General RAM Pairing Question (Have 2, Unmatched Pairs - Kingston HyperX, GSKILL Ripjaws))

[killacam7478]

Hi Everyone,

Question from someone who doesn't know/understand RAM pairing/dual-channel, etc.

I made my first build using Kingston HyperX 1600mhz RAM, 2 X 4GB. I put them on a Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H, rev 1.1, in the first and third slot, so I believe they should be in dual-channel mode. My motherboard only supports 1.5V, while these are rated for 1.65V. In my BIOS, I believe it says 1.52V for memory, but I have not yet run into any issues. I did change the frequency in my BIOS to 1600mhz, as it came in defaulted at 1333mhz.

Anyway, I saw an amazing deal for RAM just before Black Friday - 16GB (2 X 8GB) G.SKILL Ripjaws, 1866mhz, 1.5V. Question is, can I just pop these in, in addition to the 8GB of Kingston RAM I already have, for a total of 24? Would I have to make manual adjustments in the BIOS to get this all to work?

Here is the comparison of the two types of RAM

RAM Pairs
Brand	G.SKILL	Kingston HyperX
Series	Ripjaws X Series	XMP Blu Red Series
Model	F3-14900CL10D-16GBXL	KHX16C9B1RK2/8X
Type	240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM	240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
Capacity	16GB (2 X 8GB)	8GB (2 X 4GB)
Speed	DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)	DDR3 1600
Cas Latency	10	9
Timing	10-11-10-30	9-9-9
Voltage	1.5V	1.65V
ECC	No	No
Buffered/Registered	Unbuffered	Unbuffered
Multi-Channel	Dual Channel Kit	Dual Channel Kit
Heat Spreader	Yes	Unknown
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Rev 1.1
Motherboard Memory Information from Website:
Memory	1. 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
* Due to Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than 4 GB.
2. Dual channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR3 2400(OC)/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
4. Support for non-ECC memory modules
5. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

I guess I wasn't sure if it's ok to use both pairs, as they have different Timing, Frequency, Voltage, and Cas Latency. Would it be more of a headache to get them both going (is it even possible to run two pairs at different frequencies/voltage)? I don't know if my board can even put more voltage in to get the Kingston RAM to run as it should.

Or should I just sell the Kingston 8GB and use the 16GB? From my understanding, the 1866mhz is a faster speed, but it's slower because the latency is 10, compared to the 9 latency of the Kingston HyperX. Any help is much appreciated!

 

[killacam7478]

Well, as a follow up to my question, my 2 8GB sticks came last night and I popped them into my build. Loaded up fine, no issues.

I didn't change any settings, so all four sticks are running at 1600mhz at 1.5V. I thought my Geekbench Score would increase a lot, but it didn't. I did try a program called Rember, and it recognized all 24GB of RAM and said all tests passed (although it took FOREVER). If anyone has any tips on how to ensure my RAM is performing optimally, it would be appreciate (i.e., changing BIOS settings to make the two different pairs run in the most efficient manner).