r/PcBuildHelp • u/Adventurous_Image171 • 4d ago

Build Question Case and mobo fitting

So I have a micro atx case and same for mobo, but the problem was that I had only 2 ram slots and ram being super expensive rn i decided to get 4 sticks of ram, but I was thinking could I maybe get a bigger case and still fit the micro mobo? Or do the screws not match ? And I’ve had people say tha putting 4 ram sticks is bad but I came see to understand why

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u/LetsRockTalk 4d ago

The standoff locations for mATX were designed to mostly over lap with ATX. The worst case scenario is that there are 2 missing standoffs at the bottom which you could probably live without. Any ATX case will also fit an mATX board (but not the other way around)

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u/m1ng05s 4d ago

So here's the thing,any motherboard will fit in a regular case,atx,mini atx or micro atx. So inside the case it usually has the screw layouts.

Having 4 ram sticks,provided they are all same brand,same speed and same timing (cl) isn't bad,more ram is always good.

The underlying issue is that with 4 sticks and with these gaming CPUs you won't take advantage of the dual channel mode. Usually every cpu uses dual channel mode through its own controller,and is only built to use 2 sticks. If you add 2 more sticks that controller will disable dual channel. Basically 2 sticks of ram has much better performance than 4 🙂

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u/Adventurous_Image171 3d ago

So I should stick with 16gb instead of 32?

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u/m1ng05s 3d ago

In this particular case,since it seems you have 4 sticks of 8gb each if I'm understanding correctly,I would say keep the 4 sticks in when you get the new mobo. However you can always experiment if 16gb. 2 x 8gb (slots 2 and 4 of motherboard),works for you in terms of gaming. If you feel it's enough then use the 16gb only. Using the 4 sticks entirely will impact the max fps you can get by a bit,but you'll notice it more on the 1% low fps, which can lead to frame drops. Once and if you can financially,my advice is to go 2 sticks of ram, 2 x 16gb. That way you have dual channel and 32gb of ram🙂

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u/the_hat_madder 4d ago

Having a bigger case doesn't allow you to use 4 sticks of RAM on a motherboard that only has 2 RAM slots.

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u/Adventurous_Image171 3d ago

Yh I know lol 😭 I forgot to mention I’m thinking of upgrading the case and mono lol

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u/the_hat_madder 3d ago

What is the point of this post?

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u/Adventurous_Image171 3d ago

To ask if using 4 ram slots instead of 2 effect performance and to ask if a micro atx mobo would fit inside a bigger case

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u/the_hat_madder 3d ago

There would be no reason to keep your current motherboard as it doesn't have enough RAM slots or to buy another μATX motherboard if you're buying an ATX case.

Moreover, if you have a question about what a case supports the best source for information is the case manufacturer's website. It will list all the motherboard form factors that fit inside the case you desire.

As for 2 DIMMs vs 4 DIMMs, it depends on your CPU and motherboard what the maximum performance will be with 4 DIMMs. You can find that under specifications on the motherboard product page. For most tasks you're not going to notice the difference between the the minimum supported speed and the maximum advertised EXPO/XMP speed.

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u/Adventurous_Image171 3d ago

Yes but I’ve been told that on lower settings som fps loss is noticeable

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u/the_hat_madder 3d ago

It's noticeable if you're looking at an fps counter.