Solved RAM Compatibilty on Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Motherboard

Ocman76 · May 24, 2014

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone can help tell me if this ram:

Crucial CT25664BA1339 2GB 240-PIN PC3-10600 DIMM DDR3 Memory Module
Amazon.com: Crucial CT25664BA1339 2GB 240-PIN PC3-10600 DIMM DDR3 Memory Module: Electronics

Is compatible with this motherboard:

Asus M5A78L-M/USB3
Motherboards - M5A78L-M/USB3

I already have 3 sticks of this ram:

And I want to add one more stick of the Crucial RAM I listed above. The problem is that my motherboard website doesn't list any 2 Gigabyte RAM sticks as compatible if you check the most recent list! That doesn't make any sense because I am already using 3 sticks that are 2 GB each!

Any help is greatly appreciated.

fireberd · May 25, 2014

According to the ASUS specs for this motherboard it will accept up to 32GB of RAM. As there are 4 memory slots that means it will accept up to 8GB memory modules (4X8=32).

From the ASUS site:
4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz ECC, Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture

badger906 · May 25, 2014

1) always buy ram in pairs not singularly. you half you bandwidth by not doing so as they dont run in dual channel.

2)never mix and match ram for the same reason, and different ram runs at different timings sooo youll get the slowest achievable speed.

3) if you want 8gb just buy 2x4gb stick and pop them on the ram slots that are the same colour. if they arent colour coded place 1 closest to the cpu then leave a space and then place the next in the slot. (the 3rd slot)

Ocman76 · May 26, 2014

fireberd said:
According to the ASUS specs for this motherboard it will accept up to 32GB of RAM. As there are 4 memory slots that means it will accept up to 8GB memory modules (4X8=32).

From the ASUS site:
4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz ECC, Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture

True, but I already know all of that. I was looking for a more informed response. Even though the memory I want to buy meets all these specifications it may not be compatible in a configuration with my current RAM. This is what I need help with.

Ocman76 · May 27, 2014

badger906 said:
1) always buy ram in pairs not singularly. you half you bandwidth by not doing so as they dont run in dual channel.

According to my motherboard manual, different types of RAM have these varying compatibilities:

What you are telling me is that I shouldn't buy a single stick of RAM but should instead buy a new dual configuration and waste one of my old sticks of RAM? I don't have much money and would rather not do that

.

If I were to buy just this new single stick of RAM and install it in my fourth motherboard RAM slot, would it work? How would it affect the performance of my current configuration?

badger906 · May 27, 2014

if all of your ram sticks are indentical, all the same models, run on the same timings and are all of the same generation youll be fine.. but as youre asking about configuration then they obviously are mixed and matched.

your motherboard has whats known as dual channel lanes. this effectively doubles your rams bandwidth allowing for faster access and usage.

if you dont fit matching pairs into the correct colour coded slots it will work as single channel, and that speed will be governed by the slowest modual and thus halving the bandwidth, which translates to halving the access/transfer speed.

if all the ram is different speeds and brands again it will not work in dual channel. and currently as you have 3 sticks again its not running at dual channel.

yes your new stick of ram will work, but if they arent all thr same it will work in single channel mode, and if the new stick is even slower than the rest it will make the access speeds even slower than you currently have.

Ocman76 · May 27, 2014

badger906 said:
if all of your ram sticks are indentical, all the same models, run on the same timings and are all of the same generation youll be fine.. but as youre asking about configuration then they obviously are mixed and matched.

your motherboard has whats known as dual channel lanes. this effectively doubles your rams bandwidth allowing for faster access and usage.

if you dont fit matching pairs into the correct colour coded slots it will work as single channel, and that speed will be governed by the slowest modual and thus halving the bandwidth, which translates to halving the access/transfer speed.

if all the ram is different speeds and brands again it will not work in dual channel. and currently as you have 3 sticks again its not running at dual channel.

yes your new stick of ram will work, but if they arent all thr same it will work in single channel mode, and if the new stick is even slower than the rest it will make the access speeds even slower than you currently have.

So let me get this straight, my Mobo has 4 RAM slots, 2 pairs for 2 dual channels. I currently have 3 sticks of RAM installed meaning that 2 of the sticks are running in dual configuration and 1 in single configuration?

What I want to know is if I purchase this single stick of RAM I linked, if it will lower or raise the overall performance of my RAM. You keep telling me "if the new stick is even slower than the rest it will make the access speeds even slower", how would I know that this is the case? I know almost nothing about RAM and that is why I posted here with the details of my current RAM as well as the RAM I want to add. Can you help me figure out if my proposed RAM addition is faster or slower than my current RAM?

ignatzatsonic · May 27, 2014

The new stick will "work" in that it will give you 8 total if it is generally compatible and recognized.

Whether all 4 sticks will be in dual channel mode is another question and not knowable for certain until you try it.

If you are doing some task that can use more than 6 gb of RAM, you are better off with the 4th stick, even if it operates in single channel mode.

If the tasks you are doing aren't using more than 6 gb of RAM, it doesn't matter whether you have the 4th stick.

Do you know how often you fully use the existing 6 GB? If it's rarely, never, or unknown, there isn't much point in buying more, regardless.

Ocman76 · May 27, 2014

ignatzatsonic said:
The new stick will "work" in that it will give you 8 total if it is generally compatible and recognized.

Whether all 4 sticks will be in dual channel mode is another question and not knowable for certain until you try it.

If you are doing some task that can use more than 6 gb of RAM, you are better off with the 4th stick, even if it operates in single channel mode.

If the tasks you are doing aren't using more than 6 gb of RAM, it doesn't matter whether you have the 4th stick.

Do you know how often you fully use the existing 6 GB? If it's rarely, never, or unknown, there isn't much point in buying more, regardless.

I don't very often use more than 6 GB of RAM, its just that I had someone offer to buy me a single stick and this is why I am looking into it. If its the case that I can't know for sure that the mixing sticks will run in Dual or not then I think I will reconsider.

Thanks for the advice.

ignatzatsonic · May 27, 2014

If it's a gift, why not take it??

Worst case scenario: it runs in single channel, but is still MUCH better than not having it at all for those occasions when you need more than 6 GB.

Ocman76 · May 27, 2014

ignatzatsonic said:
If it's a gift, why not take it??

Worst case scenario: it runs in single channel, but is still MUCH better than not having it at all for those occasions when you need more than 6 GB.

The person who is buying it for me is under the impression it will benefit my performance. I was so focused on trying to find out new RAM compatibility that I forgot it only benefits certain computer tasks. I mostly play games, I don't do video rendering and I barely use programs like matlab.

Seeing as it is a gift I wouldn't want to be wasting it :huh:

Solved RAM Compatibilty on Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Motherboard

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