Old Gamer Memory Upgrade Worth It?

rockit00 · 2025-03-19T16:50:19+0000

I am thinking about upgrading the memory on my old gaming rig. Specs are: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 motherboard with 16GB ( 4x4) GB of Corsair Vengeance PC3 modules. They are mismatched with 8GB of PC3-10700 plus 8GB of PC3-10700H modules. I am looking at a 32GB (4x8) GB set of Kingston Hyper X Genesis modules as pictured. What improvements, if any could I see with an upgrade to PC3-14900 1866Mhz matched modules? I'm using an i7 4790k @ 4GHz and an RX 580 8GB GPU.

dgianstefani · 2025-03-19T16:58:41+0000

Not really worth it. Save for a Zen 3 or 12th gen Intel upgrade instead, or newer.

rockit00 · 2025-03-19T17:08:59+0000

Well I just upgraded to a Z390, i7 8700k, RX 6600 XT rig going forward. I just want to get the last bit of performance from my old retro gaming rig. I don't need all that 12th gen or Zen firepower or expense as I don't game as much as I used to. Movies, Music, Surfing, and Light Gaming these days.

dgianstefani said:
Not really worth it. Save for a Zen 3 or 12th gen Intel upgrade instead, or newer.

68Olds · 2025-03-19T17:20:25+0000

Doesn't sound like you're doing anything to come close to using 16GB, are you? If not, upgrading to 32GB is kinda pointless IMO.

rockit00 · 2025-03-19T17:34:33+0000

Well I've noticed my old rig (Z97) is slow in Windows 10 loading icons and booting up compared to my new Z390 rig which has 32GB (16x2) and is a lot snappier than than the Z97 rig. It could be that I need a fresh Windows 10 install or that the old Haswell rig has reached its limitations as configured.

68Olds said:
Doesn't sound like you're doing anything to come close to using 16GB, are you? If not, upgrading to 32GB is kinda pointless IMO.

nomdeplume · 2025-03-19T18:22:33+0000

rockit00 said:
Well I've noticed my old rig (Z97) is slow in Windows 10 loading icons and booting up compared to my new Z390 rig which has 32GB (16x2) and is a lot snappier than than the Z97 rig. It could be that I need a fresh Windows 10 install or that the old Haswell rig has reached its limitations as configured.

Just an offhand idea.

Single language version of early release build W11 with matched 8GB you have on hand. If Vanilla W11 boots/loads icons fast in that configuration I doubt RAM size is your limiter. 2x8GB would likely be sufficient for a Z97 media server.

dgianstefani · 2025-03-19T18:28:44+0000

Lol. It's not related to RAM that your pc is slower, just an older system with weaker st etc. Adding more RAM from 16 to 32 won't magically make your 4 GB Windows install boot faster.

rockit00 · 2025-03-19T19:00:49+0000

Well the old Haswell is due for a good cleaning in the near future. I'll probably migrate my gaming installs to my Z390 dual Windows 10/11 boot machine and leave the Haswell as is. I saw the Kingston Hyper X deal and wondered what if. The Z97 is still my # 2 machine and still performs well as is. I'll tinker around with it but, If it ain't broke, I won't try to Fix it. Thanks to all for the input. :toast:

redeye · 2025-03-19T19:10:13+0000

rockit00 said:
Well the old Haswell is due for a good cleaning in the near future. I'll probably migrate my gaming installs to my Z390 dual Windows 10/11 boot machine and leave the Haswell as is. I saw the Kingston Hyper X deal and wondered what if. The Z97 is still my # 2 machine and still performs well as is. I'll tinker around with it but, If it ain't broke, I won't try to Fix it. Thanks to all for the input.

go for it, your rig will be smokin’…

DudeBeFishing · 2025-03-19T19:16:05+0000

I'd get an SSD for it, if you don't have one.

More RAM probably won't help for your usecase, and 1866Mhz might not do much if the timings are bad. I'd try getting 2133Mhz or 2400Mhz working. There's OEM Samsung RAM that have a lot of overclocking headroom. All of my 4GB modules with part number ending in "DH0-###" Can do 2133Mhz 9-10-10 at 1.5V. They should be able to do higher, but it depends on tne CPU's memory controller.

rockit00 · 2025-03-19T21:01:42+0000

An SSD is not appealing at the moment but would be a sure boost. I am running a dual boot Windows 10 Home setup with two Seagate 1TB SSHD's. A matched pair of 8GB 2400 memory modules would give me 16GB total and un-populate two DIMM slots as recommended by MSI. I'm also wondering how much SSHD's degrade over time. They have running since 2014. At any rate something to think about. @redeye LOL, there is one in every crowd. :roll:

System Name	Silent/X1 Yoga/S25U-1TB
Processor	Ryzen 9800X3D @ 5.5ghz all core 1.2 V, Thermal Grizzly AM5 High Performance Heatspreader/1185 G7
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I, chipset fans replaced with Noctua A14x25 G2
Cooling	Optimus Block, HWLabs Copper 240/40 + 240/30, D5/Res, 4x Noctua A12x25, 1x A14G2, Mayhems Ultra Pure
Memory	64 GB Dominator Titanium White 6000 MT, 130 ns tRFC, active cooled, TG Putty Pro
Video Card(s)	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition, Conductonaut Extreme, 40 W/mK 3D Graphite pads, Corsair XG7 Waterblock
Storage	Intel Optane DC P1600X 118 GB, Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB
Display(s)	34" 240 Hz 3440x1440 34GS95Q LG MLA+ W-OLED, 31.5" 165 Hz 1440P NanoIPS Ultragear, MX900 dual VESA
Case	Sliger SM570 CNC Aluminium 13-Litre, 3D printed feet, custom front, LINKUP Ultra PCIe 4.0 x16 White
Audio Device(s)	Audeze Maxwell Ultraviolet w/upgrade pads & LCD headband, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Razer Nommo Pro
Power Supply	SF1000 Plat, full transparent custom cables, Sentinel Pro 1500 Online Double Conversion UPS w/Noctua
Mouse	Razer Viper V3 Pro 8 KHz Mercury White w/Pulsar Supergrip tape, Razer Atlas, Razer Strider Chroma
Keyboard	Wooting 60HE+ module, TOFU-R CNC Alu/Brass, SS Prismcaps W+Jellykey, LekkerL60 V2, TLabs Leath/Suede
Software	Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2
Benchmark Scores	Legendary

System Name	Gamer
Processor	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite WIFI
Cooling	Apogee XL, MCR360, MCP655, Micro-rez
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill DDR4-3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	RX 9070 XT Hellstone OC
Storage	WD SN850 1TB & SN750 1TB
Display(s)	LG 32GK650F-B 32" 1440p 144Hz
Case	Rocketfish (Lian Li) e-ATX (2006)
Audio Device(s)	Harman Kardon HK695 2.1
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus GX-850
Mouse	HP Gaming wired
Keyboard	Logitech G110 wired
VR HMD	HP WMR 1440^2
Software	Win10 Pro 64bit

Processor	Intel i5 8400
Motherboard	Asus Prime H370M-Plus/CSM
Cooling	Scythe Big Shuriken & Noctua NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.black.swap
Memory	8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400
Video Card(s)	ROG-STRIX-GTX1060-O6G-GAMING
Storage	1TB 980 Pro
Display(s)	Samsung UN55KU6300F
Case	Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 3
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III 750w
Software	W11 Pro

System Name	Silent/X1 Yoga/S25U-1TB
Processor	Ryzen 9800X3D @ 5.5ghz all core 1.2 V, Thermal Grizzly AM5 High Performance Heatspreader/1185 G7
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I, chipset fans replaced with Noctua A14x25 G2
Cooling	Optimus Block, HWLabs Copper 240/40 + 240/30, D5/Res, 4x Noctua A12x25, 1x A14G2, Mayhems Ultra Pure
Memory	64 GB Dominator Titanium White 6000 MT, 130 ns tRFC, active cooled, TG Putty Pro
Video Card(s)	RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition, Conductonaut Extreme, 40 W/mK 3D Graphite pads, Corsair XG7 Waterblock
Storage	Intel Optane DC P1600X 118 GB, Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB
Display(s)	34" 240 Hz 3440x1440 34GS95Q LG MLA+ W-OLED, 31.5" 165 Hz 1440P NanoIPS Ultragear, MX900 dual VESA
Case	Sliger SM570 CNC Aluminium 13-Litre, 3D printed feet, custom front, LINKUP Ultra PCIe 4.0 x16 White
Audio Device(s)	Audeze Maxwell Ultraviolet w/upgrade pads & LCD headband, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Razer Nommo Pro
Power Supply	SF1000 Plat, full transparent custom cables, Sentinel Pro 1500 Online Double Conversion UPS w/Noctua
Mouse	Razer Viper V3 Pro 8 KHz Mercury White w/Pulsar Supergrip tape, Razer Atlas, Razer Strider Chroma
Keyboard	Wooting 60HE+ module, TOFU-R CNC Alu/Brass, SS Prismcaps W+Jellykey, LekkerL60 V2, TLabs Leath/Suede
Software	Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2
Benchmark Scores	Legendary

System Name	YACS amd
Processor	5800x,
Motherboard	gigabyte x570 aorus gaming elite.
Cooling	bykski GPU, and CPU, syscooling p93x pump
Memory	corsair vengeance pro rgb, 3600 ddr4 stock timings.
Video Card(s)	xfx merc 310 7900xtx
Storage	kingston kc3000 2TB, amongst others. Fanxiang s770 2TB
Display(s)	benq ew3270u, or acer XB270hu, acer XB280hk, asus VG 278H,
Case	lian li LANCOOL III
Audio Device(s)	obs,
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti pro 1000w
Mouse	logitech g703
Keyboard	durogod keyboard. (cherry brown switches)
Software	win 11, win10pro.

Old Gamer Memory Upgrade Worth It?

rockit00

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