy with my system.

I am now looking to increase my memory as I tend to do a lot of video based work 'for fun' and frequently use all 16GB. I am considering adding 32GB (Crucial Ballistix 8GB*4 DDR4) kit to fill the other 4 memory slots and take my memory up to 48GB (my budget right now is limited to adding 32GB). The motherboard manual (page 1-8) seems to indicate that it is possible to have different memory sizes.

I thought I would see if anyone else has experience of this as there seems to be varying opinions on mixing memory kits even of the same type.

I will not be overclocking the memory

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

What model is your Crucial Ballistix 4GBX4 DDR4 kit btw. I'm looking to get 32gb of ram myself but a 2nd set of my Crucial Ballistix 4GBX4 DDR4 will prove not very cost effective, my kit is this set.

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/...-4x4GB-)-DDR4-2666-CL16-1-20V-BLE4K4G4D26AFEA
 
OK. So I ordered the 32GB kit and have fitted it but have a curious issue with it (not sure if this should now be a motherboard forum question - sorry if I should start a new one there).

I am getting an error 53 on my motherboard which is to do with memory initialization. (I started with my 4GB is A1-D1 and 8GB in A2-D2 but then swapped them around this made know difference)

However, when I press the Mem OK button and get back to the bio all the memeory is displayed properly. What's more if I boot directly from the bios windows starts fine and reports 48GB memory (I have not tried to stress test it yet) - am typing this from my booted system.

Yet, once I reboot I get stuck back at error 53.

I am not sure if this is a motherboard or memory issue - the memory (at least apparently is there in windows).

Any clues? Do I need any BIOS tweaks?

Just a reminder - I have an Asus X99-s (latest bios) - 5820K - EVGA 970 - Crucial (4*4 and 8*4 kits).

Thanks for any help.
 
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