Memory (RAM)

Why memory is bought as a kit

Two identical sticks from one kit were tested together at the factory. Two sticks with the same name bought separately may carry different chips inside, and the platform will either clock them down or refuse to boot with the profile at all. Adding a stick to what you already own is a gamble; a kit is a predictable result.

The second thing people forget. The speed printed on the box is enabled by an XMP or EXPO profile in the BIOS. Without it the module runs at base speed, and the money paid for a fast kit goes unnoticed.

How much to fit

• 32 GB. The comfortable norm for games, 1080p editing and ordinary work with many tabs open.
• 64 GB. 4K video, heavy CAD projects, virtual machines, running local models.
• 128 GB and above. Rendering, simulation, dataset preparation. At this point the platform matters: how many slots and how many channels it offers.

Small things that spoil a build

Tall heat spreaders collide with tower CPU coolers. Check module height against cooler dimensions before buying, or you will end up shifting the fan or swapping the kit.

Fill the slots in the order the board manual specifies. Two sticks in the wrong pair of slots means single-channel mode and lost bandwidth for nothing.

Not sure what fits your board? Send us the motherboard model and we will pick a kit from its qualified list.