Anything more than eight slots is usually reserved for servers or very high-end system boards. High-spec boards, or those aimed at gamers, will almost certainly have four slots, sometimes as many as six or eight. Most consumer motherboards will have either two or four RAM slots. Compatible memory modules have a cutout that matches the position of the riser. A riser, partway along the memory slot, ensures that only compatible memory can be inserted. Each has a small, hinged clamp at each end to hold the memory module firmly in place. The slots for RAM are commonly located close to the CPU slot. They allow RAM (random access memory) modules of different speeds and capacities to be added to the computer. Or does it not matter at all I have (2) 2gb rams. So which RAM slots should you use, and why does it make any difference where the memory modules go? What is a RAM Slot?Ī RAM slot, also known as a RAM socket or Memory Socket, is a long, slim socket on the motherboard of a computer, usually arranged in a bank of two or four. If not, keep the old ram as a spare or sell it.One of the easiest mistakes you can make when building or upgrading a computer is placing the memory modules in the wrong RAM slots, resulting in suboptimal performance. In fact, I would buy a supported 2 x 4gb upgrade with specs the same as your existing ram. You may end up having to replace your 2 x 2gb ram with a 2 x 4gb kit. Otherwise, what is your plan 'B' if what you buy does not work? black slots and the other to black slots. That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.īest to go to a ram web site like Kingston and access their ram upgrade app.Įnter the make/model of your pc and see if they have a list of supported upgrades. Ram Slots 1 3 Vs 2 4 Which Slot Order to Fill First Clear-c Well, lets start. However, the PCI-SIG recommends using black-colored slots to avoid confusion with the. According to PCI-SIG, the original PCI Express standards did not specify that the motherboard slots have to be a specific color. This is more difficult when more sticks are involved. While the official PCI Express slot color is black, manufacturers often use other colors like blue, yellow, green and white. Some motherboards, particularly AMD can be very sensitive to this. Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time. The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit. Going for one black and one white slot is not going to result in the dual channel configuration to work. With some motherboards, you will still get dual channel operation with the original ram across two channels, and the odd capacity will be in single channel mode.Īdding ram is not 100% guaranteed to work.Ī motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed. So, either you use black slots, or white slots.

Ram blue or black slots