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Aurora R7, Memory upgrade
Hi,
Probably the dumbest question in the history of memory upgrades ever, but does it matter what memory slots i use when installing RAM. The reason i ask is I bought 2 x 16gb Hyperx Fury 2666 memory chips, and placed them in slots 2 and 4 because they are white and easier for my older eyes to see. Great improvement once i am in, but their is a long pause of about 30 secs when i first press the power on button, and it lights up, before anything happens and i cant figure out why. Any help appreciated, thanks.
r72019
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April 1st, 2020 11:00
Yes, what you did is correct, if you're mixing RAM, keep the matched sets on the same colored tabs. So both Kingston sticks on only white or only black is fine, and the Dell sticks on the opposite color.
It is normal for there to be a long delay the first time you turn on your PC after changing the RAM configuration. The CPU needs to process the change. It should give you a message like, RAM configuration changed, before asking to proceed. Are you still getting the 30 second wait time, even after restarting?
redxps630
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April 1st, 2020 11:00
Dell may have mislabeled XMM on its manual for R6-R8.
It has been said in this community that to use the two white tabbed XMM.
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Alienware-Aurora-R8-RAM-Slots/td-p/7347627
Iain K Mackay
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April 2nd, 2020 05:00
Thanks R7 for taking the time to reply, boot time as you predicted is now back to normal.
A question if i may please? Is it better to have 64GB ram running at 2400MhZ or 32GB running at 2666Mhz?
Thanks.
r72019
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April 2nd, 2020 08:00
If adding two more 16gb sticks causes your speed to drop from 2666 to 2400, you could try disabling XMP to see if that will bump it back to 2666.
If not, and you're coming close to using all of your 32gb of RAM, e.g., video editing, then I would go with 64gb, because the difference in speed wouldn't result in a noticeable performance loss for most real world applications, but the added RAM would be a good improvement.
Otherwise, I'd go with 32gb. Adding extra RAM only makes a performance difference if your system will use it. Having more RAM than you need doesn't improve system performance if it is not being used.
Iain K Mackay
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April 3rd, 2020 05:00
Once again R7 your help and advice are most appreciated.
I ended up through another situation with 2 x16 gb Hyperx Fury 2400 sticks and 2 x 16gb Hyperx Fury 2666 sticks hence the question. I will stick with 32Gb 2666 for now.
Another question if i may, next on my bucket list is replacing the Dell supplied GTX 1070 Graphics card, it fails miserably on any benchmark i go near so has to go. I now understand my fully "upgradeable" PC, that wont accept a Intel 9 processor is also limited as to what graphics card it can physically fit in. Have you any recommendation or advice on what to replace it with please?
Regards from Australia.
r72019
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April 3rd, 2020 21:00
The upgrade would depend on whether you have the 850W or 460W PSU, and how much money you want to spend. With the 850W, maybe something like an MSI Aero 2080 Super (the MSI aero lineup is about as close to OEM as you can get). Right now probably isn't the best time to buy a GPU, with the pandemic and supply shortages, stock may be low, prices high.
GTS81
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April 3rd, 2020 22:00
I second that. Deals for a certain 2080 Super card is evaporating and it would be lucky to even get it at MSRP.
But let's be honest, when your system isn't benchmarking up to beat 90% of the rest of the world, it's a terrible itch.
@Iain K Mackay , are you looking for a specific target performance for the graphics card? 4K gaming 120fps 120Hz? Or 1080p 60fps? Or getting into 3Dmark Hall of Fame?