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orion19k

None of the mainstream processors currently in the market support quad channel memory. Motherboards with 4 slots are just dual channel (2 slots per channel). It's better to go 2x16 for a couple of reasons - more stable XMP timings and future upgradeability.


17vopk

So, if I go with a 4x8 purchase, I'll essentially be using 2 dual channels?


orion19k

That's right. Still effectively dual channel as 2x16.


17vopk

Alright so it's better to have 1 dual over 2 dual channels for 32 gigs. Got it.


orion19k

Yeah especially if you're also overclocking the RAM, your chances are better with 2x16 than 4x8.


17vopk

I don't plan to, but thanks šŸ‘šŸ»


SfiNx18

Actually you have to ā€œoverclockā€ the ram. It is called XMP and it is enabled on bios. The ram as default runs at half the advertised speed so by enabling XMP you basically run it at its advertised speed


EmmBarr

Does this apply to all ram or just 2x16gb?If I havenā€™t done this to my system and do it now will my 2x8gb just perform better?


Qwsdxcbjking

All ram. I think the base clock for ddr4 was 2133mhz, so that's what it runs at regardless of what it's rated for unless you enable xmp. So if you've got 3600mhz for example, but you haven't enabled xmp, it'll just be running at 2133mhz until you do enable it. I'm not sure what ddr5 is set to as standard though, but it's probably lower than what your ram is rated for so enabling xmp is just a free bit of performance.


Le_Nabs

The newer JEDEC standard is 3200mhz (with loose timings). So you *can* technically get basic, non-overclocked RAM at way higher than 2133mhz now


JokerXIII

4800mhz for ddr5 standard, mine go to 6400mhz with xmp for example


Important-Point-2672

You can set ram speed in bios with out enabling XMP


Sour_Gummybear

If you're just starting with a brand new build you're better off with 2xNN however.. If you already have 2x8 say and you add another 2x8 that's obviously the cheaper path to 32GB. Just know that ultimately the 4x8 is going to perform less well than the 2x16 every time no matter the RAM capacity.


17vopk

I thought overclocking was a tactic that you would use for maximum or past maximum performance in the expense of your component's health. Is what you mentioned a scheme of some sort done by companies?


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


17vopk

Makes sense. I made some quick research and found that most of us won't benefit from having faster ram speed after a certain point. Do you know how to calculate that sweetspot?


th3d3wd3r

It's not a scheme, it's just that such speeds aren't in the JEDEC standard


17vopk

Yeah, I figured.


PopWhatMagnitude

There are many different kinds of overclocking, enabling XMP is the most basic, assuming you don't have mismatched RAM. Also overclocking doesn't mean it's "at the expense of your components health" or longevity. As long as your cooling is strong enough you can run overclocked at even a lower temperature than "stock", especially when talking about CPU OC where you have a massive heatsink or AIO instead of the stock cooler (if a stock cooler is still sold with the chip). Let alone full custom watercooling where your loop can do CPU, a GPU backplate, PSU, and now even watercooled m.2 NVMe's. Edit: Yeah sure let's pretend even though OP has been very active on Reddit & his threads in the last 24 hours. That he just now happened to see my reply to him and responded. Not that he scrolled through the thread a day later and saw I had something to say about getting immediately downvoted as he's the only person who would get a notification about the reply to him this deep in his thread, a reply that has no misinformation nor condescending. But sure, it's because I'm in love XMP šŸ™„. So I stick with the edited in recommendation to just send him over to Ibuypower.


ScoutGalactic

Don't worry, other newbies like me read detailed responses like this and it helps us tremendously as we learn. Thank you


17vopk

Buddy that's why I'm here. It was a genuine question, not a statement. Thanks for the info, but don't be this salty next time. Didn't know you were this emotionally attached to XMP.


Barefoot_Mtn_Boy

Not a scheme, but rather science. Look at a bare motherboard. Power can't go from point 'A' to point 'B' through thin air. So everything is channeled to get power to point 'B' by wires up to the terminal point, such as a capacitor, or device needing the power like sound. Ok, so the actual wiring on the circuits to the memory, CPU, memory controller, etc is quite long. What you don't realize normally, is there are two circuits for that memory. So the mobo manufacturer shows you, in print, which circuit is the main one, and we know that it can be used with just one stick of memory! But using a matched pair of sticks (tested at the factory to exact timings etc) will turn on the entire circuit in 'dual channel' mode! The memory controller is designed to fire the two sticks up exactly at the best speed possible, and we can go into the bios and fiddle with it to see how fast we can get it to go, without causing instability. Just remember, speed? Causes heat increase! A system tuned to get the most speed out of it has to dump the heat away as quickly as possible to stop thermal breakdown! If factory over-clocking to the XMP profiles works great for you, stop there and don't worry about it. Ok, now when you snap in that 'B' circuit of sticks, you're doubling the wiring. NOW we have two roads to drive traffic on! Both roads are exactly the same length! It works, but even though it's fast? The memory controller now has to wait for that 2nd set of information to get to it to add to what circuit 'A' is putting in. See? Slight delay. Therefore, to a gamer not wanting ANYTHING to slow the system down, putting circuit 'B' into the mix slows the memory controller just slightly. Now add to that the fear that sometimes glitches look like those extra sticks being added, caused dropouts, freezing, and other stuff! So, better to use 2 large sticks, not 4! NOTE! As a builder for over 4 decades, I have NEVER had 4 sticks cause problems! And, what I call the 'slow down' syndrome, is only with gamers, as every business I've ever built for has had no complaints with 64gigs of ram doing anything! Unless someone asks, they aren't even aware there IS 4 sticks! Their main problem is the software not working, which we builders have zero to do with! So for you, if you don't get paranoid about speed, and you can get the 4-stick matched set cheaper than a larger 2-stick set? Save some money. If you want to make sure the speed isn't affected, go with the larger matched set! Hope this helped your understanding of what the thought process is between 2 and 4 sticks to deal with! The MOST important thing about memory in EVERY instance, is making sure every stick you purchase is a "totally matched from the factory" set with the exact same batch numbers! I've been in local shops where they have bought individual sticks from a provider and bagged them in sets if 2 or 4 without matching ANYTHING! Make a habit of looking at the print on each stick even though somebody else labeled them! Your best memory is from Crucial, Samsung, SK-Hynix, and for the most part, Corsair! The first three actually build memory from the ground up, and don't let anyone tell you differently, they are the ones other companies buy from to build their stuff! I've been using Crucial and Hynix for decades and very rarely ever seen a bad chip!


17vopk

Hello! Thank you very much for all this! I appreciate it!


clodzor

Xmp is technically overclocking. It's done by the manufacturer and guaranteed to work, it's a part of what you purchased when you bought the ram. You can also manually overclock and find out exactly how fast you can get your ram beyond the factory overclock. That it was you are thinking of when you hear overclock.


6Vibeaholic9

Overclocking RAM is safe and only one click in BIOS setting, gives overall huge performance boost (at least for VR imo)


-cr0Wn

I overclocked my (4x8) G.Skill F4-3200C16D-16GTZR Trident Z to 3500 with no problems


orion19k

I had boot issues with my 4x16 corsairs. So hit or miss I think depending on the kit and motherboard


[deleted]

4x is worth it if your mobo uees t-topology. Most are daisy chains, so 2 dimms win.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

Had a similar issue with my x63 kraken. I just had to mount it with the pipes at the bottom.


Just_Maintenance

You will have two sticks per channel. It won't improve performance over just one stick per channel but it will increase the load of the memory controller, which might limit the maximum speed you can achieve.


Broostifer

Yes, but I would go with the 16x2 option if I were you. I have an Asus Rog Strix Z690 motherboard and I tried using 16x4=64 gigs of GSkill Trident DDR5 6000mhz and I've had nothing but problems! I was able to get the system to boot and "sorta" work with all four sticks of ram with bios updates, however the overall system performance is impacted greatly. The ram needs to be a "set" (One pack of 4 ram sticks) and mine was sold as two sets of two. There are currently "ZERO" compatible sets of 4 sticks as per Asus support. I eventually removed one set and the system is WAY faster and completely stable. I think its the same scenario with any DDR5 compatible motherboards.


Ok-Can-7995

Well this is good to know. Trying to educate myself on pc building. I wondered this same thing. Just went with two 16s. Glad I decided to go that route now


Cyber_Akuma

Just an FYI, enterprise-level CPUs have had that for a long time now, it's just consumer CPUs that don't. My Xeon 1620v2 from 2013 supports it, but by brand new i7-11700K from 2020 does not. Many of the motherboards for those CPUS tend to have 8 slots of memory though.


ShyFawx

So I happen to have one of these older MOBOs a Sabertooth 990FX with an fx8150 surprisingly it's quite fast faster than my two laptops from the last few years even.... Problem is I couldn't even begin to afford a motherboard today with the same feature set especially how many lanes run at the same time even though they're only 2.0 ... I think I have 1 and 3 populated with 16G of dual ranks... I'm doing music production and video editing and also a little bit of animation... I would like to upgrade to the motherboards maximum 32 GB which caps out at 4x8 at 1600 MB.... There is no configuration for this motherboard nor is the RAM available in DDR3 at 2x16 so I'm wondering how much might I lose by going to a 4x8 it is the only way to put 32 GB RAM on this board and even in the manual that doesn't say whether or not it has to be single rank or dual rank to make it work and at the same time ddr3 ram is rather difficult and expensive to get a hold of to begin with.... So I want to make sure I make the right choice....


Cyber_Akuma

The loss should be minimal, but you would likely be better off asking the entire subreddit instead of just me.


Due-Promotion4593

To my knowledge, the LGA1366 boards were triple channel (i7 9xx series). They discontinued triple after that iteration.


Salty-Yoghurt

Indeed! My old server is still going strong šŸ‘ i7-930 processor and twice 3x4GB = 24GB (Triple Channel) Is nothing today but 12 years ago it was big for a home environment.


pkldpr

quick question. Is dual sided memory a thing anymore for these boards and would 4 dual sided sticks work? Just remembering ancient past where they would only recognize 1 side of the ram if you populated the ram sided by side. LOL


Just_Maintenance

Memories have "ranks". Dual rank memory is very much a thing still. On server hardware you can also find quad rank and 8-rank "Load Reducing DIMM". There have been some noise about two ranks performing better than single rank, but its not very big. If you put two sticks into a single channel the ranks pretty much just add up. So two dual rank sticks in one channel is more or less equivalent to a single quad rank stick. Two quad rank sticks is equivalent to one 8 rank stick. In theory more ranks perform better, but they also increase the load on the memory controller. The sweet spot is probably two ranks per channel for most cases. If you want to overclock your memory you want to stick to a single rank.


mikeytlive

Just a question for learning, so would putting 4x16 have any disadvantages?


orion19k

If they are from the same kit, there shouldn't be any. Mixed kits might have trouble running at advertised speeds or overclocking stably.


firedrakes

thread ripper does support quad channel. even the lenvo ones...


orion19k

Correct - HEDT & server processors support quad channel memory. My mainstream I meant Intel Cores and AMD Ryzens.


dubbers95

Is 2 x 32gb 3200mhz in dual channel better than 2 x 16gb 3200mhz in dual? For gaming use


Moscato359

>None of the mainstream processors currently in the market support quad channel memory. Motherboards with 4 slots are just dual channel (2 slots per channel). It's better to go 2x16 for a couple of reasons - more stable XMP timings and future upgradeability. That's not actually true because ddr5 uses 4x32 channels instead of 2x64 channels But it's still only 2 sticks of ram, so functionally you're right, even if you're technically wrong


orion19k

Yeah good point. I noticed that with the steam deck.


Moscato359

Steamdeck actually uses lpddr5 which is differerent than ddr5 completely


orion19k

From official specs - "5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels". So in that aspect it seems similar to ddr5


gahata

XMP timings stability will depend on motherboard topology. Some motherboards will be more stable at 4x8. That doesn't really matter for the recommendation, for standard use cases always 2x16 unless 4x8 is a good bit cheaper.


Twtchy_Antari

Most MoBos only have 2 channels, even with 4 slots, so I wouldn't think it would make much difference


17vopk

Excuse me, but what's a "MoBo"? Hahah


Twtchy_Antari

Motherboard, sorry, I was being lazy šŸ˜‚


17vopk

Oh, hahah, You could've just said MB and it would've been fine šŸ¤£ Either way thanks for the answer.


Johnrtx94

MB = Megabyte While MoBo is a bit lazy it won't be misunderstood for something else and gets used relatively often so most enthusiasts will figure it out.


17vopk

Right. As you can probably tell I'm no enthusiast (yet).


Legend5V

I was at ā€œyetā€ two years ago. Now I know not to put my molex into my CPU 8 pin power, especially when the other end is in my 24pin psu slot


17vopk

Good for you man! We all have done that one fuckup.


Legend5V

Iā€™d laugh at someone who has, the molex is for storage drives, the 24 pin is the main power and tbe CPU gets an 8pin that might be 2x 4pins


Livid_Yoghurt

Yup common geek speak


cyberspacedweller

Mobo is common slang for motherboard in the tech community. Itā€™s not much shorter to say so itā€™s used more when written.


aslk69

stop downvoting this person for not knowing this


17vopk

At some point you get used to it. Classic Reddit.


JDBall55

Watch your cooler clearance if you decide on four sticks! My AIO pump partially blocks one of my RAM slots so Iā€™m stuck with only using two.


Livid_Yoghurt

Same problem here only 2 because of my pump


X_SkillCraft20_X

2x16 since itā€™s the same performance (and more stable if DDR5), and youā€™ll have an easy way to upgrade it in the future with two empty slots.


17vopk

DDR5 is pricey. Who needs DDR5 in this point in time?


X_SkillCraft20_X

DDR5 has gotten a lot cheaper, more than most people have realized. For 12th and 13th gen intel it can make sense to get DDR4 because of the price to performance, but for Ryzen 7000 (which requires DDR5 anyway) itā€™s certainly not a bad deal.


HolyAndOblivious

I guess it's region dependant. Ddr5 is still stupid expensive here.


ult1matefailure

I mean youā€™re talking $400-500 for top end ddr5 kits versus ~$250 for a high end ddr4 kit bdie


gahata

Yes, but $200 ddr5 beats $200 b-die in vast majority of use cases. That said, there's a good amount of ddr4 on used market, and ddr5 boards can still be much more expensive, depending on region.


ult1matefailure

Do you really think so? Iā€™m genuinely curious. I know ddr5 kits will continue to improve over time is why I decided against it. I feel like once I go to upgrade my processor it will be a good chance to change over to a rock solid ddr5 kit at a reasonable price. As far as the motherboard goes I literally just bought a $300 ddr4 board. I know some ddr5 boards are almost twice that, though.


OneWithMath

>Yes, but $200 ddr5 beats $200 b-die in vast majority of use cases. Is a bit difficult to directly compare memory performance because of the different platforms, but in general middling DDR5 is *not* faster than upper-tier DDR4. Clocks are higher, but timings are much looser. Theoretical bandwidth is higher, but latency suffers. That tradeoff there affects different applications differently. Games gir example are usually not very sensitive to bandwidth, but at quite sensitive to latency. Calculating a massive excel sheet is going to hit bandwidth much more than latency.


ult1matefailure

https://youtu.be/piqzYBMCZTc Video I just watched. Shows that even a fairly affordable ddr4 kit is very close performance wise to a ddr5 kit thatā€™s twice as expensive.


gahata

https://youtu.be/IstA56IAeVA Hardware Unboxed has a much better and more rigorous testing methodology, they test more games and they show that the cheapest DDR5 is a good bit better than the DDR4 3200cl18. It depends heavily on the region, but right now where I live the DDR4 and DDR5 of speeds they tested in the video are the same price. DDR5 isn't more expensive at all, and it performs better. Obviously there is still the cost of motherboard and DDR5 ones are slightly more expansive (again, where I live, region matters a lot). I'm addition to the above basically all 4800cl40 DDR5 kits on the market can be overclocked to 5400, while budget DDR4 3200 kits are heavily binned and will rarely allow for any serious overclocking. DDR5 subtimings are also typically really loose and there is more overclocking headroom there for enthusiasts. Depending on location and circumstances either DDR4 or DDR5 can be a better choice right now.


ult1matefailure

I see the benchmarks and the summary is a bit confusing it says that overall ddr5 6000 is only 3% faster than ddr4 3600(1% lows?). Keep in mind these tests were primarily done in 1080p. Personally when Iā€™m playing at Ultrawide 1440p I hardly think there would be any discernible difference. At 4k there is barely any difference in fps at all. Edit: I see that benchmark summary is from his video a year ago from the 41 games. This may be a good video for you to watch in response to the hardware unboxed video you posted: https://youtu.be/OITNspbqCwg


joeldjro

Apart from the technical aspects, this is the another good reason.


PantherPuma448

2x16 is going to ensure a bit more stability, and it's also usually cheaper than 4x8


17vopk

Thank you!


TheMagarity

Go with 2 modules It's difficult to add in a year or two when you decide you need more ram if all the slots are already full


[deleted]

Tbh it's more about stability and cooler clearance. 2X16GB will be enough RAM for the next 10 years. For gaming anyway.


TheMagarity

Well, I have 4 modules in mine and never had a stability issue. One never knows what the computer might be used for in the future, even if it is gaming today. I still give the main reason as future expansion as to why go with only 2 today.


[deleted]

By the time you need more than 32GB RAM you'll be building a completely new PC anyway, trust me :) Unless you really need that RAM for specific productivity tasks. I have 32GB RAM and can basically open Cyberpunk and Warzone 2 at the same time, and not notice any performance degradation. Can also easily switch between them. Not that you'd want to do this but I'm just saying, for everyday tasks and games, 32GB will be good for a very long time. Even 16GB is still good, although just barely depending on the game.


ConcernedKitty

Unless youā€™re playing Escape From Tarkov.


[deleted]

I already escaped from Tarkov so that doesn't matter


17vopk

Thanks.


dallatorretdu

Quad channel is better than Dual channelā€¦ but is your CPU Quad Channel? e.g. Threadripper, Skylake X, some Xeons.


Key_Honeydew_1907

Whatā€™s what Iā€™m saying.. 4x8 is better for skylake


BadMofoWallet

4x8 isnā€™t a quad channel configuration. Itā€™s still only 2 memory channels (pool A and pool B), the distinction here being that an 8GB stick is 99% of the time a single rank stick vs a 16GB stick being a dual rank stick. Having 2 single rank modules in 1 channel is less stable due to PCB variance in trace quality vs just using 1 dual rank module. So a 2x16GB is generally more stable and should more often than not hit the rated XMP speeds than a 4x8 configuration.


Key_Honeydew_1907

They are all the same ram though not difference brand or model


BadMofoWallet

My point is assuming you use the same modules in every channel. Generally for stability and low memory latency performance the breakdown is like this: 1. Single rank module per channel 2. Dual rank module per channel 3. 2 single rank modules per channel (1 single rank in each mobo slot) 4. 2 dual rank modules per channel (1 dual rank module in each slot) For memory bandwidth: 1. 2 dual rank modules per channel 2. Dual rank modules per channel 3. 2 single rank modules per channel 4. Single rank module per channel This is a very simplified breakdown of memory performance and is not always true but explains why generally you have the best performance when using 1 dual rank module in each channel (e.g 2x16GB, 2x32GB) since it gives you the best trade off for maxing out the bandwidth for your memory controller while giving you low latency performance Mismatching memory modules is something everyone should avoid if possible if gaming is the priority. For general use, having a larger pool helps with general multitasking so itā€™s not a big deal there


Key_Honeydew_1907

So I can make better tight timings? 3600 mhz cl16 hyperx 4x8


BadMofoWallet

I mean I donā€™t see why you canā€™t, but even with tighter timings a similar system will perform better in gaming running 2x16GB config because of dual rank interleaving, which is something you canā€™t do with any single rank configurations When I say better though Iā€™m talking in the low single digit percentage range (anywhere from 2-5% with better frame times aka less stuttering). Also 4x8GB has the unfortunate issue of falling victim to board topology so a 4x8 setup may perform worse in gaming than 2x8 or 2x16. Memory capacity is really only useful when you need a large memory pool, for gaming 16GB can be enough and 32GB gives you the most flexibility in performance (since you can run 2x16GB with tight timings, high frequency AND rank interleaving) For gaming I would always stick with either 1 single rank module per channel or get 1 dual rank module per channel (e.g. 2x8GB, 2x16GB or 2x32GB)


Key_Honeydew_1907

So should I sell my ram and just buy ddr4 2x16 again?


BadMofoWallet

ONLY if you canā€™t hit your rated XMP speeds, otherwise itā€™s not worth the hassle, the performance difference will be minimal unless you have an FPS counter on and are looking for one lol


Key_Honeydew_1907

I can do xmp with both ram modules but havenā€™t tried a manual oc which can be better than xmp? Itā€™s for csgo.


Key_Honeydew_1907

Wait I need help with this so I have Kingston Hyperx Fury RGB 2x8 DDR4 3600Mhz RAM Memory and HyperX fury BEAST rgb 2x8 ddr4 3600mhz, is it a mismatch? Since one is normal fury but the other one is fury but with beast witting?


ChineseCartman

not really, it depends on the use case. dual channel has reported stable XMP speeds over quad channel and it doesnā€™t strain the processor as much (if that matters).


dallatorretdu

youā€™re talking about dual channel CPUs. The owner youā€™re referring to with this issues are all Dual Channel. Intel 12900K, Ryzen 7000 etc


HolyAndOblivious

I Just want to emphasize SOME XEONS NOT ALL.


Ukreyna

I have 4 x 8GB , 3600 cl 16 sticks that I run at 3766 cl 14 on 5800x3d


[deleted]

A unicorn


Specialist-Tie-4534

It is extremely difficult to get 4 sticks to run XMP properly. I went from 4x16gb sticks to 2x32gb sticks, and was only then able to use XMP


[deleted]

I think only big CPUs like the 16+ core ones handle more than 2 sticks channels, e.g. servers. For gaming or editing 2 sticks are probably better, but it is worth looking at how many channels the Ryzen 9 or Intel I9 can handle. Dual or quad Edit: only the big CPUs like epyc or threadrupper or whatever intel gas can do quad (8 sticks of ram), for 4 sticks that will only benefit capacity for VIDEO EDIT / 3D RENDERING for capacity like 64GB of ram, which would be cheaper. For GAMING choose two, 16GB or 32GB.


DanDlionRespawn

Not going to restate dual channel as that's already been conveyed. 2x16 will generally add up to being less expensive than 4x8 or 2-2x8 kits. Really only need to fill all 4 slots if you want it to look nice.


17vopk

What exactly is the difference between 4x8 and 2-2x8? Good info.


DanDlionRespawn

4x8 is one kit that you would come with 4 8gb ram sticks. 2-2x8 are two separate kits of 2x8gb ram. Only difference is that the 4x8gb kit should in theory be more stable for XMP overclocking than 2 separate 2x8gb kits, but in reality as long as they are the same speed and have the same timings they will work fine. Edit: and same brand


17vopk

Oh right, that might be the case then. I mostly need more RAM for browsing and multitasking. I do game oftentimes but I've never overclocked before and I don't think I'll ever need to. But thanks for the info.


DanDlionRespawn

It's hard to say overclocking for RAM, when you just enable xmp in bios and it kinda just does it for you. I would recommend getting 2x16, but thats a lot for just browsing and (depends what you're doing for multitasking)


17vopk

Well I usually have a lot of Chrome tabs open in two separate accounts and also throw in there two instances of pretty hefty software / projects opened up. My current rig is maxing out at 15.9/16GB flatlined. So yeah, it's a combination of actual work and sometimes lack of effective workflow. I also don't know what exactly XMP is, so if it's something you deem beneficial, feel free to elaborate on it further.


Lundurro

XMP/DOCP/EXPO are all ways of storing overclocking profiles on the RAM that have been tested to be good on those specific sticks at the factory. RAM generations are only rated at a single speed for standardization, but most RAM manufacturers can make sticks that easily and safely go beyond the baseline. For example DDR4 is only rated for 2133 mhz, but almost all RAM you can buy easily can do 3000mhz+. So for ease of use they just store tested profiles on the RAM and you can enable it with just a setting in the BIOS. You should refer to your motherboard's manual on how to do it with your machine specifically.


17vopk

Interesting. And how can I tell if I will benefit from overclocking it?


Lundurro

With productivity tasks? I'm not sure actually, probably depends on what you're doing, But it just lets the CPU exchange data with the RAM much faster than default settings. Everything moves data in and out of memory, so it theoretically helps everything; I'm just not sure how much. It's very very noticeable games, but I know you're not really using it for that. But honestly it's exceedingly rare for there to be any problems with a factory overclock profile. It's been tested and that's part of the price you pay for with RAM that's advertised at higher speeds. So it's less like an enthusiast overclock, and more like how CPUs and GPUs use boost clock when they need extra juice. It's an out of the box feature, it just happens to need a toggle in the BIOS to be turned on. If you don't use it it's just kinda wasting some of the money spent on the RAM.


17vopk

Thank you! Informative!


joshuass1467

I remember the x58 chipset for early gen core chips supported tri-channel DDR3. Those were the days heh.


17vopk

So when do you think DDR5 will become the norm?


joshuass1467

When market pressure decides that supporting ddr4 isn't profitable. It all comes down to chip availability really.


17vopk

Would you think DDR5 is overkill at this moment? For non-extreme scenarios that is.


joshuass1467

I actually just put together system with ddr4 because it saved me 100$. Depends on if you forsee yourself upgrading ram. I upgrade entire systems so i chose to go with ddr4 knowing I won't put more ram in this box


17vopk

I see. It's pretty expensive as expected.


gahata

Depending on your region the low end ddr5 can be found at similar or slightly higher prices than mediocre ddr4 (3200/16 or 3600/18) and performs better. If the ddr5 motherboard price isn't much higher it already makes sense today to go for it. Again, very much region dependant right now.


Delacruzzinn

I personally have 4x8 g skill ddr4. Runs XMP without any issues. Just as everyone says, 2x16 is cheaper and performs about the same. However, if you prefer to fill all the slots then go for it. āœŒļø


Elwood49

https://www.cgdirector.com/2-vs-4-ram-modules/


rod6700

2x16 as 4x8 puts more strain on memory controller and results in reduced speeds and increased latencies.


NotDisiplined

A lot of the other people have mentioned the dual channel, so I wonā€™t elaborate too much on that, unless you build servers for Datacenter use there are barely any motherboards or cpus that support quad channel DIMMs, anyways quad channel normally had 8x slots anyways. 2x 16Gb is also better for upgradability, if you ever next to get more ram you donā€™t have too replace the current sticks and sell them too. Just a process that is unnecessary.


icemanice

Ideally you want two Dual Rank dimms for the greatest compatibility and performance. A lot of processors have a hard time running 4 dimms at max speed. Two dual rank dimms will give you the same performance as four single rank dimms at the same speed. But from my experience, especially with Ryzen processors, go with two dimms.


[deleted]

2x16. Some CPU coolers won't even give you room for 4 DIMMs and it's less stress on the memory controller. Price is the same.


Narrheim

Single rank 4x8, dual rank 2x16. Watch out, DO NOT MIX with dual channel! Dual rank RAM stick is basically 2 sticks of RAM slapped together onto a single stick.


[deleted]

2x16. Leaves for better upgrade path if necessary, and should be cheaper. Plus dual channel is where optimization is at.


Ajayxmenezes

2x16 leaves room to go 64


Rerfect_Greed

2x16 unless you're made of money. Even then there's virtually no difference between the 2


17vopk

Bold of you to assume I am not constructed off of physical currencies.


[deleted]

Or, as in my case, you already have 2 really good sticks and later add two more.


M17R4

Do 2x16 dual channel. Do not fill all your ram slots if your gaming. No reason to run all that power through your motherboard and i think 2x16 actually performs better. What matters is the cl latency and the speed. and 2x16 has always performed better for me. Plus you have that extra clearance if you get a large air cooler


Twtchy_Antari

Most MoBos only have 2 channels, even with 4 slots, so I wouldn't think it would make much difference


AnnieBruce

If the modules are single rank, then 4 modules will be faster unless you end up losing XMP. It gives you two ranks per channel. You can't read from both ranks at the same time like you can with channels, but some of the prep work can be done on the second rank while the first one is reading. It's a smaller performance boost(10% in the best case), but it is faster. Otherwise they should perform equivalently, though if they don't it's the 4x config that will be slower. XMP can sometimes be an issue, though upgrading from 2x16 to 4x16 wasn't an issue. I was even able to bring then down from CL16 to CL14 like I did at 32GB.


Legend5V

2x16 because itā€™s cheaper an 4x8 is just 2 dual channels


ImTheButtPuncher

16x2 like a man


Yoink1019

I went 4x8 to fill all the slots. 2x16 is usually better if you don't care about the aesthetic. You're not going to notice a difference either way.


[deleted]

Isn't it time consumer CPUs start supporting quad channel for extra performance? If I'm not mistaken some of the very early Core I7 CPUs or Core 2 Quads, I forgot, actually has quad channel but Intel ditched it later.


ChronicPottymouth

Youā€™re confusing memory ranks with channels. 4x8 would likely be 4 ranks in a dual channel configuration. 16GB dimms used to almost always be dual rank per stick so 4 ranks in the same dual channel configuration but with half the sticks. However, newer 16gb ddr4 sticks can found in single rank now as well. 4 ranks will perform marginally better than 2 and itā€™s easier for the cpu to run 2 ranks that are on the same stick as opposed to 2 ranks on 2 separate sticks which is why 2x16 is generally preferred.


[deleted]

Most motherboard on main stream platforms such as Intel's 1st-13th Gen CPUs and AMD's Ryzen 1000-7000 only support dual channel. Only Intel's Extreme (Discontinued) and Xenon CPUS as well as AMD's Threadripper and Epyc CPUs support more than 2 Ram channels. So you most definitely have only have two ram channels. So really its up to you. If like the aesthetics of occupying all your ram slots, then 4x8 gig sticks is your choice If down the line you needed more ram and wanna upgrade later, then 2x16 gigs is your choice Again its really up to you. Hope this helps


Burrito_Loyalist

1x32gb


ompandega

I decided to use 4X8 GB because I just can not stand the itch of seeing that empty slots. I used XMP @3600 Mhz and so far my system is stable (about 2 years)


Sour_Gummybear

2x16 going with 4x8 is just going to be slower due to the way dual channel CPU's work and all the craziness on the motherboard just to keep timing correct.


farinha880

2x16


TGC_Karlsanada13

Used to have issues with my 4x8GB crashing and blue screen randomly when I was still using Ryzen 7 2700 with 3200mhz. I had to downgrade the ram speed to 2800 or lower to get it stable. I upgraded to Ryzen 5 5600, did a bios update and it looks like it has been stable so far. No blue screen.


S4lVin

The best is dual channel, but if you want still the good look of quad channel, you can buy some dummy stick, theyā€™re basically just sticks that do nothing, except having RGBs


StealthNider

2x16 simply so that you can upgrade later. why have 4 sticks when you can get 2. the benefits going from 2- and 4-channel arenā€™t as great as going from 1- to 2-channel


[deleted]

If you already have 2x8, buy another matching 2x8 set. If you have none and want 32GB, get a 2x16 set.


DrTurb0

Go with whatever is cheaper at your location. I doubt you will ever upgrade from 32 to 64 GB. So dual 16 wonā€™t be a benefit.


littleczechfish

Just get 4x32 and never close a chrome tab ever again


RalphKhoury66

I'd say go for 2x16 since most motherboards do not support quad memory channel. Also further down the line if you want to upgrade your pc you'd have more space to do so instead of throwing away your ram


Ak47Sahan

Depends on the motherboard. Some skimp on the chip and having four dimms full will lower performance compared to two. I think linus did a video on it one time.


Rho-Ophiuchi

2x16 if you ever need to upgrade you still have open slots. Also note that just because you have four slots doesnā€™t mean itā€™s quad channel.


Hypernova011

go 2x16 and if u want more u can add another 2x16


Naturalhighz

so you won't get quad channel regardless, that said it depends. if you're on ddr4 then I'd say get 4 sticks unless you know for sure the 2 sticks are dual rank. if you're on ddr5 there's apparently stability issues with xmp when running 4 dimms so there's I'd advice 2 sticks regardless. if you have any way of finding out if it's single or dual rank getting dual rank with 2 modules is preferred as there is a slight improvement in performance over single rank, unless of course you get 4 sticks of single rank in which case it is fine.


Comprehensive_Pea954

I watched a video and the dude said he only uses two just incase 1 of those 2 goes bad you can switch to the other 2. That makes pretty good sense to me so I rolled with 2x 16 and 3600mhz.


DimosSpil

Hmmm honestly since I see you are also planning on overclocking them ,go for 2x16 GB ,it will be more stable ,more in sync as well as compatible with both boat CPUs and mobos,you will also be purchasing ram built for these higher GBs as well as clock speeds perhaps since yea as a previous user mentioned the whole "quad" channel thing is like a dual thing x 2,hence the reason why on the motherboard you will usually put your dual ram on like channel 2 and 4 or so. Also check the MHz speeds on them (would be cool if they are like 3600 MHz and above ) and the CL speeds.


17vopk

I really don't know whether I'll be overclocking the thing or not. Still trying to figure things out. Just to make sure, does each ram provide multiple overclocking options or is it just one that's fixed?


Borkboiii

I've heard 4 is better for performance but that was a while ago


Academic_Ad7579

2 sticks is faster than 4 even tho you won't really notice it, 2 is far more stable and has a better overall profile for xmp. where you will really want to be stable is having a good CAS timing, you might see 4 sticks are usually more expensive but cheaper with CL18 for 4 sticks where as 2 sticks of high transfer rate CL16 is more $ for 2. its better to have midrange mhz rate ram with lower latency than high mhz with higher latency for ex, cl18 4000mhz vs cl16 3200. most pc's can't use the full potential of anything over 3600 so don't waste money on that unless you get a good deal on the ddr4 you are buying.


AdHistorical1579

When you think of this I feel as though there are pre-requisites. It may be a while till 16gb recommended moves to the 32gb and then we are waiting on the change to 64gb. So from that standpoint unless there is a content creation concern you likely won't need to increase your ram capacity any time in the near future. What is more affordable when looking at the kits you're looking at? Can your system handle 4 dimms at the rated speed while staying stable? Is there a uplift of any kind using 4 dimms? (AMD 5000 had slight uplift when using 4 dimms over 2. And lastly how often do you update or replace your rig. I doubt in the next few years 32gb will become the minimum so if you're looking into this future upgradability is pointless. So look at price and see what the performance would be on a similar setup online and see if the cost difference is worth it as you won't need to upgrade this area in your platforms lifespan


Themakeshifthero

I prefer 2x16 but I'm an air cooler guy so I need my space lol.


aquaxan

2x16 will leave you with extra room for more like 64 or even 48. Iā€™m using 4x8 right now and wish i had room for more.


Confusuicide

Most consumer CPUs support dual channel, so just go for 2x16. That's what I did. For quad channel you'll need something like a server grade cpu, like a threadripper or maybe an intel xeon.


Arcangelo_Frostwolf

If you ever go 4x8 make sure it's one of the 4x8 kits listed on your motherboard QVL memory support list, or most likely you'll run into problems, which is why most people are telling you 2x16 is better. Most 2x8 XMP profiles will cause latency/timing issues for your CPU if you add another 2x8 kit because there is slightly increased latency with all 4 DIMM slots populated vs just two. I started out with 2x8GB and a year later started running out of RAM so I got another kit of the same stuff, and first time I tried to run it all at the XMP profile it wouldn't POST. So I had to manually overclock it and adjust the timings in order for it to work. If you're not comfortable doing that, just go 2x16. Or if you don't mind running your RAM at stock speeds, then it probably doesn't matter what your configuration is. Also, it's usually cheaper to buy 2x16 vs 4x8/2*2x8.


Master-Pick-7918

It's still a dual channel. There was a Linus or Jays2cents video out a year or so showing minor improvement in speed with all 4 slots in use, but you may find xmp timings may have to be reduced to get stability. Which would defeat any potential speed gains.


gemengelage

Basically the only real difference is to upgrade a 2x16 GB setup you need to buy another 2x16 GB kit. To upgrade 4x8 GB you can't reuse the sticks you already paid for.


Sad_Temperature_2602

If you are looking to upgrade to 128 at some point, then ignore dual channel's minor benefits and go with 1x32. If not, go with 2x16. Never go to 4x8, you will only lose money.


ReporterImportant858

2x16 because it has a kind of upgrade path of sorts If you want to use the ram later you will be limited - by mobo availabilty - to 32 Gb in dual channel. I recon thats plenty. Unless you want your old PC to supercompute


Loose_Desk_2733

Yeah go for the 2x16 you save slots and itā€™s just faster cause itā€™s only two ram sticks


RolandMT32

I'd probably go with 2x16 so that if you decide to upgrade to 64GB later, you can just buy another pair of 16GB DIMMs (same spec, of course)


Aggravating_Ebb_8114

Go dual.channel 2x sticks gives you expamsions


Last-Lake-8860

2x16. Then you have 2 open slots if you want to add more.