Wanting to add more RAM

The VCR King

Well-Known Member
The RAM on the Beast is filling up quickly because I install a lot of crap and there are three family users. 43% is used so far but it will rise to 70 and above when I play certain games, and it bogs down the machine. I currently have 8GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR3 9-9-9-24 installed (2 4GB sticks). My mobo's max. allowance is 16GB. Some quick questions I have are:
•Should I add 4 more GB (12GB total then) or max it out at 16?
•Does the additional RAM need to be the same brand/model/timing of the current ram?
and
•Do I just pop the stick in or does this involve modifying BIOS or some crap like that?
 
You probably have a lot of crap running in the background. 8GB should be fine for what you need.

If other users don't need to be logged in when they're not using the PC, then log them out.
 
i agree,you should not need more than 8gb of ram.if you are on windows 7 type msconfig in the search bar and see what programs start with windows.uncheck the ones you dont need to start on boot.to give an example i have two that start with windows.if you run windows 8 you can do the same thing with task manager.
 
Uninstall some of your crap and log other users out before you throw a ton of money at more RAM.

If you were to upgrade you should go for 16GB - maxing your board out.

Let's just say for the sake of convenience that yes it's best to stick to using exactly the same sticks/timings/frequencies/brands. What frequency is your RAM? 1600MHz I guess.

Sometimes you might need to go into the BIOS to alter frequencies or timings IF they're not correct but if you have 9-9-9-24 (CAS9) 1600MHz at the moment and it's working fine then when you install the extra CAS9 1600MHz RAM you shouldn't need to touch the BIOS.
 
I agree, run msconfig and disable apps from launching at startup, or better yet uninstall the crap you no longer need.

If you do want to upgrade, get 2 more 4GB sticks to bring you to 4x 4GB. If possible buy the same RAM, but if you can't find it anything with the same speed should be fine.
 
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