2x4gb dual channel vs 3x4gb better for ram

[beastunleashed]

My question is, am i better only using 2 of my 4gb sticks of ram to take advantage of the dual channel capabilities of my MB, or should put my third 4gb stick in to give me 12gb??? I know i should just add another stick but i can't afford it at the moment.

My pc consist of;

MSI Z270 gaming 5 MB

INTEL i3 7100 cpu (uping to i5 or better after xmas)

HyperX fury 4gb 2400mhz (x3)

EVGA 750 g3 psu

EVGA GTX 1080 grfx card

Just for my knowledge now and in the future it be nice to know is it worth losing some amount of ram to keep the dual channel features, or lose the dual channel capabilities to have more ram?? Or am i completely wrong and do i keep the dual channel capabilities even with an odd number of sticks in place. I thank you in advance for your help.

[Clear17Mud]

It should be fine if you need 12GB. You won't see a huge hit in FPS.

[m0k]

no you dont HAVE to run it in Dual Channel - but yes its generally recommended

if youre on a tight budget then just get the extra 4GB ram stick - it wont have any significant impact on your gaming performance