Windows Forum·65,802 discussions

Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

Tags: Windows

I rfecently bought some 32GB RAM for my PC to upgrade form the 16GB it already had. When the guy who made the PC for me installed the RAM he got the hardware warning beeps!! He said that the brand I got (Technics) was not compatible with my motherboard (ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0). IS this right?? I thought that has long as it was the right DDR type then any brand would work??

Topic

No.

In reply to Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

But it does have to be compatible. Just because the sticks fit doesn’t mean they should function. Also, the DDR type is again just one of some dozen parameters to check. Most of us can’t do such checks so we use the QVL (qualified vendor list) for the motherboard or laptops. Or try sticks recommended by Crucial or Kingston.

There’s also cases where the BIOS update might help compatibility. So you can’t be sure without having a current BIOS along with a check of the manual about slots to use before calling the stick(s) incompatible.

Reply To: Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

In reply to Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

One word answer is no.

Reply To: Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

In reply to Reply To: Does RAM have to be of a specific brand to work??

I agree that it doesn’t have to be a specific brand, but the specifications (such as the type of RAM, such as DDR3 vs. DD4, and speed of the RAM do matter in most computers). As long as the specs. match you should be fine). Just verify in the computer user guide what is required.

[Author]

Replies