LTT recording of RAM modules and performance at 8x versus 16x speed
LTT recording of RAM modules and performance at 8x versus 16x speed
Hey everyone, just checked the video about RAM banks and the speed boost from switching to x16 instead of x8. It’s really disappointing that few suppliers share such detailed info. I’ve tried CPUz and RAMMon, but neither shows the bank count or x value for your system. Maybe I misinterpreted the data? Are there any tools that provide this level of detail? Thanks, Paddy UK!
@mariushm, I'm excited to try this out and share my feedback. Thanks, Paddy UK!
You might want to use HWiNFO64. My system has 2 x8 RAM, which is dual rank x8.
I returned to the house. For reference, here’s what Aida64 shared about my memory—remembered at 1333 MHz, no need to restart the PC, it’s been active for more than a month.
Hi @mariushm and @Chiyawa, thank you for your support. I installed Aida64 (trial) and HWINFO64 on my laptop to monitor memory performance. With Aida64, the results suggest this Corsair RAM is likely the slower x16 variant. In contrast, HWINFO64 doesn’t show the same data as @Chiyawa—no Banks listed, just Ranks—which might be due to using DDR4 instead of DDR3. Appreciate your help!
Hi @mariushm and @Chiyawa, just confirming your thoughts at your convenience. Thanks for your time!
Best regards, Paddy UK
It's tricky to describe what you're seeing. The bad, slow RAM sticks are usually 1 rank built from 4 chips. A single RAM stick is 64 bits wide, so you need 4 chips that are 16 bits each, or 8 chips at 8 bits, or even 16 chips at 4 bits (common on servers). Most of the time these sticks have 8 chips, meaning two ranks—each made from 4 chips of 16 bits. This setup makes them slower than a regular stick with 8 chips per rank at 8 bits, but the controller benefits from having two ranks working together. It's not perfect, but it's not the slowest either. The video below might help clarify things.
I'm sorry for the oversight, but I'm currently diving deep into this topic and found it on Google. It seems the information might be outdated for the original poster. However, it appears the RAM is likely x8 rather than x16, as indicated by HWiFO64. The module's description matches an x8 configuration, with 16 banks as shown in the datasheet. The module labeled as x16 would have been interpreted differently, possibly showing only 8 banks. My RAM model, a G.skill F4-3600C16D-32GVKC, displays 16 chips and is correctly shown as dual rank in all tested software. I reached this conclusion after reviewing the micron data sheet and the buildzoid video. It was a bit challenging due to varying terminology across different tools, but I'm confident in my assessment. If you have more questions, feel free to ask!