ram

[mostechtips]

Should i go 2x4 ram or 1 8gb ram stick

[Oshino Shinobu]

2x4GB for dual channel. 

[Zinqs]

If you are going to be upgrading anytime soon go with one 8gb stick, if not go with 2x 4gb.

[Aniallation]

Should i go 2x4 ram or 1 8gb ram stick

Two 4GB if you have four motherboard slots

One 8GB if you have two motherboard slots

[s3ns3]

if you have four slots 4x2. if you have 2 slots 1x8 so you can upgrade easy if you need more . if not still 4x2 to enable dual channel

[benfel7]

Get 2 4GB sticks if your motherboard has 4 slots. Leaves upgrades for tri/quad-channel if that is even a thing.

imanoob

[Mistersprinkles]

Two 4GB if you have four motherboard slots

One 8GB if you have two motherboard slots

 

Oh my GOD that has NOTHING to do with it. Please don't give advise.

[Aniallation]

Oh my GOD that has NOTHING to do with it. Please don't give advise.

Oh my GOD that reply has NOTHING to do with the question. Please give some advice that's actually useful to the OP. 

 

Also, my reply did provide useful information. It's recommended to run in dual channel when you can, but if OP has a motherboard like an H81 with only two slots, getting two 4GBs leaves no upgrading room, and if they want more RAM later on, both sticks will have to be replaced completely instead of two more sticks added alongside. Use your brain.

[Mistersprinkles]

Oh my GOD that reply has NOTHING to do with the question. Please give some advice that's actually useful to the OP. 

 

Also, my reply did provide useful information. It's recommended to run in dual channel when you can, but if OP has a motherboard like an H81 with only two slots, getting two 4GBs leaves no upgrading room, and if they want more RAM later on, both sticks will have to be replaced completely instead of two more sticks added alongside. Use your brain.

 

No, use YOUR brain. If a a mobo and CPU support dual channel RAM, you use dual channel RAM.

[Aniallation]

No, use YOUR brain. If a a mobo and CPU support dual channel RAM, you use dual channel RAM.

Okay, so let's say you have an H81 motherboard with two RAM slots. Let's fill them both because you want to run in dual channel.

 

Two years later,

"man 8GB of RAM really isn't cutting it anymore, let me add two more sticks.... oh right."

[DirkW]

How about simply rephrasing it, so that this fight can stop (helps when people actually give reasons for their advice right from the beginning...):

 

For better performance (actually not that much higher for what most people do with their PCs): use 2x4GB of RAM in dual channel.

For better upgradability later: use 1x8GB stick.

[Mistersprinkles]

Okay, so let's say you have an H81 motherboard with two RAM slots. Let's fill them both because you want to run in dual channel.

 

Two years later,

"man 8GB of RAM really isn't cutting it anymore, let me add two more sticks.... oh right."

Ya, exactly. When that time comes you sell your 2X4 and buy a fresh 2X8. Why would anybody gimp their computer by running in single channel "for a couple of years". Ridiculous.

[Aniallation]

Ya, exactly. When that time comes you sell your 2X4 and buy a fresh 2X8. Why would anybody gimp their computer by running in single channel "for a couple of years". Ridiculous.

Why would you do that? How much will your 2X4 be worth then? You will spend more money to sell the 2X4 and get a brand new 2X8 set (look at DDR2 prices now) rather then just buy two more 4GB sticks. 

 

You really have no idea what you're talking about. Look at the other replies on this thread. I'm not the only one going by what I'm saying. You're just making yourself look ignorant. 

[Mistersprinkles]

Why would you do that? How much will your 2X4 be worth then? You will spend more money to sell the 2X4 and get a brand new 2X8 set (look at DDR2 prices now) rather then just buy two more 4GB sticks. 

 

You really have no idea what you're talking about. Look at the other replies on this thread. I'm not the only one going by what I'm saying. You're just making yourself look ignorant. 

 

No, you're all ignorant. I'm saying that if you have a board with TWO SLOTS which was what the post above me was saying, you sell the 2x4 and buy a 2x8. Don't argue with me kid, I've probably been doing this a lot longer than you have. You have a picture of god damn One Direction as your avatar for crying out loud.

 

You ALWAYS run dual channel on a system that supports it, unless you have AM1, which doesn't support it 

 

BTW if you're still using a system with DDR2 and you're looking to upgrade the RAM you should upgrade the whole system instead. Same goes for anybody running DDR3 when DDR4 and the platforms supporting it are well established. If we're 1 or 2 gens past Skylake and a guy comes on asking if he should double the amount of DDR3 he has, I'd tell him to just buy a whole new computer. 

[Aniallation]

No, you're all ignorant. I'm saying that if you have a board with TWO SLOTS which was what the post above me was saying, you sell the 2x4 and buy a 2x8. Don't argue with me kid, I've probably been doing this a lot longer than you have. You have a picture of god damn One Direction as your avatar for crying out loud.

 

You ALWAYS run dual channel on a system that supports it, unless you have AM1, which doesn't support it 

And this just makes you look more ignorant by discriminating someone based on age and taste in music ffs

 

As @DirkW said, most of the things that one would do with a PC with 8GB of RAM will not present a noticeable difference with dual channel. You do not HAVE to run dual channel on a system that supports it and there will be little to no performance loss, especially in things like gaming, from using single channel RAM on a platform that supports dual channel, unless you are using integrated graphics. 

 

If OP gets one stick now, and later on feels that single channel RAM speed isn't enough (for some reason?) then what? Just add another stick! Wow! mind=blown

 

I'm really wondering why you're trying to prove a point that wasn't useful advice in the first place.

[Mistersprinkles]

And this just makes you look more ignorant by discriminating someone based on age and taste in music ffs

 

As @DirkW said, most of the things that one would do with a PC with 8GB of RAM will not present a noticeable difference with dual channel. You do not HAVE to run dual channel on a system that supports it and there will be little to no performance loss, especially in things like gaming, from using single channel RAM on a platform that supports dual channel, unless you are using integrated graphics. 

 

If OP gets one stick now, and later on feels that single channel RAM speed isn't enough (for some reason?) then what? Just add another stick! Wow! mind=blown

 

I'm really wondering why you're trying to prove a point that wasn't useful advice in the first place.

 

I'm not arguing with you people about this any more.

[Aniallation]

I'm not arguing with you people about this any more.

Because you have no point to prove....

 

If you provided solid evidence that dual channel actually has significant benefits from a casual user/gamer's standpoint, nobody would be doubting you.

[s3ns3]

BTW if you're still using a system with DDR2 and you're looking to upgrade the RAM you should upgrade the whole system instead. Same goes for anybody running DDR3 when DDR4 and the platforms supporting it are well established. If we're 1 or 2 gens past Skylake and a guy comes on asking if he should double the amount of DDR3 he has, I'd tell him to just buy a whole new computer. 

are you in the mood for jokes or what ? so when i want new ram i just buy a whole new computer ? 

 

ofc you buy 1x8gb stick if the motherboard has 2 slots only.selling a 4x2 kit in a year for 1/3 of what you paid is bad business and a bad advice to give to someone.

[Spev]

2x4GB for dual channel. 

I have a question I'm just learning about ram. So the different colored slots are channels yes? & performance will be better if you use more channels yes? So like on a 1150 board (4 slots 2 channel typically) Instead of buying 16GB (2 8 sticks) I should buy 16GB (4 4 sticks) for maximum performance? & no I don't need to expand past 16.

[s3ns3]

 Instead of buying 16GB (2 8 sticks) I should buy 16GB (4 4 sticks) for maximum performance? & no I don't need to expand past 16.

no the performance is the same .4x4 will still be dual channel on 1150. quad channel is for 2011.

[Spev]

no the performance is the same .4x4 will still be dual channel on 1150. quad channel is for 2011.

Ok, so if I did buy 2 8 GB sticks, I should put one of them in each channel? & the different colors are each channels right?

[Oshino Shinobu]

I have a question I'm just learning about ram. So the different colored slots are channels yes? & performance will be better if you use more channels yes? So like on a 1150 board (4 slots 2 channel typically) Instead of buying 16GB (2 8 sticks) I should buy 16GB (4 4 sticks) for maximum performance? & no I don't need to expand past 16.

No. Because it only has 4 slots, it only uses 2 channels, meaning it can run in dual channel max. Having 4 sticks or 2 sticks will both run in dual channel (provided you put them in the correct slots) and there will be no difference in performance. 

[Oshino Shinobu]

Ok, so if I did buy 2 8 GB sticks, I should put one of them in each channel? & the different colors are each channels right?

1st and 3rd slot are the 1st channel. 2nd and 4th are the 2nd channel. 

 

With two sticks, you should put them in the 1st and 3rd slots. (1st slot being the one closest to the CPU socket. 

[DirkW]

@Mistersprinkles @Aniallation

Well, personally I do prefer dual channel, I would probably never really run single channel myself. But that doesn't change the fact, that the performance difference has been shown in many tests to be minimal to virtually non-existant in the normal usage scenarios for average Joe computer-user. (Of course there are exceptions to this - as with alsmost any rule).

 

 

 

However, MisterSprinkles, since you have been on my ignore list for quite some time already (where all trolls, fanboys and people with no manners end up), and not having seen you post anything useful or knowledgable at all so far on these forums (and your reputation around here is generally pretty low - set so by your generally poor behaviour, your rudeness and arrogance combined with a severe lack of real knowledge), I am actually quite delighted about this:

 

I'm not arguing with you people about this any more.

 

Please keep it that way. Might help to prevent some further misinformation from your side.

[Mistersprinkles]

@Mistersprinkles @Aniallation

Well, personally I do prefer dual channel, I would probably never really run single channel myself. But that doesn't change the fact, that the performance difference has been shown in many tests to be minimal to virtually non-existant in the normal usage scenarios for average Joe computer-user. (Of course there are exceptions to this - as with alsmost any rule).

 

 

 

However, MisterSprinkles, since you have been on my ignore list for quite some time already (where all trolls, fanboys and people with no manners end up), and not having seen you post anything useful or knowledgable at all so far on these forums (and your reputation around here is generally pretty low - set so by your generally poor behaviour, your rudeness and arrogance combined with a severe lack of real knowledge), I am actually quite delighted about this:

 

 

Please keep it that way. Might help to prevent some further misinformation from your side.

 

I'm not the one telling people to run single channel...