RAM Advice (Adding to existing Corsair 2x8GB)

[dhdude]

Greetings all,

As per system specs, I have a 2x8GB set of Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3600Mhz ( CMW16GX4M2D3600C18 ) ordered from Amazon late last year.

I recently ordered a 2nd set from the same link/model number but received a different revision. I chose not to install as understood that different revisions use different NAND from different manufacturers and had compatibility concerns - I know it should technically work but would rather match as best possible.

So I contacted Amazon who dispatched a replacement (on condition of returning existing set by March) however, they were unable to confirm which revision could be sent as SKU is the same, so I received yet another revision.

Currently I have all 3 sets, but one set of the newer ones will need to go back.

Currently installed RAM is rev. 3.34, 2nd order is rev 5.32 and replacement delivery is rev. 8.31.

I've got to keep the 3.34 DIMMs as I've already been using those several months, but rev5.32 and rev8.31 are unopened so I can send either back.

Reading up on this, I found the following: Die versions etc - Memory - Corsair Community

"The numbers take the for "ver X.YZ" where;

* X is IC maker - 3 for Micron, 4 for Samsung, 5 for Hynix, presumably 8 for Nanya as with DDR3

* Y seems to be capacity per rank - 1 for 2GB, 2 for 4GB, 3 for 8GB. Usually this translates directly to IC density (8GB/rank = 8Gbit), but ver 4.14 which uses half as many double width "x16" 4Gbit chips is a special case.

* Z is revision, usually starting from A=0 and usually counting up one letter per increment. Hynix's first revisions are lettered "M" which is numbered as X.Y9, samsung now do this too and it will proesumably be the same.



The known and possible version numbers are as follows;

Version Vendor IC Confirmation?

3.20 Micron 4Gbit Rev.A Presumed

3.21 Micron 4Gbit Rev.B Confirmed

3.22 Micron 4Gbit Rev.E* Speculated

3.22 Micron 4Gbit Rev.F* Confirmed

3.31 Micron 8Gbit Rev.B Confirmed

3.33 Micron 8Gbit Rev.D Presumed

3.34 Micron 8Gbit Rev.E Speculated

4.14 Samsung 4Gbit D-die (4x16) Confirmed

4.23 Samsung 4Gbit D-die Confirmed

4.24 Samsung 4Gbit E-die Confirmed

4.31 Samsung 8Gbit B-die Confirmed

4.49 Samsung 16Gbit M-die Speculated

4.40 Samsung 16Gbit A-die Speculated

5.29 Hynix 4Gbit MFR Confirmed

5.20 Hynix 4Gbit AFR Confirmed

5.21 Hynix 4Gbit BJR Speculated

5.39 Hynix 8Gbit MFR Confirmed

5.30 Hynix 8Gbit AFR Presumed

5.31 Hynix 8Gbit "BFR"??? Speculated

5.32 Hynix 8Gbit CJR Presumed

8.20** Nanya 4Gbit Rev.A Speculated

8.30** Nanya 8Gbit Rev.A Speculated"

(Copied from source at Die versions etc - Memory - Corsair Community)


Any suggestions or thoughts on what might be best to do? Which out of the 5.32 or 8.31 revs are likely to be the best "fit" with existing 3.34 DIMMs? Reluctant to return both and play the revision lottery again...

 

[Toothless]

Why not try it first before adding to the hassle?

 

[dhdude]

Thanks @Toothless - whichever I return needs to be sealed, so have not yet tested.

 

[Toothless]

Thanks @Toothless - whichever I return needs to be sealed, so have not yet tested.

If it's not compatible, then it would be returning as product doesn't work. I did the same deal on my old 4790k system: two G.Skill kits, different times. Don't remember revision stuff. Worked great and actually is being used right now in a 1680v2 rig.

 

[eidairaman1]

You must ensure timings, and volts and xmp ratings match

You must get Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3600Mhz ( CMW16GX4M2D3600C18 )

If it doesnt work.

Go buy a quad channel kit

Return the dual channel kit and sell the other

 

[dhdude]

Go buy a quad channel kit

Return the dual channel kit and sell the other

You must ensure timings, and volts and xmp ratings match

You must get Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3600Mhz ( CMW16GX4M2D3600C18 )

Thanks, I did consider selling up to get a 2x16GB kit, just wanted minimal downtime, and didn't see a need to have more than 32GB on this board in the future by populating all DIMM slots.

All the kits I have match model number, just different revisions.

 

[Ruru]

Never had any problems with even totally mixed RAM myself. I'm pretty sure that if it's the same stuff but different revision, there isn't going to be any problems.

 

[Cowboystrekk]

Greetings all,

As per system specs, I have a 2x8GB set of Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3600Mhz ( CMW16GX4M2D3600C18 ) ordered from Amazon late last year.

I recently ordered a 2nd set from the same link/model number but received a different revision. I chose not to install as understood that different revisions use different NAND from different manufacturers and had compatibility concerns - I know it should technically work but would rather match as best possible.

So I contacted Amazon who dispatched a replacement (on condition of returning existing set by March) however, they were unable to confirm which revision could be sent as SKU is the same, so I received yet another revision.

Currently I have all 3 sets, but one set of the newer ones will need to go back.

Currently installed RAM is rev. 3.34, 2nd order is rev 5.32 and replacement delivery is rev. 8.31.

I've got to keep the 3.34 DIMMs as I've already been using those several months, but rev5.32 and rev8.31 are unopened so I can send either back.

Reading up on this, I found the following: Die versions etc - Memory - Corsair Community

"The numbers take the for "ver X.YZ" where;

* X is IC maker - 3 for Micron, 4 for Samsung, 5 for Hynix, presumably 8 for Nanya as with DDR3

* Y seems to be capacity per rank - 1 for 2GB, 2 for 4GB, 3 for 8GB. Usually this translates directly to IC density (8GB/rank = 8Gbit), but ver 4.14 which uses half as many double width "x16" 4Gbit chips is a special case.

* Z is revision, usually starting from A=0 and usually counting up one letter per increment. Hynix's first revisions are lettered "M" which is numbered as X.Y9, samsung now do this too and it will proesumably be the same.



The known and possible version numbers are as follows;

Version Vendor IC Confirmation?

3.20 Micron 4Gbit Rev.A Presumed

3.21 Micron 4Gbit Rev.B Confirmed

3.22 Micron 4Gbit Rev.E* Speculated

3.22 Micron 4Gbit Rev.F* Confirmed

3.31 Micron 8Gbit Rev.B Confirmed

3.33 Micron 8Gbit Rev.D Presumed

3.34 Micron 8Gbit Rev.E Speculated

4.14 Samsung 4Gbit D-die (4x16) Confirmed

4.23 Samsung 4Gbit D-die Confirmed

4.24 Samsung 4Gbit E-die Confirmed

4.31 Samsung 8Gbit B-die Confirmed

4.49 Samsung 16Gbit M-die Speculated

4.40 Samsung 16Gbit A-die Speculated

5.29 Hynix 4Gbit MFR Confirmed

5.20 Hynix 4Gbit AFR Confirmed

5.21 Hynix 4Gbit BJR Speculated

5.39 Hynix 8Gbit MFR Confirmed

5.30 Hynix 8Gbit AFR Presumed

5.31 Hynix 8Gbit "BFR"??? Speculated

5.32 Hynix 8Gbit CJR Presumed

8.20** Nanya 4Gbit Rev.A Speculated

8.30** Nanya 8Gbit Rev.A Speculated"

(Copied from source at Die versions etc - Memory - Corsair Community)


Any suggestions or thoughts on what might be best to do? Which out of the 5.32 or 8.31 revs are likely to be the best "fit" with existing 3.34 DIMMs? Reluctant to return both and play the revision lottery again...

Will you run xmp or tweak? If you run xmp it doesn't matter, if you tweak it does. Hynix CJR and Micron rev E is quite similar, but rev E needs higher RC and RFC, while CJR needs higher CL, RP, RRD and FAW.

If you tweak I estimate 4 CJR stick or 4 rev E sticks will give you about 2% better performance than mixing them so not much.

 

[dhdude]

Will you run xmp or tweak? If you run xmp it doesn't matter, if you tweak it does. Hynix CJR and Micron rev E is quite similar, but rev E needs higher RC and RFC, while CJR needs higher CL, RP, RRD and FAW.

If you tweak I estimate 4 CJR stick or 4 rev E sticks will give you about 2% better performance than mixing them so not much.

Good to know, very informative thank you very likely to stick to XMP at the moment - stability important at the moment as wifey does her study work on this machine. This build has been extremely stable/reliable so far with minimal tweaking, hoping to reduce risk of any downtime/troubleshooting.

 

[neatfeatguy]

Never had any problems with even totally mixed RAM myself. I'm pretty sure that if it's the same stuff but different revision, there isn't going to be any problems.

My work computer runs off 10GB of RAM....I'm not really sure why, but it does. The IT guy here said he doesn't like RAM and doesn't really understand it so he just slapped in a bunch of spare sticks of DDR3 and it totals up to 10GB of RAM. Outside of the computer being aged (running a i5-2400) and having a crap ton of mismatched RAM, it runs just fine.

On the other hand.....

I've had a computer that had odd crashes and best I could contribute them to was the mismatched RAM. Pulling out a set stopped the odd crashing, but I never tested anything other than that (maybe the set I pulled was just bad and I got lucky pulling it without any testing).

Guess I'd rather not take my chances personally and make sure all RAM are matching.

 

[Ruru]

My work computer runs off 10GB of RAM....I'm not really sure why, but it does. The IT guy here said he doesn't like RAM and doesn't really understand it so he just slapped in a bunch of spare sticks of DDR3 and it totals up to 10GB of RAM. Outside of the computer being aged (running a i5-2400) and having a crap ton of mismatched RAM, it runs just fine.

On the other hand.....

I've had a computer that had odd crashes and best I could contribute them to was the mismatched RAM. Pulling out a set stopped the odd crashing, but I never tested anything other than that (maybe the set I pulled was just bad and I got lucky pulling it without any testing).

Guess I'd rather not take my chances personally and make sure all RAM are matching.

I had also 10GB (4+4+2) on my previous X58 rig years ago, worked fine without any hiccups. My current X58 has more logical RAM setup as it has 18GB as 2+2+2 and 4+4+4 sticks.

I also recommend using matching sticks but like I said, I haven't got any problems ever with mismatched RAM even with totally different brands, speeds and sizes.

 

[grammar_phreak]

Is there a way for you to open up the packaging, and then reseal it as if it was never opened? G.Skill uses plastic packaging for their Ripjaws memory which can be resealed.
You can use a program called Thaiphoon Burner to check the information on the memory IC's.

 

[R-T-B]

I'd keep rev 5.32. Hynix tends to clock better than nanya chips (what the other revision is) so less chance of issues.

 

[dhdude]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! Tried the 5.32s (Hynix confirmed!) in the end, seem to work well with existing Micron rev3.34s under XMP, system has been solid for 24 hours since install.

Thanks again!