2 vs 4 Sticks of RAM: How it Affects Performance
If you are a tech enthusiast, at some time you might have pondered this topic of 2 vs 4 Sticks of RAM undoubtedly. It is perfectly natural for this thought to pop up into your head. After all if each stick is a DDR4 and have the same frequency, what difference is brought about by using 2 sticks of 8GB vs 4 sticks of 4GB? In todays post lets talk about the performance variations, cooling and all other aspects related to different RAM configurations.
By now we are aware that a majority of consumer grade processors support dual memory channels. And that includes AMD’s and Intel’s AM4 and LGA1151 socket CPUs respectively. Intel released the LGA2011 and LGA771 sockets back 2011 and 2006, while AMD released G34 socket in 2010. These and the Intel Xeon, some Intel i9, i7 and AMD Threadripper CPUs are the ones that support quad channel memory. And you also gonna need a motherboard that supports this functionality.
RAM Architecture and Channel Configurations
Before diving headlong into the subject of benchmarks for 2 vs 4 Sticks of RAM, it seems prudent to accumulate some technical knowledge of how the mechanism actually works. And by that understanding the single, dual, quad channel configurations will be easier to digest.
The CPU has a dedicated memory bus connected to the RAM and this is the path of data exchange between the CPU and the RAM. The memory bus has three wires for data, address and control. We know that most modern CPUs support dual channel DDR4. And this is where the term bottleneck comes into play. Which means you have to play by the CPUs rules of maximum memory capacity, allocated clock speeds and type. The only exception here is the overclocking allowed by the motherboard.
As you might have guessed, the dual, triple and the quad channel works by multiplying the number of wires in the memory bus, thus increasing bandwidth. Before we proceed further, an important point to be noted is that no matter how many sticks of RAM you have it will only account for a small performance boost in the overall system. As in it will not be a computer that is twice, thrice fast as the one it used to be.
Architecture Functionality
Each RAM stick is a 64 bit module and that’s what’s found in a single channel. In a dual channel the bandwidth doubles, hence 128 bits. This also means there are 128 wires that connect the memory controller in the motherboard with the memory sockets. Therefore you can easily figure out how the bandwidth increments in triple and quad channels. The number of wires are 192 and 256 respectively. However the important thing is to gain the appropriate knowledge of how these configurations work. And how the installation needs to be done.
Obviously number one on the check list is the CPU with the required RAM support. Next is the number of memory modules you need and finally, the proper installation in the respective sockets. The mechanism basically is single channel for a unit of memory module. For example, the dual channel which is the most commonly found works by accessing two memory modules at once(128 bits).
If you want to install 8GB of RAM to access the complete 128 bits, you need to install 2x4GB of memory modules opposed to a single 8GB stick. This ensures total utilization of the available memory bus. The final step is the installation in the correct socket. Install the proper modules in the proper channels to utilize dual channel bandwidth.
4 RAM Sticks in Dual Channel
It is absolutely essential to read your motherboards manual, as it is the installation guide for your RAM sticks. Like we mentioned earlier, total performance offered for the best utilization depends on accurate configuration. In most modern motherboards with 4 slots, 1st stick will be on slot 1, 2nd stick will be on slot 2 which isn’t positioned after slot 1. Check the complete RAM installation guide here.
The meaning of 4 RAM sticks on dual channel can simply be explained as above. Therefore even if you mess up, your PC will work fine only under restricted performance. So even if you install the RAM sticks on both the slots allocated to channel 1 your PC can still function under constraints. Also it is always recommended to buy RAM with identical specifications so as to avoid complications in setup.
These mechanisms are the same if you further plan to upgrade to triple and quad channel architectures. The relevant motherboard with the required number of sockets is chosen first. In the triple channel you can use six memory modules in six sockets. Sockets one, three, five will be will be identical. While two, four and six will be the other pair. Just make sure to read the motherboard manual properly.
Quad channel architecture is the same expanded version as of dual and triple, functioning at 256 bits. Mostly used in servers and high end workstation level PCs. Finally you can check the status of your installation and make sure the architecture you deserve has been enabled. You can do this using a hardware utility software such as CPU-Z. Apart from the configurations you can also monitor frequencies, timings.
2 vs 4 Sticks of RAM with Ryzen and Intel: Benchmark Scores
Now that we are aware of the architectures and the configurations, lets see if these actually bring about any performance changes in gaming specifically. Experts tested the most commonly found RAM configurations to see the differences in single channel vs dual channel performance. Techguided used DDR4- 3200MHz RAM and tested for 8GB and 16GB single vs dual channel using 4x4GB and 4x8GB kits.
The results obtained when 16GB was used in dual channel with two and four sticks were interestingly exactly the same. Only a few minor decimal point differences. The games they tested were Grand Theft Auto V, PUBG, Dirt 4 and a couple of others. With the same Intel i7–8700K CPU, GPU and monitor for all tests, the FPS obtained in the two configurations was the same. It remained the same with the 8GB single and dual channel configurations as well.
Techspot tested with the Intel i9–9900K and Ryzen 9 3900X processors. The RAM frequency was bit lower than that of Techguided and that is DDR4 @ 3000MHz. The same single vs dual channel configurations was setup(4x4GB, 2x8GB). FPS figures was the same with both the configurations in the i9 with COD: Moderwarfare. But with Shadow of the Tomb Raider and F1 2019 the i9 did output more FPS with the dual channel configuration(4x4GB). The difference in FPS isn’t mind blowing, merely a couple of figures ahead.
This difference was not seen with the Ryzen CPU for those titles. However controversially performance incremented with four RAM sticks for both the CPUs with Far Cry New Dawn, World War Z and Assassins Creed Odyssey. Even with older B360 motherboards with lower frequencies, the 4 RAM modules still has a performance increment opposed to two.
The suspected reason for better performance by Intel over AMD maybe has something to do with the fact that AMD goes from high to low latency while Intel goes from low to lower. Hence RAM is less likely to be a limiting condition with Intel CPUs.
Conclusion
So as you can see although a few leaps in FPS is seen with the Intel CPUs with four memory modules, it is not a ground breaking discovery. Also there are many more external factors to consider. For example most of the above tests were conducted at 1080p, Ultra quality. If you increased the resolution to 1440p or 4K, there is a possibility for the results to depreciate if the games are more GPU oriented.
Also you might not be able to obtain the same frequencies with four modules as of two. Because of the added wires in the memory controllers and the sockets, signal integrity can be questionable. But for now just keep it in mind that for gaming there is no huge advantage in upgrading for 4 modules over 2. But for running heavy processing applications dedicated to content creating, benchmarking channel configurations can make a significant difference.
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