Ram performance difference between size of dimms

[T.Vengeance]

Is there any performance difference between getting 4 dimms of 2gb ram vs 2 dimms of 4gb ram, both having the same timings and speed.

[unidentical]

RAM performance is funny, it depends on the platform for where you see benefits, but the amount of memory shouldn't matter beyond what your system is using. If you have a total of 4gb and your system is maxing that out, then having 8gb total will be faster.

With Ivy Bridge there's no percievable benefit of anything over 1600mhz.

General wisdom is that you should have the minimum number of dimms to take advantage of all channels. So 2 sticks for dual channel, 4 sticks for quad. Lower work load for the memory controller.

[Glenwing]

There's no speed difference between the modules themselves. Just match the number of DIMMs to the number of channels on the motherboard if possible.

[T.Vengeance]

Thanks for the replies!

[Art Vandelay]

From what I've heard, less memory will OC better, so just get as much as you need. Also only run as many DIMMs as there are channels on your motherboard, otherwise it won't OC as well.