Can I install a module of 2666mhz RAM with a 3200mhz RAM as a dual channel in on a motherboard that supports 3200mhz

Question

My laptop is an ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (506 II) with only 8GB of RAM 3200mhz DDR4 and I want to upgrade it to 16GB or 24GB but only there is 2666mhz RAM available in my country. Should I get 2666mhz RAM for this machine?

Solution

It should work, but both sticks will operate at 2666 MHz, not 3200 MHz.

Also, getting two sticks of different capacity (8+16 GB) will disable dual-channel, further degrading performance.

Whether you should is something you must decide yourself. Check benchmarks that reflect your typical usage.

Comments

[Krishna]

I tried doing the same. I had a spare 2666MHz card and I tried it with linux-hardware.org/?probe=018213b3d3. It didn't work. It didn't even boot.

[LPChip]

It should work... not so sure. If the timings are off, the system will become unstable.

[gronostaj]

@LPChip Timings should also adjust to match the slower module. But indeed RAM is sometimes quirky. Some modules just won't work with each other or with specific motherboard.

[QwertZ]

can i remove the 3200mhz stick of ram and replace it with 2 sticks of 2666mhz ram from the same brand for better performance ?

[gronostaj]

@QwertZ The chance of incompatibility would be slightly lower (as mentioned by LPChip non-matching sticks can sometimes refuse to work together), but you wouldn't necessarily gain any performance. A 3200 MHz stick underclocked to 2666 MHz would work the same as a 2666 MHz stick, unless you can find a set of 2666 MHz sticks with lower timings. Higher clock = better performance, higher timings = worse performance. (Also you can't compare timings directly if clocks are different)