Are More RAM Modules Better for Gaming? 4 x 4GB vs. 2 x 8GB

[mrvco]

Would be interesting to see a comparison using eSports games set for maximum FPS (FHD / no eye candy).

 

[Evernessince]

Would be interesting to see a comparison using eSports games set for maximum FPS (FHD / no eye candy).

Buildzoid sort of did this when the Ryzen 3000 series processors came out. He tested a larger variety of RAM with different ranks, frequencies, and latency. Ultimately, his OC'd DDR4 3733 at CL12 performed the best. Dual rank gives a boost to read and write speed but that doesn't always translate to games nor does it outweigh potential frequency and timing gains.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

What about non-gaming benchmarks, does it help Photoshop, Matlab, video software, unzipping files etc, not sure why you just focus on games where it makes no real world difference, Yeah 245fps vs 235fps, really gonna notice that.

 

[PEnnn]

Only yesterday I was wondering why I opted for 4 x 4GB when I built my PC 4 years ago.....and was wondering if it was a good idea.

But now I am glad I did, even if the difference might not always be noticeable....

 

[krizby]

No, DDR4 3733 CL14 1R is the best RAM money can buy today and a good chunk faster then what you have. With increased ranks comes a trade-off in frequency and/or timings. This is stated in the article.

There are certainly better 4x8GB kits out there and they they cost upward of 500usd and the performance gain in games are negligible, my exact kit is still selling for 700+usd on newegg. There is the gskill kit that is quite good.

People seem to be misunderstanding the article.

"It’s also worth noting that four modules can also limit memory performance in the sense that you might not be able to achieve the same frequency and timings that you could with just two modules."

There is a reason the best RAM you can buy is single rank. While having more ranks gives you a small performance boost, the maximum frequency you can obtain is reduced and often times you cannot obtain as tight timings.

If you are not spending a ton on RAM, a 4 stick or 2 stick dual rank kit is a good choice. If you have the money to spend though, ultimately all the best kits are single rank 2 module kits.
This test was conducted at a low frequency. All the fastest DDR4 kits are single rank and you cannot achieve those frequencies with dual rank.

This test is not surprising, it just illustrates that for budget RAM, dual rank or 4 piece kits are better then single rank assuming all other factors are equal.

Ranks are just one factor to consider. Frequency and timings are equally important. Dual rank sacrifices timings and frequency. If you are debating on whether to get a 4x8GB 1R CL16 vs a 2x16GB CL15 kit, they will be almost equal in performance. That said, you typically always want the kit with higher density as the resale value is higher and it allows you to add more in the future.

Really it depends on the topology of the motherboard, as Buildzoid said in this video at 5min mark

So daisy chained (X570) are better for 2 RAM kit and T-topology (Z390) are better for 4 RAM kit. On Ryzen 3000 it's better just to buy 2x16GB 3600Mhz as the FCLK top out at 3600mhz (3800mhz max overclocked), so the dual rank add a little bit more performance. For Intel just buy the highest frequency 4x8Gb kit available.

 

[Evernessince]

There are certainly better 4x8GB kits out there and they they cost upward of 500usd and the performance gain in games are negligible

You are making a claim without providing any proof.

32GB (4 x 8GB) Desktop Memory | Newegg.com

Shop 32GB (4 x 8GB) Desktop Memory on Newegg.com. Watch for amazing deals and get great pricing.

www.newegg.com

One of the best kits: https://www.newegg.com/corsair-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820236533

Using the Ram Speed calculator: https://notkyon.moe/ram-latency.htm

DDR4 4266 CL19 latency is 8.09 ms

DDR4 3733 CL14 has a latency of 7.50 ms

DDR4 3733 CL14 is significantly faster then the DDR4 4266 CL 19 kits.

For those seeking raw speed and low latencies, 2 stick configurations are the best, period. Buildzoid managed to tweak DDR4 3733 all the way down to 6.90 ms with a Ryzen 3900X. He could not do that when adding more ranks, which makes sense given that the memory controller has to handle more.

 

[krizby]

You are making a claim without providing any proof.

I was making a placeholder post lol, just so you know mine are B-Die kit also that can be overclock to 4000mhz on good Z390 motherboard (I have Gigabyte Z370 Gaming 5 that top out at 3700mhz no matter what)

 

[Evernessince]

I was making a placeholder post lol, just so you know mine are B-Die kit also that can be overclock to 4000mhz on good Z390 motherboard (I have Gigabyte Z370 Gaming 5 that top out at 3700mhz no matter what)

I have a T-Topology board and it runs 2 sticks at 3733 CL14 no problem. Buildzoid said that in general T-Topology may be better for 4 sticks as sometimes vendors are inconsistent at compensating for timing differences when just 2 sticks are installed. That doesn't mean there aren't boards that overcome this and it doesn't mean you should use 2 sticks in a T-Topology motherboard. The impact is typically small unless the motherboard vendor really screwed up.

 

[Jeffrey2009]

A very nice article as alwasy. Thx for having been investigating the DRAM field.

 

[krizby]

I have a T-Topology board and it runs 2 sticks at 3733 CL14 no problem. Buildzoid said that in general T-Topology may be better for 4 sticks as sometimes vendors are inconsistent at compensating for timing differences when just 2 sticks are installed. That doesn't mean there aren't boards that overcome this and it doesn't mean you should use 2 sticks in a T-Topology motherboard. The impact is typically small unless the motherboard vendor really screwed up.

If you have the X570 Taichi it's daisy chained
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgwjG8OxnKAGLMUVyQB4AaABCQ
So yeah 2 Dimm are best for your config, 2x16GB kit 3800mhz would be optimal

 

[curtsniper1]

Maybe next time try higher resolutions

 

[cliffordcooley]

Maybe next time try higher resolutions

Correct me if I am wrong. But with a dedicated GPU, doesn't that only effect VRAM?

 

[Evernessince]

If you have the X570 Taichi it's daisy chained
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgwjG8OxnKAGLMUVyQB4AaABCQ
So yeah 2 Dimm are best for your config, 2x16GB kit 3800mhz would be optimal

No it's certainly T

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmsTYK9Z3-jUX5LGRoFnsZYZiW1pfiDZnKCjaXyzd1o/edit#gid=2112472504

 

[Adi6293]

I'm using 4 x 8GB on a Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 with a Ryzen 7 2700X, it all works well at 3333Mhz : - )

 

[Puiu]

I'm much more interested in 2x single rank vs 2x dual rank modules at stock settings and if there is a noticeable difference in trying to achieve better CL timings and frequency (and as a result, if single rank modules can achieve equal or better performance just by having better latency).

 

[krizby]

No it's certainly T

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmsTYK9Z3-jUX5LGRoFnsZYZiW1pfiDZnKCjaXyzd1o/edit#gid=2112472504

X570 Taichi Daisy Chained or T-topology ?

As discussed above the ES sample of X570 Taichi is T-topology while retail sample are daisy chained, as proved by Buildzoid. Looking at X570 Taichi Memory QVL list 2 DIMM maxed out at 4600mhz while 4 DIMM top out at 3800mhz. For T-topology like Gigabyte Z390 Gaming Ultra you are looking at the opposite, 4 DIMM at 4333mhz while 2 DIMM at 4133mhz. Not that it matter as you can push 3600mhz with 4 DIMM of any die (3733mhz and 3800mhz are Samsung B-die only)
X570 Taichi QVL

 

[STbob]

`Good hard work on this article. Its a rehash of what we have done in the past and results are similar.
Its just not worth it worrying about ranked on home systems. When you are at 240 fps and different ram gets you 244 fps. You will not "Feel" any difference.

Worry about graphics cards, amount of ram, memory has traditionally been way down the list. For people that don't play games but like to look at benchmark numbers all day it might be worth it for them.

But for most folks, it just does not matter.

 

[m3tavision]

Test should've been done with 2 x 16gb & 4 x 8gb to be of any relevance.

 

[Evernessince]

X570 Taichi Daisy Chained or T-topology ?

As discussed above the ES sample of X570 Taichi is T-topology while retail sample are daisy chained, as proved by Buildzoid. Looking at X570 Taichi Memory QVL list 2 DIMM maxed out at 4600mhz while 4 DIMM top out at 3800mhz. For T-topology like Gigabyte Z390 Gaming Ultra you are looking at the opposite, 4 DIMM at 4333mhz while 2 DIMM at 4133mhz. Not that it matter as you can push 3600mhz with 4 DIMM of any die (3733mhz and 3800mhz are Samsung B-die only)
X570 Taichi QVL

From the link you provided

"According to Buildzoid analysis it is T Topology. "

 

[Fruban]

"So when using two single ranked modules for dual-channel operation, the memory is configured as a single rank. However, when using four single rank modules for dual-channel operation, the memory is now configured as a dual-rank."

Would this same principle apply to DDR3? Asking because I recently decided to go back and fine tune/increase my 2014 PC's CPU OC and was recently boning up on the finer details of tuning the RAM after finding a new higher CPU OC.

 

[Brofistswagsalot]

2 sticks is great for overclocking for stability reasons, also less stress and heat on the IMC, I can't hit 5.2 on 9900k using 4 trident z royals @3600mhz 64gb but easily with 32gb same frequency @1.370v, benchmark wise I notice about a 600point increase when only using 2 sticks as opposed to 4 on passmark, currently running 3440x1440p res also with a single 2080ti, everything watercooler on an open loop test bench I'm using a 10vrm power phase board as well, just thought I'd throw this out there, sorry.

 

[Bamsemh]

It did have a lot to say, when it was able to use several channels. But since only dual channel works today, it has no advantage with more ram blocks.

Back in the days, quad channel always beat single/dual channel ram.

 

[hel0sn8]

I have four 8GB Hyper X modules installed in both my machines.

I see no need for more than 32GB even if I could have 64.

So far, everything runs perfectly.

Randomly random - you don't really say why you feel this way (everything would still run dandy with only 16GB), but thanks the share none the less. High end users working with large PDF, picture, video files etc may beg to differ. Cos in their case, more RAM is better. Always. For gaming 32GB is entirely enough I have found.

I payed £200 for 32 gig of 3600 cas14 memory cant be more happy.
I remember spending weeks checking for a board with certified memory but in the end I ignored that.

LOL, your name maybe be quite fitting. Got me 32GB of 4000 Patriot Viper for £200. New, from a shop. Just now. And checking and using "certified" / QVL components nearly 98%+ of the time isn't required. They just batch tested a small sample of components before release to show that it will work with the spec they specify.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Randomly random - you don't really say why you feel this way (everything would still run dandy with only 16GB), but thanks the share none the less. High end users working with large PDF, picture, video files etc may beg to differ. Cos in their case, more RAM is better. Always. For gaming 32GB is entirely enough I have found.

People running virtual machines, testing software and editing in 8K video will need that amount of RAM.

I'm just on Youtube, games and web browsing so I'm just not there.

My last big update was a 2080TiFTW3 Hybrid. I don't need anything else.

 

[Shake]

I'm going to read the article now,
But I picked up 2x16 tridentz 3200.
Instead of 4x8,
I read going with 2 dimms instead of 4 is the better route, can anyone confirm this