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Ok I'm not quite sure about this(Obviously). I have 4 sticks of ram. 2x 2gb ddr3 cl-9-9-9-24 pc3-10600 1333Mhz and 2x 1gb ddr3 cl9-9-9-28 pc16000 2000Mhz

Each pair are dual-channel kits. Can I put one pair in each channel of my motherboard? My board can only handle up to 1333 well, so I'd run them all at 1333.

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    You should be alright as long as they are matched in each channel, as you suggest.
    – user3463
    Nov 9, 2010 at 6:05
  • You don't want to put one pair in each channel as that would unbalance your channels. You want to put one of each pair on each channel.
    – David Schwartz
    Feb 28, 2013 at 1:52

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I am pretty sure you can do this, but I don't think it is suggested because of compatibility issues that could arise. They all might default to 1066MHz, so you may need to tweak the timings and speed in the BIOS.

The only worry I would have is the voltages the sticks are designed for. If they are different, you may have trouble. I have a pair of DDR3 1600 that are rated at 1.8V as opposed to others that are rated at 1.65V. You can't run each channel at a different voltage. So if they are different you might get errors, kill some memory, or put unnecessary stress on the IMC.

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  • it is generally OK to send a little more voltage to something, just not a little less. I'm honestly not sure how sensitive RAM is to minor differences, but that small of a difference shouldn't damage anything, at least not for a long time.
    – MaQleod
    Nov 9, 2010 at 6:12
  • A lot depends on how well cooled the chips are too. If they run hotter they will die faster. Most memory will run at higher voltage, but regardless it is still a point to bring up when mixing sticks.
    – Alex
    Nov 9, 2010 at 6:17
  • Yeah I was worried about that two, my 2 1gigs only run stable at 1.8v and the new ones I got are rated at 1.5
    – Kelly Elton
    Nov 9, 2010 at 6:23
  • You might not want to run them together then.
    – Alex
    Nov 9, 2010 at 14:25
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Yes, and it wouldn't matter what you set them at. Even if your board could handle 2000Mhz, it will always run at the speed of the slowest dimm. Its not important in this particular situation, but it is important to note for anyone who might read this later with a similar situation.

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