2 16gb sticks vs 4 8gb sticks

[Dragonisles]

I am looking to build a pc and am getting 32gb for Microsoft Flight Sim. My motherboard is the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6)

 

Motherboard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088VSTS9H?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

 

should I use 2 16gb sticks or 4 8gb sticks. I am not planning on upgrading to 64gb. If you have specific ram brand/model lmk

[CommanderAlex]

You might be more inclined to go for 2x16GB sticks as going 4 can be finicky as Ryzen seems to be picky about RAM IIRC. 

[Fasauceome]

some 2x16GB kits are dual rank while any 4x8 setup will be dual rank. I recommend 4 dimms.

[Dragonisles]

6 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

some 2x16GB kits are dual rank while any 4x8 setup will be dual rank. I recommend 4 dimms.

What is dual rank?

[TrigrH]

7 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

some 2x16GB kits are dual rank while any 4x8 setup will be dual rank. I recommend 4 dimms.

2x16GB is easier to clock than 4x8 as most motherboards run daisy chain.

[Fasauceome]

1 minute ago, Dragonisles said:

What is dual rank?

Memory rank is a feature of ram, not to get too in depth but memory modules have a single rank or dual rank and it can improve performance slightly because of how the CPU is able to access the memory in chunks more efficiently.

 

You can learn more here:

 

 

 

1 minute ago, TrigrH said:

2x16GB is easier to clock than 4x8 as most motherboards run daisy chain.

On Zen 3's memory controllers and the higher overall quality of B550 boards with thicker traces, quad dimm configurations are easier to run this generation.

 

If @Dragonisleswas to pick out 16GB dimms that were dual rank then the advantage is null and dual dimm is quite alright. But I wouldn't think that 3600MHz is all that difficult on current Ryzen setups.

[Jurrunio]

18 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

2x16GB is easier to clock than 4x8 as most motherboards run daisy chain.

Problem is you cant guarantee dual rank on 2x16gb unless on really expensive memory kits that can only be Samsung B-die. or you buy used and ask the seller, that's another option.

[TrigrH]

3 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Problem is you cant guarantee dual rank on 2x16gb unless on really expensive memory kits that can only be Samsung B-die. or you buy used and ask the seller, that's another option.

All the expensive kits are dual rank B-Die outside Ballistix max (rev B) which is single rank.

 

I have doubts you're going to run into many single rank 16gb sticks at the low end, MOST will be dual rank.

 

All Standard Ballistix 32gb is dual rank rev E so thats an option.

[Dragonisles]

1 minute ago, TrigrH said:

All the expensive kits are dual rank B-Die outside Ballistix max (rev B) which is single rank.

 

I have doubts you're going to run into many single rank 16gb sticks at the low end, MOST will be dual rank.

 

All Standard Ballistix 32gb is dual rank rev E so thats an option.

 

7 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Problem is you cant guarantee dual rank on 2x16gb unless on really expensive memory kits that can only be Samsung B-die. or you buy used and ask the seller, that's another option.

thoughts? Planning on getting this kit

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232907?Item=N82E16820232907&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2f&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-ih0jsM0FKvb56jWVkeDDlw

[Jurrunio]

1 minute ago, Dragonisles said:

 

thoughts? Planning on getting this kit

https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232907?Item=N82E16820232907&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-PCPartPicker&AFFID=2558510&AFFNAME=PCPartPicker&ACRID=1&ASID=https%3a%2f%2fpcpartpicker.com%2f&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2558510&ranSiteID=8BacdVP0GFs-ih0jsM0FKvb56jWVkeDDlw

Nope, one of those "anything is possible" kits.

 

4 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

I have doubts you're going to run into many single rank 16gb sticks at the low end, MOST will be dual rank.

The chance of single rank 16gb stick on the cheap isnt low. If they can make fast single rank 16GB or dual rank 32gb stick, then there will be dies that fall through all that binning and end up on slow and cheap(ish) bins.

 

5 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

All Standard Ballistix 32gb is dual rank rev E so thats an option.

Ballistix max and elite could be, doubt the standard ballistix are so clean and unified.

[TrigrH]

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Nope, one of those "anything is possible" kits.

 

The chance of single rank 16gb stick on the cheap isnt low. If they can make fast single rank 16GB or dual rank 32gb stick, then there will be dies that fall through all that binning and end up on slow and cheap(ish) bins.

 

Ballistix max and elite could be, doubt the standard ballistix are so clean and unified.

@Dragonisles You can also check motherboard QVLs to help determine memory ranks. At 3600mhz I've not seen any 32gb single rank kits from gskill and they do not use micron. Whilst not guaranteed I would be pretty confident with that kit. At the lower speed bins you're more likely to find single rank hynix junk. 

Quote

Ballistix max and elite could be, doubt the standard ballistix are so clean and unified.

@Jurrunio maybe you should research a bit before guessing. Crucial specifically says the "memory rank" on the official product specs. 

Quote

 https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/bl2k8g36c16u4bl

1024Meg

= Dual rank.

Quote

https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/blm2k16g40c18u4b

2048Meg

= Single rank.

[Dragonisles]

22 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

@Dragonisles You can also check motherboard QVLs to help determine memory ranks. At 3600mhz I've not seen any 32gb single rank kits from gskill and they do not use micron. Whilst not guaranteed I would be pretty confident with that kit. At the lower speed bins you're more likely to find single rank hynix junk. 

@Jurrunio maybe you should research a bit before guessing. Crucial specifically says the "memory rank" on the official product specs. 

= Dual rank.

= Single rank.

for sub $160 what ram sticks would you use to get 32gb at 3600mhz cl16 

 

im using a ryzen 5 5600x

[Jurrunio]

1 hour ago, TrigrH said:

@Jurrunio maybe you should research a bit before guessing. Crucial specifically says the "memory rank" on the official product specs. 

Quote

 https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/bl2k8g36c16u4bl

1024Meg

= Dual rank.

Quote

https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/blm2k16g40c18u4b

2048Meg

= Single rank.

Good to know they mention capacity per memory chip (for their 3000MHz or more kits), but their catalog for their products do not have a single kit containing 16GB sticks with 8Gb memory chips (your "dual rank" example is a 2x8gb kit, so actually still single rank). We can rule out 2 dual rank sticks that combines to 32GB from Crucial then.

[mrdoubtfull]

46 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

@Dragonisles 

@Jurrunio

= Dual rank.

= Single rank.

Wat? 

 

[Jurrunio]

5 minutes ago, mrdoubtfull said:

Wat? 

"2048Mb x8" and "1Rx8", definitely single rank

[mrdoubtfull]

12 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

"2048Mb x8" and "1Rx8", definitely single rank

Right..But you can't tell without having the physical sticks right? It says 2048Mb x64 on the website which TrigrH said means dual rank. 

[Jurrunio]

1 minute ago, mrdoubtfull said:

Exactly.. But you can't tell without having the physical sticks right? It says 2048Mb x64 on the website which TrigrH said means dual rank. 

he said 2048MB on 16GB sticks is single rank. 1024MB on 16GB sticks will be dual rank if he didnt use the wrong example.

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, mrdoubtfull said:

Wat? 

 

 

Here' this what they mean by single and dual rank.

 

 

Edit" This is the picture I really wanted to drop here. 

 

 

[Jurrunio]

3 hours ago, Dragonisles said:

for sub $160 what ram sticks would you use to get 32gb at 3600mhz cl16 

 

im using a ryzen 5 5600x

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8b848d/gskill-ripjaws-v-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18q-32gvk

 

Dual rank per channel at C18 will have bigger advantage than single rank per channel at C16 compared to single channel C18, so this is my recommendation.

[Dragonisles]

1 hour ago, Jurrunio said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8b848d/gskill-ripjaws-v-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18q-32gvk

 

Dual rank per channel at C18 will have bigger advantage than single rank per channel at C16 compared to single channel C18, so this is my recommendation.

Are any of these sticks dual link?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/B34BD3/gskill-trident-z-rgb-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c16q-32gtzrc

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8b848d/gskill-ripjaws-v-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18q-32gvk

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Yg3mP6/corsair-vengeance-lpx-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-cmk32gx4m2d3600c18

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fBLwrH/gskill-trident-z-rgb-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-32gtzr

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, Dragonisles said:

Are any of these sticks dual link?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/B34BD3/gskill-trident-z-rgb-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c16q-32gtzrc

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8b848d/gskill-ripjaws-v-32-gb-4-x-8-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18q-32gvk

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Yg3mP6/corsair-vengeance-lpx-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-cmk32gx4m2d3600c18

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fBLwrH/gskill-trident-z-rgb-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c18d-32gtzr

The 4 stick kits definitely are (since each memory stick have at least 1 rank). The 2 stick kits are a gamble.

[TrigrH]

11 hours ago, mrdoubtfull said:

It says 2048Mb x64 on the website which TrigrH said means dual rank. 

???????????

 

I said:

2048

= Single rank.

[mrdoubtfull]

16 hours ago, TrigrH said:

???????????

 

I said:

2048

= Single rank.

My kit is dual rank. That kit I posted is single rank. Both same model.