Can i test RAM compatability (2 different modules - 32GB+64GB) without any Windows/any HDD installed...?

[IloveYouSOmuch]

Hello
So i currently have 2*16 GB (32 GB) RAM Module - Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16GB DDR4 3200 MHz CL16, DIMM, 1.35V (CMK32GX4M2E3200C16):
*** competitor link removed ***

Im planning a new PC build (most likely with motherboard: Gigabyte X570S UD (with 5950x CPU)) and im planning to buy also a new RAM module 64 GB (32GB*2). Most likely either:

1) (my preffered choice - its a bit cheaper)- Kingston KF432C16BBK2/64 *** competitor link removed ***
or
2) Corsair DDR4 64GB 3200MHz Kit CMK64GX4M2E3200C16

CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMK64GX4M2E3200C16 - Newegg.com

Buy CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 64GB (2 x 32GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory Model CMK64GX4M2E3200C16 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

(Which should be the most "identical" to my current (but 32GB) module

Im planning to combine both RAM modules (old 32 GB + new 64 GB = totaly 96 GB of RAM (all 4 RAM slots populated). Why combine? Well because i ALREADY have the "old" 32 GB module so why not add it to the new build (obviously )...

But Im not sure if either of the newly planned 64 GB modules is compatible with the old 32 GB one (although the corsair one obviously should be... but the Kingston (i was told) is a great one and should also be compatible and i would prefer Kingston cause its a bit cheaper too). Ill buy one of those and test it, if it is not compatible i will return it and buy (and try) the other one.

The problem is that i want to buy the new PC build ASAP (while the low RAM prices still last - not sure how long will they stay low). The problem is that i currently do not have any time or nerves to re-instal the whole PC software "ecosystem" (windows 10+all the various programs) to the new build (reinstal OS, transfer the win 10 license, install all the programs again etc. etc.) I also do not have the nerves or time currently to be dealing with all the backups of different things from the old PC. (i was planning to use the SSD from the old PC in the new one)

And thus when i build the new PC, i will NOT have any SSD or HDD (meaning mainly i will NOT have any Windows instalation on the new PC(i dont have time or nerves for that now). My question is: Is it sufficent to test the RAM compatability (old 32GB module + new 64 GB module) even without any Windows (or any program installed)...?
Can i see, "test", "gauge" if the different RAM modules are compatible even from the BIOS and POST test (without any drive or windows installed)...?

Is it sufficent to see that they (RAM modules) work in bios for "compatability test"...? Will it be compatible later on in Windows too (and different programs i will use)...? Or should i make also bootable USB drive with some testing utilities like Memtest and test the RAM COMPATABILITY this way? (and if it passes, it means that RAM modules ARE compatible and i should NOT have any future problems with them when i instal Windows 10 and run different programs (and games) later on)...?

Thank you

 

[Armageus]

Create a bootable memtest usb drive and boot from that:

Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool

Memtest86+ is an advanced, free, open-source, stand-alone memory tester for 32- and 64-bit computers (UEFI & BIOS supported)

www.memtest.org

 

[Tetras]

Is it sufficent to test the RAM compatability (old 32GB module + new 64 GB module) even without any Windows (or any program installed)...?
Can i see, "test", "gauge" if the different RAM modules are compatible even from the BIOS and POST test (without any drive or windows installed)...?

I'd try the above, since it is your best best to expose any problems. But, in my opinion: no, you can't.

Any software that you use to test memory only verifies stability in that test and RAM stability is probably the worst thing of all for having weird (hard to diagnose) issues like infrequent BSODs and spontaneous reboots.

Different workloads can expose the system to different conditions (e.g. when gaming, your CPU and graphics card are dumping huge amounts of heat into the case, while rendering will heat up the CPU, VRMs and the memory over a long period).

Im planning to combine both RAM modules (old 32 GB + new 64 GB = totaly 96 GB of RAM (all 4 RAM slots populated). Why combine? Well because i ALREADY have the "old" 32 GB module so why not add it to the new build (obviously )...

But Im not sure if either of the newly planned 64 GB modules is compatible with the old 32 GB one (although the corsair one obviously should be... but the Kingston (i was told) is a great one and should also be compatible and i would prefer Kingston cause its a bit cheaper too). Ill buy one of those and test it, if it is not compatible i will return it and buy (and try) the other one.

Corsair and Kingston both use different memory chips in their sticks, depending on demand and availability, so unless you know it is the exact same revision, or you can tell the memory chips from the specs, then you could be buying anything.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Would have to agree with tetras
Memtest will test the modules for inherent faults
It's still a great tool for what it's designed to do
But it's not the same
Kind of like testing your car engine
Just turning it on tells you it works
But it's not the same as actually getting in and driving it around

You could try a live usb
Like Ubuntu or windows PE
But still not the same
Mixing ram is a lottery I have had it work
And other times it didn't work

 

[eeii]

If it was me I would dump the old memory and just buy 4x new sticks. If that’s not an option check your motherboard website to see if that config is supported I’ve mixed different batches of the same ram but did have to run them at slightly slower speeds. Different sizes I’ve not tried.

 

[IloveYouSOmuch]

So my take away from this is that it doesnt really matter if i buy the "corsair" brand (even though i already have the same brand), since they might be using different chips in the 64 GB modules... So from this view it doesnt matter of i buy corsair or Kingston... Correct...? (i would like to try the Kingston option first probably cause its cheaper)...?

 

[jigger]

So my take away from this is that it doesnt really matter if i buy the "corsair" brand (even though i already have the same brand), since they might be using different chips in the 64 GB modules... So from this view it doesnt matter of i buy corsair or Kingston... Correct...? (i would like to try the Kingston option first probably cause its cheaper)...?

What matters is running the system with settings that are compatible for memory and controller. Past that, no, brand and IC don’t really matter, but you are painting pretty far outside the lines with this setup and it might take some work to get everything configured and stable.

Personally unless you need more than 64gb I’d just use the single kit.