Memory. Better to buy in matched pairs or not?

If it's good memory it won't matter.

dmbaer

rockoman


Take for instance 12GB. I've read that's it's better to buy as the same batch (6x2GB) vs. buying 2 (3x2GB) batches. Is this true? And does it really make that much a diff? I can save about $50 if I buy two separate batches but I'd like to get some opinions on this issue first.

Thanks.
Rock!

I take it your MB has 6 memory slots?  If so, doing two batches might solve another mystery we've been discussing in a separate thread and save you some money in the bargain ... that would be whether you need 12MB in the first place.  If you've got 6 slots, you could start with 3x2MB.  If that maxes out and things slow down, add the other 3x2MB at that time.  It could turn out that you won't need it in the first place. 
 
That said, I'd go with quality memory and buy the same thing for the expansion if you end up adding more.  There are a number of older threads here in which you can track down recommendations of what experienced folks consider to be good quality.

Thanks for the reply. It's very good quality memory (G.Skill) and I will def need the 12GB which I found out from my other thread . I'm going to be loading up on VSTis.

2 separate sets of identical ram will work fine (assuming that the brand and spec will work to begin with)
X58 platform has a lot of compatibility issues particularly when doing 6 sticks

I have found that it makes a huge difference, particularly as you get into higher speed memory.  I purchased 2GB (2x1GB) of Corsair Dominator PC8500 (1066 MHz) a while back.  Recently, I purchased two more GB of the exact same memory, but a different batch with a different version number.  The 4 sticks run fine at 1066MHz in an ASUS motherboard, but will not run above 800MHz in a Gigabyte motherboard.  In consulting the Corsair site, it turns out that there are a number of factors that will influence whether memory will coexist, not the least of which is the motherboard's memory controller.  To take it one step further, I also bought 4MB  (2x2GB sticks) of the same memory, same speed, same everything, but I cannot mix the 2GB sticks with the 1GB sticks in either motherboard and run them at 1066MHz.  Supposedly if you match the size of the memory and the version number it will run at the rated speed, but Corsair will not guarantee this.  So, to make a long story short, there are no guarantees when mixing memory batches, and unless the memory comes in the same package, you could have problems.  The best thing to do is research the memory you plan to buy and see what sorts of problems others have had.