Is any type of RAM DDR4 compatible with a Hackintosh?

Carlino said:

Hello everyone,

I noticed that the motherboard I am going to buy (GA-Z270-HD3P) is compatible with DDR4 X.M.P. So I was looking for RAM with this feature and I found it is quite similar price. For example this one:

Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3000 MHz CL15 XMP 2.0 High Performance Desktop Memory Kit - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0134EW7G8/?tag=tonymacx86-21

As you can see, its frequency is 3000MHz. So two questions,

1. Is a Hackintosh compatible with this RAM?
2. Is a Hackintosh compatible with any type of DRR4 RAM? If not, what do I need to look for?


Thank you for your time

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kirilzarlinov said:

i have z370 hd3 on a new hackintosh
with 3000mhz ram and i have a problem installing....i guess its the ram, cos its 3000mhz its not 2400...

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kirilzarlinov said:

..oh it seems it was not the ram causing the problem, we still cant find out what it is..the installation will start and after it comes to the half the comp just restarts and start over again....iv lost 3 days with it , no luck at all, so i put the ssd on my ds3h and install the osx sierra and put back to the new pc...for now its ok, but i still dont know why it wont install...

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AppleiPad556 said:

Hm, odd. Glad you got it working though.
I'm pretty sure the installation is supposed to stop halfway, and you'd have to enter the boot volume again, boot it up again, and then let it continue installation. There are so many factors for a successful installation...

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Cfreak said:

I am reviving this thread, as I too am confused about Z390 ram requirements.

I am planning a new build based on CaseySJ's Z390 golden build:

[SUCCESS] Gigabyte Designare Z390 (Thunderbolt 3) + i7-9700K + AMD RX 580

CaseySJ's Coffee Lake in Phanteks Evolv X ATX Case: Gigabyte Designare Z390 - i7-9700K - UHD 630 - AMD RX 580 (Please do not quote this build guide in its entirely. Post a link instead.) (See this post for how to refer to a Guide or Mini-Guide.) URGENT: Please avoid Clover 5123 and newer for...

www.tonymacx86.com

I bought a Gigabyte Z390 Designare board and an Intel 9700k processor. - I will be using the machine for video editing.

I am looking to max out the ram modules (4x16GB) and in the golden build guide he used 4x8GB modules. Also the Ram recommendation in the buyers guide are somewhat outdated as many are no longer available.

Based on what I read in this thread, I looked at the manufacturers recommended RAM modules and found very few were the 16GB size and they are hard to find in stock:

https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_z390-designare_200103.pdf

My understanding at this point is that this processor/mobo combo max'es out at 64GB of RAM and I would evntually like to get 4x 16GB modules of DDR4 2666MHZ 288 pin, but to get started, I only need 2x16GB modules with my build and can add the last 2 at a later point.

Do the timing and CAS Latenancy numbers have to be the same as the ram listed in the TonyMac Buyer's guide?

The one option I can find from the buyer's guide I can still find is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AG9EZ6E/?tag=tonymacx86com-20 but since it's only 2400 MHz, I need to get the 2666 MHz version, correct? I believe that's this one (still CL 16) and is a few dollars less: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHTGS4G/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Is there much difference than buying a cheaper ram with the same 2666 MHz specs but CL19, Ex: https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232765

I read on the interwebs that RAM faster than 2666MHz will not yield much benefit on an intel Coffee lake processor, is that correct?

Many thanks, if you read this far !

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Shiitaki said:

I've never had any issues with RAM on any hackintosh, I've read where it is possible but I think it is very rare.

You can use whatever ram you want it should work with the auto settings of the motherboard, however for best performance you should probably go with RAM where you divide the frequency by the CAS and choose one of the higher numbers. For example. 3600/18, 3600mhz/CAS 18. This is a fairly easy way to compare memory kits, but 2666 is awfully slow and should only be used if you really need the capacity over the speed. You can go as large as 128GB kits have to be slow out of necessity. Another words, high speed ram is not really a benefit but really slow ram can certainly hurt performance noticeably.

Gigabyte motherboards are T topology memory layouts, which means they run best with 4 sticks. Generally if you buy a 2 stick kit at say 3200 the memory is tested to run only that memory at that speed. If you then add a second memory kit, even identical part number, then you should know that you are no longer guaranteed that 3200 and may need to slow them down. Best to buy all 4 if you want the assurance it will clock at the speed you buy. Going back to the T topology it turns out may may make what I just said less relevant than it would be on a board with the other memory wiring scheme daisy chain. Usually you can just enable XMP and then slow the memory down a 100 or 200 to get it stable when you add the second kit later.

I would look for the best ram specs for a modest price, say 10 percent cost for better timings and speed, but spending big won't make real world difference. Also if you are going to buy one kit now and one kit later, you should buy single rank kits, they will be higher density chips and make easier on the memory controller. Depending on the capacity you may not have a choice anyway.

To sum it up, anything that works well in Windows will work fine macOS, except RGB of course.

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