RAM question

[sbohdan]

I was thinking to upgrade my RAM to 16GB. Is a quad channel kit (4x4GB) would work with my dual channel P67 board? If yes, is there anything negative from using 4 sticks instead of 2 sticks (4x4GB vs 2x8GB)? My present rig is in my sig.

[KnightRid]

2x8 gives you 2 more slots for the future if your MB and OS will take more than 16gb of ram.

Will the quad channel work, yes. I know some motherboards freak out when all memory slots are full but other than that, quad channel is just set together for quad channel boards. If you buy it now and upgrade to a quad channel board, you are already set.

I would buy the quad if you are upgrading to a quad channel board soon. I would buy the 2x8 if you are able to expand to 32gb and are seriously considering it down the road. If not, I would snag whichever is cheaper.

[Major_A]

If you occupy all 4 slots then it's still dual channel. The only downside to more RAM is lowered overclocking headroom (usually just the RAM).

[sbohdan]

Thanks for clarifying that KnightRid. I was more afraid of the RAM not being able to perform at the same timings or speed when all 4 DIM slots are populated (like it was common is some past MOBO's). As for not being able to upgrade to 32GB - I don't really care for that since even 16GB is mostly overkill and by the time future software will be able to utilize that much RAM, I will get a newer system anyway

If you occupy all 4 slots then it's still dual channel. The only downside to more RAM is lowered overclocking headroom (usually just the RAM).

As far as I know, I can't run RAM over 2133Mhz in the P67 MOBO anyway, or am I wrong about that? I would maybe tighten the timings if possible.