# Using 4x4 DIMMS with i7 6700k



## Bad Bad Bear (Aug 7, 2015)

Hello guys,

My wife is going to build a mATX build and has decided to get the following components:-

i7 6700k
ASUS Maximus VIII Gene Motherboard

AND
Corsair CMK8GX4M2B3200C16R 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 3200MHz Vengeance LPX DIMM Red

She plans to add another set of these sticks a month later.

My questions is - will the i7 6700k's memory controller handle these DDR4 3200MHz DIMMS in a 4x4 configuration ?


Appreciate some expert opinions !  Cheers


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## FordGT90Concept (Aug 7, 2015)

It doesn't have quad channel.  It has two channels that support two DIMMs each.

That's overclocking memory.  Skylake-S will only use DDR4-2133 without overclocking.  I don't know how much those run for but I'd strongly consider getting 2x8 GiB DDR4-2133 over 2x4 GiB DDR4-3200.

If there is no need for more memory, there won't be a performance gain going from two populated DIMMs to four populated DIMMs.  I personally like to keep my options open which is why I install the highest density I can and keep as many DIMMs free as possible.


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## Bad Bad Bear (Aug 7, 2015)

FordGT90Concept said:


> It doesn't have quad channel.  It has two channels that support two DIMMs each.
> 
> That's overclocking memory.  Skylake-S will only use DDR4-2133 without overclocking.  I don't know how much those run for but I'd strongly consider getting 2x8 GiB DDR4-2133 over 2x4 GiB DDR4-3200.
> 
> If there is no need for more memory, there won't be a performance gain going from two populated DIMMs to four populated DIMMs.  I personally like to keep my options open which is why I install the highest density I can and keep as many DIMMs free as possible.



Thanks  Yep she plans to OC the cpu if possible to around 4.8 GHz and from some of the reviews we are reading that DIMMS running at 2666 MHz or above are ideal for this sort of overclock.


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## EarthDog (Aug 7, 2015)

Grab 2x4 or 2x8gb ddr4 3000. It's a sweet spot for price and performamce.

Don't get ddr4 2133, lol. That is slow DDR3 speeds....


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## Bad Bad Bear (Aug 7, 2015)

EarthDog said:


> Grab 2x4 or 2x8gb ddr4 3000. It's a sweet spot for price and performamce.
> 
> Don't get ddr4 2133, lol. That is slow DDR3 speeds....



Yeh, she wants to go 3000 MHz or above.  We just checked the QVL compatibility checklist for the board and it mentions a Corsair 16GB kit with the same timings - just with 4X4 kit configuration.  So i'm thinking adding the other 2 dimms later should be ok as the timings are the same.  On the QVL list it mentions "SS or DS" - What does that mean ?

Here is the kit she wants to get listed on the corsair website http://www.corsair.com/en-au/vengea...3200mhz-c16-memory-kit-red-cmk8gx4m2b3200c16r

They sell for $135 in Australia. So all up $270 (once she adds the second kit) seems pretty good for 3200 MHz sticks 

Thanks for your help guys


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## cadaveca (Aug 7, 2015)

Bad Bad Bear said:


> Hello guys,
> 
> My wife is going to build a mATX build and has decided to get the following components:-
> 
> ...


I have run 3200 MHz with 4x 4 GB sticks without any issues. I've run 3600 MHz with just two. IT is more than possible it will be hard for some sticks. Unfortunately there are not a lot of CPUs out there to purchase, so testing a wide range of CPUs to see clocking potentials has yet to be done. I'll probably buy 4 or 5 retail CPUs to figure this out, and then sell the ones I don't keep. Look for a future sale. 


I will say, though, buying 2 two-stick kits to make a four-stick kit is a bad idea. At high memory speeds, since memory is a capacitor in a circuit, mixing capacitors of unknown values can lead to all sorts of problems.


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## Bad Bad Bear (Aug 7, 2015)

cadaveca said:


> I have run 3200 MHz with 4x 4 GB sticks without any issues. I've run 3600 MHz with just two. IT is more than possible it will be hard for some sticks. Unfortunately there are not a lot of CPUs out there to purchase, so testing a wide range of CPUs to see clocking potentials has yet to be done. I'll probably buy 4 or 5 retail CPUs to figure this out, and then sell the ones I don't keep. Look for a future sale.


Thanks mate  That answers my question  Any word on when you'll be doing a review on the i7 6700 ?


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## cadaveca (Aug 7, 2015)

Bad Bad Bear said:


> Thanks mate  That answers my question  Any word on when you'll be doing a review on the i7 6700 ?


We have a CPU reviewer. I just do boards and memory. So you'll have to ask him what his plans are. I have three DDR4 reviews to do, and a bunch more boards, so I am working on those things.


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## Bad Bad Bear (Aug 7, 2015)

cadaveca said:


> We have a CPU reviewer. I just do boards and memory. So you'll have to ask him what his plans are. I have three DDR4 reviews to do, and a bunch more boards, so I am working on those things.



Hey Dave,

With adding the second set of dimms later, you mentioned that this was generally a bad idea. How is this so if they are the same dimms with the same timings etc. Excuse my ignorance. I did exactly that with a Z97 board,4790k and 2666 Gskill ram without any issues.


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## rtwjunkie (Aug 7, 2015)

Adding later is a bad idea because the second set is an unknown value from likely a different lot number.  Quality varies.  When you buy as a set, it is a known group of memory which are all of same quality and known to work together.  CAN it work adding later?  Yes it can.  You take your chances though.


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## GhostRyder (Aug 7, 2015)

Bad Bad Bear said:


> Hey Dave,
> 
> With adding the second set of dimms later, you mentioned that this was generally a bad idea. How is this so if they are the same dimms with the same timings etc. Excuse my ignorance. I did exactly that with a Z97 board,4790k and 2666 Gskill ram without any issues.


 Why not just buy instead a pair of 8gb sticks?  It would probably be better overall and then you would not have to run 4 sticks in the system.


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## Vicious (Aug 9, 2015)

GhostRyder said:


> Why not just buy instead a pair of 8gb sticks?  It would probably be better overall and then you would not have to run 4 sticks in the system.


6700K, Z170 mobo & DDR4 aren't cheap so maybe they're a little short to get a 16GB kit right away. He should be fine as long as he orders the exact same kit. I've added exact same (2X4GB) kits later on multiple builds and never had a problem (dual channel as well).


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## RejZoR (Aug 9, 2015)

I'm using 6 slots on my X58 system, totaling 18 GB of RAM (strange number for RAM, but that's what you get when you combine 6GB and 12GB with 3 stick setups)  Generally the rule applies to keep as little used slots as possible (while still maxing the channels) for maximum performance and overclockability.

Ideal for dual channel is to have 2 sticks only, each 8GB in your case, totaling 16GB of RAM. Though in general, if you're not a hardcore overclocker, it'll work just the same with all 4 occupied...


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## puma99dk| (Aug 9, 2015)

Vicious said:


> 6700K, Z170 mobo & DDR4 aren't cheap so maybe they're a little short to get a 16GB kit right away. He should be fine as long as he orders the exact same kit. I've added exact same (2X4GB) kits later on multiple builds and never had a problem (dual channel as well).



no matter the price, i even figured that out when i used 1x8gb that it just wasn't enough for me from time to time so i agreed with myself i will spend money on a 2x8gb so i won't run out of memory anytime soon.


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## Vicious (Aug 9, 2015)

puma99dk| said:


> no matter the price, i even figured that out when i used 1x8gb that it just wasn't enough for me from time to time so i agreed with myself i will spend money on a 2x8gb so i won't run out of memory anytime soon.


2X4GB would have been a better choice for you if you're using a dual channel mobo. 2X8GB will do perfectly fine as well. You want use two or more dimms on dual channel mobos.


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## puma99dk| (Aug 9, 2015)

Vicious said:


> 2X4GB would have been a better choice for you if you're using a dual channel mobo. 2X8GB will do perfectly fine as well. You want use two or more dimms on dual channel mobos.



Vicious I don't buy 2x4gb when we talk ITX bcs than it's money out the window when i couldn't afford 2x8gb to begin with, so i choose the path of a month using 1x8gb and then get the second one the next month,


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## basco (Aug 9, 2015)

money is not the prob it seems from your + your wife´s system so go for double sided 2x8gb and little slower mHZ then 4x4 and single channel


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## cadaveca (Aug 9, 2015)

4x 4 GB 3200 MHz G.Skill Ripjaws4, stock CPU.


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