DDR3 Dual Channel 1066 Mhz vs Single Channel 1600 Mhz

[Uboatfreak]

Hello!

 

I am making this post to ask which memory setup is better: DDR3 Dual Channel 4x4 gb 1066 Mhz or Single Channel 2x8 gb 1600 Mhz.

 

Context:

 

A couple weeks ago I managed to bend some pins on my Z77 Asrock Extreme4 motherboard (do NOT try to install a CPU when you have not slept for 24 hours!). I took it to a repair shop and they straightened the pins and it works, but they told me one of the memory channels no longer works.

I have 4 sticks of 4 GB Corsair XMS 3 DDR3 memory sticks. I played around with different memory configurations and discovered that the second channel can work if and only if I set the RAM speed to 1066 Mhz in the BIOS. Otherwise, if I set it at 1333 or 1600 and there is a memory stick in the second channel, the PC will not POST properly, it hangs up at Dr. Debug code 49 (EM post memory initialization codes) or sometimes 33 (CPU post-memory initialization. Cache initialization) and then the PC restarts and repeats the process.

Is it worth it for me to get a new 2x8 gb memory kit to use it in single channel at 1600 Mhz? Or is 1066 Mhz dual channel a better option? I plan to build a new PC in a year anyway, so this one will become secondary.

 

Things I need my PC for:

• gaming, I want to run most AAA games before 2017-2018 without bottlenecks cause by the RAM. These days I mostly play GTA 5, Minecraft, Dying Light.
• I also do some light amateur video editing, mostly Handbrake compressions and trimming and combining videos.
• programming, running IDEs like IntelliJ, Eclipse, CLion, Android Studio, some C/C++ compiling (I am a CS student).
• a lot of Machine Learning, which I plan to run on my GPU, probably a lot of deep learning with TensorFlow.

Specs:

CPU: i7 2600K 4.3 Ghz

Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4
RAM: 4x4 GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3, normally runs at 1600 Mhz

GPU: EVGA GTX 980 Superclocked

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 256 GB SSD + a hard drive

PSU: Seasonic S12II Bronze 620W

Thank you in advance!

[SkilledRebuilds]

I would just seek a replacement board personally,..over buying more Ram for it,..just be strict with whatever budget you have and be patient with seeking a replacement, don't impulse buy and check on what you are buying.
Or live with it for a year.

DualRank (4x4 SR turns into DR) 1066Mhz will perform better than Single rank 1066Mhz (just an example), and perform probably like 1333+ Single rank and make up for some speed losses, but if it's enough I'm not sure, if it's noticeable when GPU bound, not sure,.
But if I was going to lay down cash, I'd get the board, squeeze the 4x4 again and try for Dualrank 1333/1600Mhz Auto OCs/Manual OCs.

[Chris Pratt]

Have you tried with just two sticks, one in each channel? You don't need to fully populate each channel, and in fact, that's harder on the board and the CPU's IMC to pull off.

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Dual channel 1066Mhz has better total bandwidth. Just be sure to tighten the timings. Single channel would need to be 2133Mhz (double) or better to be the better option.

[mariushm]

The processor should be smart enough to run the memory in mixed mode / hybrid dual channel / whatever you want to call it. 

The portion of memory that's available on both channels will run in dual channel mode, the remaining portion will run as if it's single channel mode. 

 

Dual Channel is like having the memory run at DOUBLE the frequency but not quite.

Basically, single channel means that on every tick (hz) , the processor can read or write 64 bits of data into a ram stick (8 Bytes) . In dual channel mode, the processor reads or writes on both channels at the same time, so on every tick / Hz, it now reads or writes 128 bits or 16 bytes. 

 

If the processor needs to read or write 1 MB of data, in dual channel mode the data will be read almost twice as fast. 

 

When the processor requests some data, there's an initial delay from the moment data is requested until the data is available and can be read from the memory chips. That's the latency and other timings written on the memory stick. Once the stick is ready, the data can come in a burst. 

 

 

So set everything at the frequency and timings supported by all sticks, probably 1066 Mhz. let it be in dual channel / mixed dual/single mode... use 3 sticks if only 3 sticks work. It will be better than 2 sticks with higher frequency.

 

[FRD]

Since you already have the RAM and 4x4 at 1600mhz is fine, I just suggest you to get a new (in this case used) motherboard. Z77 boards are pretty cheap nowadays. You could even upgrade to a Z87 or better for your 1155 socket. Just make sure you find a board that fits all your needs, especially for overclocking and the amount of connections on it.

[Uboatfreak]

On 7/29/2021 at 3:06 PM, Chris Pratt said:

Have you tried with just two sticks, one in each channel? You don't need to fully populate each channel, and in fact, that's harder on the board and the CPU's IMC to pull off.

Yes, I did. Even one stick in slots 3 or 4 will prevent POST if the memory is set to more than 1066 Mhz.

[Uboatfreak]

On 7/29/2021 at 3:42 PM, FRD said:

Since you already have the RAM and 4x4 at 1600mhz is fine, I just suggest you to get a new (in this case used) motherboard. Z77 boards are pretty cheap nowadays. You could even upgrade to a Z87 or better for your 1155 socket. Just make sure you find a board that fits all your needs, especially for overclocking and the amount of connections on it.

Thanks for the advice. I might if I find myself bottlenecked. But I plan to build a new PC in a year so I might not bother.