Memory expansion and compatibility

Question

I currently have this machine:

• GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 (v1) motherboard
• INTEL Core i7-920 2.66Ghz 1366 BOX processor
• GEIL Ultra 6144Mb DDR3 1333Mhz CL6 TRIKIT memory

I run Windows 7 Professional on it.

My work involves running 4-8 virtual machines (in Virtualbox) on this computer and I realized that the 6GB memory I have is simply not enough for all of them. So I want to buy some more memory. I'm not really interested in performance, I don't need fast memory, I just need a lot. :-)

Given that this specific memory kit can't be bought near my location anymore, can I use similar memory sticks (like GEIL Ultra 6144MB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 TRIKIT) together with the existing ones? Or should I buy a 12 GB kit and use it?

Would it be possible to use the 6GB kit and the 12GB kit together? (the motherboard has 6 slots so they can fit) What about two 12GB kits?

Answer 1

According to Gigabyte that board supports up to 24GB of memory, so two 12GB kits should work.

As for compatibility: As long as both types of memory supports the settings (voltage, frequency, timings) you are running it at it should work if you mix memory. There is a should in there, though. I've heard of people who have had two types of memory that just refuses to work together. But it doesn't seem to be a common problem as long as you use quality RAM. I am running with mixed RAM right now on this machine I'm writing this on without any problems.