Hello, I’m planning to upgrade from my current i7 7700k to the i9 10900k whenever I can actually buy one (Intel, take my money!)

In the meantime, i was looking at a ram upgrade from 16gb to 32gb for my current rig assuming I could use it in my new setup.  I’d likely buy my new motherboard at the same time so i have it.

Based on what I can figure out, both my current Z270 and future Z490 motherboards use DDR4 ram.  My question is, within the realm of DDR4 ram, would ram generally be compatible with both Or would the new chipset likely drive the need for different ram?  Before buying I’ll of course check the motherboard manufacturer’s compatibility list but before I got digging into a bunch of lists for both mobos i was wondering if what I’m looking for exists or if I’m in a wild goose chase.

Thanks

Odds are good that your current DDR4 will work fine in the Z490 boards.  Finding a matching additional set of DIMMs to pair with years-old RAM to get to 32GB isn't likely in the cards, though, and the road to blue-screen Hell is paved with mix-n-match RAM configs.

I'd definitely be looking at new, fast RAM on a 10900K build.  I think it's telling that the MS/Asobo "ideal" hardware spec for Simzilla is not an i9-10900K, but rather an i7-9800X--which is 8 cores vs 10 but uses quad-channel RAM.  That suggests to me that memory bandwidth might be a nontrivial factor in performance.

Thanks Bob, yes I would be looking to buy an all new set of 32GB...I definitely don’t want to risk of trying to match up new ram with my current ram.  I current use 3600 ram, I planned to buy in that range against his time.  I have the new MSFS in mind in doing this upgrade.

Turns out the dual compatibility is a moot point, I lucked out and was able to find an i9 10900k at a local store!  Time to figure out my ram, mobo and cooler...I’m normally ready to go all at once but wasn’t expecting this at all.

For those following at home, here's my new build that I've put together tonight.  Partially from Amazon (free shipping) and the rest from Newegg.  I already have a RTX2080ti to go with it:

CPU: i9 10900k

Mobo: GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Master

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 3600 (CAS 16)

PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-850, 850W 80+ Gold

Cooler: EVGA CLC 280mm All-in-One RGB LED CPU Liquid Cooler

Case: Corsair Icue 465X RGB Mid-Tower ATX Smart Case, Black - CC-9011188-WW

All in all I'm pretty excited and this should set me up well for the next few years.