Corsair RAM XMP or not?

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

music production here. specifically playing resource intensive piano VST's.
so, I do not have to worry about that the new 16 GB I buy now, are not a matched set with the first 16 GB's?

Cliff S · 21 Feb 2017

Additionally how much RAM you can use depends on your motherboard and the Windows version you have installed:

Edition	Amount
Windows 10 Home 32 bit	4 GBs
Windows 10 Home 64 bit	128 GBs
Windows 10 Pro 32 bit	4 GBs
Windows 10 Pro 64 bit	512 GBs
Windows 10 Enterprise/Education 32 bit	4 GBs
Windows 10 Enterprise/Education 64 bit	512 GBs

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

I have Windows 10 Pro 64 bit.

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

on my motherboard there are pcie slots.
including an x4 pcie slot.
would I be able to buy a x4 pcie adapter, and install another M.2 SSD?
like this:
Amazon.com: Lycom DT-120 M.2 PCIe to PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter (Support M.2 PCIe 2280, 2260, 2242): Computers & Accessories

Dude · 21 Feb 2017

chasmanian said:

I have an Asus Z270F Motherboard.
the Bios first page (UEFI BIOS Utilty - EZ Mode), has an X.M.P. button.
when you click it, the drop down menu gives 2 choices.
Disabled or Profile #1.
it was set at Disabled by default.
I changed it to Profile #1.
saving and resetting, then changed my Corsair LPX to run at 3200 MHz (from 2133 MHz).
it was indeed a piece of Cheese Cake. lol
the only other change I have made is in the Advanced Mode, on the Ai Tweaker page, under CPU Core Ratio (which is set to Auto), the next line says:
1 - Core Ratio Limit
I changed that setting to 45. (it was Auto by default).
I do notice on that Ai Tweaker page that there are XMP settings. they must have automatically changed when I changed to Profile #1 on the first page (EZ Mode).

as for my question about increasing my RAM from 16 GB to 32 GB:
would anyone please tell me their thoughts about it?
it won't be a matched set. so, should I forget it?
I'm not going to take the existing 16 GB out, and buy 32 new GB RAM. not today anyway.
thank you for any thoughts.

Do not mix non matched sets of RAM, it will be nothing but trouble

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

ah, ok.
wow.
thank you very much again, Dude.

wordsworth · 21 Feb 2017

chasmanian said:

music production here. specifically playing resource intensive piano VST's.
so, I do not have to worry about that the new 16 GB I buy now, are not a matched set with the first 16 GB's?

I have to ask what do you think would be a matched set of memory? The number you'd want to match up would be in the description if buying online such as at Newegg, or on the box of memory you'd buy if purchasing locally. The number you'd want to match up would be for example CMK16GX4M2B3200C16R. That would be the number if you bought this memory at Newegg for two sticks of 8GB a piece, if that is what you currently have in your system. You'd find the same number on the box if buying locally.

I bought such a kit of memory at Microcenter and two weeks later bought another set when I decided to go to 32GB of RAM, but the two sets were not necessarily "matched up" according to having been bought at the same time. If you have the exact same number as shown above on the first pair and the second, you have a "matching pair."

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

thank you very much for your reply.
I have been told to buy it all at once, together.

Dude · 21 Feb 2017

If you get the same exact set, good chance it will work. If it doesnt take it back. It is better to buy all at once but many people have been able to add another set without issue.

chasmanian · 21 Feb 2017

roger that.
thank you Dude.