mixing and matching buffered ECC RAM

[mrjayviper]

So I just found ECC RAM are extremely cheap. But the cheap ones I found comes in 6x4GB sets.

Is it possible to buy 18 sticks and then just get 16 out of the 18 sticks to be installed on the board?

All the sticks will have the same markings/model number/timings. Like RAM makers sell RAM sticks in pairs because they are guaranteed to work in pairs. And I'm just unsure if server board are very picky with these sort of things.

Thanks!

 

[EarthDog]

I dont understand... how is that mixing and matching when you are using the same sticks? Do each of these kits have different P/N but the same speed/timings?

 

[mrjayviper]

Well RAM makers often sell RAM in pairs because they are guaranteed to work together.

But since I'm technically mixing the RAM sticks and server board might be picky with these sort of thing.

 

[EarthDog]

Its the same, though...i wouldnt call that mixing and matching. I mean, they dont 16x kits do they...so you have to 'mix and match'.

I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[mackerel]

I'm not familiar about the world of ECC/server ram, but when I got a system with 64GB (16x4GB) I found they all had the same HP part number on them, but were from different original manufacturers (Samsung and Nanya) and even the Samsung modules had different specs on them! I think it will still work at the lowest common settings and the buffered part helps isolate the effect of differences between modules. Oh, just make sure the system it is going in will actually take buffered ram.