RAM upgrade from 16GB to 24?

I have a Dell Optiplex 9010MT with 4 RAM slots. Right now I have 4x4, so 16GB. I have access to two 8GB sticks and they're the right type. I was thinking of putting in the two 8s and leaving two of the 2s for a total of 24 but I don't know the right way to do it: 8-8-4-4 or 8-4-8-4? I've read of people actually slowing their computers down by putting the RAM sticks in the wrong order.
Can anyone help me with this?

ncjohn wrote in post #18721236
I have a Dell Optiplex 9010MT with 4 RAM slots. Right now I have 4x4, so 16GB. I have access to two 8GB sticks and they're the right type. I was thinking of putting in the two 8s and leaving two of the 2s for a total of 24 but I don't know the right way to do it: 8-8-4-4 or 8-4-8-4? I've read of people actually slowing their computers down by putting the RAM sticks in the wrong order.
Can anyone help me with this?

The slots are usually color coded. For example, two white and two black. Each color is a separate bank. Make the memory match within each bank. 8's in one bank, 4's in the other.

Okay, thanks.

Also, you could remove two DIMMs and to into the BIOS Setup. There should be a section about the memory that shows which slots/banks are populated. So you can verify that both DIMMs are in the same bank.

Are you running a 64-bit OS? If not, your efforts might now help at all.

In addition Dell laptops can be a bit fussy about the brand of RAM. So if you have two chips of brand X and two of brand Y, go by the color of the retention clips. I forget the colors, but using red and black as an example, put both brand X in black and both brand Y in the red.

There is a good tech manual at https://www.dell.com …0_technical_gui​debook.pdf.

The tech manual is pretty good in some ways, not so much in others. But I found this. https://www.intel.com …kits.html?wapkw​=flex#flex

Thanks for the reply.

John from PA wrote in post #18721399
Are you running a 64-bit OS? If not, your efforts might now help at all.

Right.

Operating System Maximum Memory (RAM)
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit 128GB
Windows 10 Pro 32-Bit 4GB

I think that regardless what version of Windows you have (7,8,10) the max RAM with a 32-bit version is 4 GB.
I'm running 64-bit Windows 8.1 and, as I said, right now I have 16GB; just looking for a little bit more.

The real unknown is what applications you wish to run (simultaneously in a machine supporting multiple processes) AND if any of these programs are even CAPABLE of using larger space!
For example, if the application is a 32-bit application, even running on a 64-bit O/S does NOT expand its capability of going past the 4GB limit...the application cannot manage more than 4GB of memory address space.

Wilt wrote in post #18721529
The real unknown is what applications you wish to run (simultaneously in a machine supporting multiple processes) AND if any of these programs are even CAPABLE of using larger space!
For example, if the application is a 32-bit application, even running on a 64-bit O/S does NOT expand its capability of going past the 4GB limit...the application cannot manage more than 4GB of memory address space.

I see. Well, I actually run a lot of programs at the same time, so many that it's not really worth the trouble to see whether they're 32 or 64-bit, especially since I'm not actually trying to fix a problem; I just want to see if adding the RAM will make a noticeable difference. In addition to Thunderbird and Chrome, which are open all the time, I typically run Affinity Photo simultaneously with things like NIK, Topaz Studio, PS Elements, NeatImage, Irfanview, FastStone, Portrait Pro, ON1, Picture Window Pro, PSP... really anything that will give me the looks I'm after. So far no problems with having as many things open at one time as I want (knock on wood) so I wonder if increasing the RAM is even worthwhile, but since I have it anyway I'll just see if I notice a difference with it.
But thanks for the reminder.

One way of looking at the issue is 'RAM is so relatively cheap that you might as well (within reason) add more RAM and see if it does you any good at all'!
Just don't automatically assume 'more RAM is better, and it always does a lot of good'.

Right. That's why I say I'll just see if I notice a difference.
I don't know what that difference might be, since I don't have any problems right now, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went from 8GB to 16, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised again.

ncjohn wrote in post #18721756
Right. That's why I say I'll just see if I notice a difference.
I don't know what that difference might be, since I don't have any problems right now, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went from 8GB to 16, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised again.

8 to 16 is a huge jump, especially with photo editing software. Adding RAM typically follows the law of diminishing marginal returns though. I have 16 now and Lightroom seems to want it all since I upgraded. My next PC will definitely have 32.

ncjohn wrote in post #18721756
Right. That's why I say I'll just see if I notice a difference.
I don't know what that difference might be, since I don't have any problems right now, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went from 8GB to 16, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised again.

What are you using for a hard drive in the Dell Optiplex 9010MT? "Spinning platter" HDD or SSD? Original specs say 500 GB 7200 RPM drive. You are likely at the point where a SSD will give you far more of a performance boost than more RAM.

The C drive is on a 1TB 7200 HDD. I'd love to have an SSD but:

-Big ones are still pretty pricey, especially given that there's no problem I'm trying to fix.
-Getting a small one just for the OS and programs would necessitate a LOT of shuffling of the other stuff that's on that HDD and the other HDDs.

This addition of 8GB is just to see if I can eke a little more performance out of a machine that's already doing better than anything I've ever had before.