Yes, two distinct channels may require varying RAM latencies.
Yes, two distinct channels may require varying RAM latencies.
I have an MSI B450M Pro VDH motherboard with a 2400G and two RAM sticks in one channel: F4-3000C16D-16GISB, running at XMP speed of 2933 CL16. I'm checking if upgrading to a CL15 kit would work for the other channel (two more sticks). I believe overall performance is limited by the slowest component, but CAS latency per channel matters more. I want to confirm compatibility before deciding. From what I understand, mixing RAM from different brands in the same slot isn't recommended unless you upgrade to a better package. A CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX RED 16GB 3000MHZ 2X8GB CL15 kit would be a solid choice. It might be worth it for quality and value rather than trying to mix brands.
I hadn't realized I could experience reduced performance or stability, which is why I notice memory usage nearing the 16GB limit—still, I don’t want to compromise performance for that reason.
Performance loss will be minimal. If your RAM usage consistently reaches 90%, upgrading is a good idea. Don't stress too much over frequencies or timing adjustments—just pick something that works across all four sticks and remains stable. Running everything at 2933 MHz CL16 should suffice.
You don’t have the option to adjust them individually. Right now I own two dual channel kits in my Ryzen setup—one with a 3600MHz CL18 and another with an 2133MHz CL14, both running at 2666MHz CL18 for stability. On any of the B350 or B450 boards I’ve used, you can’t change settings per dimming slot.
You have two channels with two slots each. Changing the timing for sticks on slots within the same channel is not allowed; the system will pick the more conservative settings available (for example, cl16 instead of cl15). It seems you likely can't set different timing for each channel—most probably you'll get a single timing configuration for all four slots. The processor's memory controller will have to handle more sticks, making it harder to keep signals clean between slots and sockets. This can cause problems when running 4 sticks at high speeds like 3600 MHz, whereas 2 sticks might suffice. Sometimes just slightly increasing the timings helps, other times you may need to lower the frequency a bit, such as from 3600 MHz to 3200 MHz. More conservative settings usually don’t cause major issues, unless you're running memory-intensive apps—games, music players, browsers, and databases generally aren't significantly affected by memory timing.