Kia ora everyone,
Recently scored a solid deal on Trade Me for an ex-lease HP EliteDesk that I'm converting into a budget Proxmox home lab to run TrueNAS, Home Assistant, and a couple of lightweight Docker containers. The machine is in great nick, but it only came with a single 8GB stick of RAM, and running multiple virtual machines is already pushing memory usage past 85%.
I’m looking to bump it up to 32GB on a modest budget. Checking the installed module, it’s early-generation DDR4 running at base spec, and I’ve seen a few inexpensive surplus lots online matching that exact https://serverorbit.com/pc-and-server-memory/pc4-17000/8gb-d… PC & Server Memory/Pc4 17000/8GB-DDR4-2133MHz profile.
The dilemma is whether it’s worth tracking down identical 2133MHz modules to match the motherboard’s native memory controller, or if I’m better off just grabbing whatever cheap 2666MHz or 3200MHz sticks pop up on PB Tech clearance or marketplace groups. I know DDR4 is designed to downclock automatically to the lowest common speed, but older OEM business boards can occasionally be fussy with sub-timings, density limits, and non-JEDEC profiles. There’s also the trap of accidentally buying registered server ECC DIMMs instead of unbuffered desktop RAM when browsing surplus listings.
For those of you who frequently repurpose ex-lease corporate desktops or small home servers around NZ: have you run into stability or boot issues mixing faster DDR4 with older 2133MHz chipsets, or is it safer to stick with native PC4-17000 spec modules?
Cheers for any advice!
Upgrading ex-lease office PC for Home Lab: Worth hunting matching PC4-17000 (2133MHz) DDR4 or just buy newer 3200MHz?
Comments
Look at aliexpress. There are decent rams with good prices if you can find it. 35% cashback can cut down on that cost.
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Weirdly most used RAM listed on TradeMe gets zero bids, so it's definitely worth looking on there. The scarcity and high prices you hear about seems to be a retail and reseller thing.