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Is there an adapter that will take 2 RAM modules to use only one slot on MB?
I would like to double my RAM, but would like to keep my 4 modules and add two more double capacity.
Thanks

Nope

I have seen cards like this BUT only on server board or on boards specifically designed to use one.

In your case you are SOL.
I bet you will find that:
1. the mainboard is not wired to allow it
2. the chipset will not allow it
3. mainboard bios will not see the extra memory

one or all of the above.

Sometimes all you can do is upgrade the mainboard.

The closest thing that I heard about a hacked-together 32GB DRAM modules that were actually two 16GB DIMMS crammed into a single physical module. The trick there is that you couldn't use two of these DIMMs in the two traditional slots because both slots were electrically connected to the single DIMM, so it was effectively the same as two 16GB DIMMs, just in a smaller package.

I think this was before the newer 32GB unbuffered DIMMs started to appear on the market recently.

As for a more general solution, I don't think one exists. Buffered DRAM allows for higher capacities but you only get it on server motherboards.

I guess in theory it should be possible to make an adapter which will take two single-rank DIMMs and install it into a single slot to present them to the system as one dual rank DIMM? I might be missing something though. Obviously the system should support dual rank DIMMs, but I think most systems should. I have never seen such an adapter though.

I have seen adapters which will take four 30-pin SIMMs and convert them to use in a single 72-pin SIMM slot, but that was a few years ago.

Thank you for your replies.
So if I have 4 x 4GB ib 4 slots, I can get 2 x 8GB and replace 2 of modules and get 24 GB and try to sell 2 of 4GB modules, My MB takes only 32 GB.

Now my current RAM is:
Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-15000, DDR3-1866MHz, 240-pin DIMM,
What is available is 2X 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600Mhz, 240-pin DIMM, so I assume it is OK, the speed will drop to 1600 Mhz, correct?

GeneG wrote:

Now my current RAM is:
Corsair Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-15000, DDR3-1866MHz, 240-pin DIMM,
What is available is 2X 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600Mhz, 240-pin DIMM, so I assume it is OK, the speed will drop to 1600 Mhz, correct?

That should be automatic, yes, but to be safe it might be worth setting your speed in the BIOS to 1600 MHz before installing the new sticks. Also ensure your DRAM voltage is set to the ceiling of the two sets of ram (so if one is 1.5v and one is 1.35, set it to 1.5v).

Your processor determines the maximum memory quantity and speeds, since the memory controller has been integrated into the processor for around the last decade of CPUs.

If you tell us what CPU and motherboard you're using, we can tell you what's officially supported, as well as what is likely to work.

A pair of 4GB DDR3 sticks is worth about $40 and a pair of 8GB DDR3 sticks is worth about $50-60. I'd be tempted to buy all-new RAM so that you have 4x8GB DDR3 1600, and dump the old stuff on ebay or craigslist. Technically you can mix and match RAM speeds, timings, and voltages because of the JEDEC spec - there will always be a common ground that different RAM modules will run at. The problem is that the only common timings shared by both different sets may be super-slow (like DDR3-1066MHz). I've run mixed size/timings in a few different machines before and had no problems but there are definitely more caveats, asterisks, and fine print to read if you do.

You can definitely mix and match, but unless you've stumbled across a 2x8GB kit for free, or silly-cheap, just replace the whole lot so that it's matched. You'll be able to run at the RAM's rated speed then, as long as the processor actually supports that speed - and older DDR3 processors like Ivy Bridge (e.g. i7-3770) and Haswell (e.g. i7-4770) actually benefit significantly from faster RAM.