F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Which size fits better for your project? 2x16 or 4x8?

Which size fits better for your project? 2x16 or 4x8?

Which size fits better for your project? 2x16 or 4x8?

1
101PINGO
Member
154
08-06-2021, 05:41 PM
#1
Hey, I just secured a really affordable Ryzen 5 5600X and motherboard combo, but it was missing RAM. With prices being so low right now, I’m opting for 32GB, even though 16GB would work just fine for my needs. There are matching bundles from the same brand at the same cost—one offers 2x16GB and another 4x8GB. Which one is better? I only use this machine, and if 32GB eventually becomes insufficient, I’ll likely need a new CPU with DDR5, making the upgrade potential from the 2x16GB setup less important.
1
101PINGO
08-06-2021, 05:41 PM #1

Hey, I just secured a really affordable Ryzen 5 5600X and motherboard combo, but it was missing RAM. With prices being so low right now, I’m opting for 32GB, even though 16GB would work just fine for my needs. There are matching bundles from the same brand at the same cost—one offers 2x16GB and another 4x8GB. Which one is better? I only use this machine, and if 32GB eventually becomes insufficient, I’ll likely need a new CPU with DDR5, making the upgrade potential from the 2x16GB setup less important.

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Mackonaut
Member
145
08-10-2021, 04:09 AM
#2
In theory, four sticks are preferable only when they are Dual Rank. Today most 8 GB sticks are single rank, so you won’t gain any performance advantage over two 16 GB sticks. The main reason against four sticks is *if you need extra slots for future upgrades*; *if you desire higher resale value* for the sticks (16 GB units will probably fetch better used prices than 8 GB ones); *if your motherboard can’t handle those four at the advertised speed*—some budget boards might only support two at 3600 MHz but struggle with four at 3200 MHz without adjusting timing or voltage. I’d recommend sticking with two 16 GB sticks for simplicity and reliability.
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Mackonaut
08-10-2021, 04:09 AM #2

In theory, four sticks are preferable only when they are Dual Rank. Today most 8 GB sticks are single rank, so you won’t gain any performance advantage over two 16 GB sticks. The main reason against four sticks is *if you need extra slots for future upgrades*; *if you desire higher resale value* for the sticks (16 GB units will probably fetch better used prices than 8 GB ones); *if your motherboard can’t handle those four at the advertised speed*—some budget boards might only support two at 3600 MHz but struggle with four at 3200 MHz without adjusting timing or voltage. I’d recommend sticking with two 16 GB sticks for simplicity and reliability.

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TonyBoss47
Member
51
08-17-2021, 07:19 PM
#3
2x 2R sticks equals 4x 1R sticks. During testing, 4x 2R sticks performed worse than the previous setup but still improved on 2x 1R. 4x 8GB would ensure better performance if it doesn’t affect stable RAM timing. 2x 16GB might now be considered 1R, which would reduce speed unless you upgrade to 2R modules.
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TonyBoss47
08-17-2021, 07:19 PM #3

2x 2R sticks equals 4x 1R sticks. During testing, 4x 2R sticks performed worse than the previous setup but still improved on 2x 1R. 4x 8GB would ensure better performance if it doesn’t affect stable RAM timing. 2x 16GB might now be considered 1R, which would reduce speed unless you upgrade to 2R modules.

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Tikounek2015
Junior Member
12
08-25-2021, 06:16 AM
#4
Or purchase premium Samsung B-die modules (such as 3600 CL14) since they remain dual-rank.
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Tikounek2015
08-25-2021, 06:16 AM #4

Or purchase premium Samsung B-die modules (such as 3600 CL14) since they remain dual-rank.

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pokeman508
Member
71
08-27-2021, 11:50 PM
#5
choose either 2x16 or 4x8 boards; using four pieces increases the temperature more.
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pokeman508
08-27-2021, 11:50 PM #5

choose either 2x16 or 4x8 boards; using four pieces increases the temperature more.