PC RAM mystery - just curious...

grumbler

I came across 2x4Gb=8Gb Kingston DDR3 RAM sticks.

Genuine (sure) stickers on heat-sinks say 4G each, but
in the PC it shows as 2x2Gb=4Gb (Speccy, CPU-Z, Task Manager).

The only explanation I see is that the stickers have been replaced (possibly together with the heat-sinks), but the Part Number 9905403-169.A00LF on the stickerss is the same as both Speccy and CPU-Z show.

Is it possible that Kingston manufacture 2Gb and 4Gb sticks with identical Part Number?

AshleyPomeroy

Is it possible that your motherboard only supports a maximum of 2gb in each slot, and by some miracle it boots up and works with a pair of 4gb sticks (rather than failing at the POST screen) but just ignores the extra capacity?

Have you tried putting one of the sticks in another machine?

grumbler

No, both the OS (64 bit) and the motherboard (Asus M5A78L-M/USB3) support 16Gb. While I was buying the memory the newly upgraded computer worked with 1x8Gb stick and was showing 8Gb.

In another PC (normally working with 2x8Gb) the new sticks were showing 2x2Gb.

kwikbreaks

I had some memory sticks with heats sinks and they simply slid off. Did you get them from a reliable source?

grumbler

No, the source wasn't 'reliable', and I said already it was a possibility that stickers had been replaced, possibly together with the heat-sinks. This is not a problem.

What bothers me is how it is possible that the Part Number on the stickers matches the one in the chip(s).

In fact the stickers say KHX 1333C9D3B1K2/4G.
Is it possible that I misinterpret 4G as 4Gb? I don't see any other information that can be interpreted as the capacity.

mik67

Kingston show the size as 4gb, 8gb or whatever size but also state kit of 2. Here's a link to another kingston set. http://www.misco.co.uk/product/Q169778/Kingston-Apple-Equivalent-8GB-Kit-2-x-4GB-PC8500-DDR3-SODIMM. The 4gb is for the kit of 2 not 4gb each.

freezspirit

Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G is
Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/KHX1333C9D3B1K2_4G.pdf

To interpret the label basically the last digit is the total capacity of the kit http://www.kingston.com/en/memory/hyperx/decoder/


I think you were wanting to get KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/KHX1333C9D3B1K2_8G.pdf

grumbler

So, 2x2Gb=4Gb kit has 4Gb stickers on both sticks? This is really counter-intuitive!

The package for 2 sticks (opened) does say 8Gb, but this is possibly not the original package.

To finish the story and to answer possible questions I can add that I received the full refund and was allowed to keep the memory.

S0litaire

It's called "Matched Memory Kit"

Most of the RAM makers sell Ram dimms in "kits"
So a 2Gb "kit" would be 2 x 1Gb matched dimms
And a 4Gb "kit" would be 2 x 2Gb matched dimms
etc... etc...

Since they are sold in pairs they usually have the total ram listed in the part number rather than the individual ram size.