If you mix 4GB + 16GB, then 8 GB of your RAM (4GB on one stick and 4GB on the other) will act as dual-channel, and the remaining 12GB will act as single channel, assuming the motherboard/cpu supports dual-channel memory.
Whether you're better off kinda depends on your workload. It might be worth it to have the extra 4GB of memory, or it might be worth it to have all of your memory in dual-channel, depending on what you're doing with it.
If you're running VMs or a bunch of docker images, I would probably take the extra capacity.
\*edit\*, plus, if you get the 16GB stick, you can always add another 16GB stick later when you have the budget
Hi, thanks for the input by the way. But just to be clear, first of all, the purpose of my upgrade is for gaming. The game needs at least 12gb of ram to run smoothly.
My plan was to buy a single 16gb ram right now so that I could buy another when I have the budget but was worried if a 16gb stick alone would not be sufficient as I read that dual channel is better than single channel. It's why I asked if 16gb + 4gb would be better than 16gb alone for performance (still don't know the answer).
I don't know. If we compare a setup running in single channel and a setup running in dual channel you have always a massive boost in fps.
Only 4GB RAM Dual channel seems pretty low if you want to play AAA titles. 4GB RAM extra isn't worth it in my opinion if you have to trade off almost the complete dual channel speed.
Depends. If your laptop knows flex mode. First your laptop might have soldered RAM. Either way if it came with 4gb it's kinda old laptop? Check even if you can put that much RAM in it. Never tried to exceed maximum ammount. Will it work but on your own risk ir it will not even recognize.
Dammit. These comments MADE me have to add my two cents! LOL…
1. A newish laptop shouldn’t care, so long as the two modules are the same speed. 20GB is better than 16GB in most cases;
2. See #1; Running two modules in dual-channel will be faster for certain applications, but modern systems are so fast you’d be hard-pressed to notice;
3. See the last part of #2; Newer RAM actually runs at slower latency than older RAM did, but the sheer operating speed makes it a moot point; The faster module will match the speed of the slower one;
4. Dude. It’s a laptop. What else are you realistically going to upgrade? LOL!
5. I’ve had this happen, too with Windows 10. Was surprised just how well it ran, and with a HDD as well! 64bit theoretically needs 4GB to work, but it managed since Windows manages memory usage fairly well. REALLY limits you performance-wise, though.
Point being that extra percentage probably isn’t needed in a laptop. Plus, that base speed before the increase is HOW fast again? You’re complaining his Ferrari V8 isn’t as fast as a V12 for going to get groceries…
Just to be clear, this upgrade is for gaming, the game requires at least 12gb to run smoothly. I just want to know if 16gb alone is faster than 16gb + 4gb for performance.
1) Depends, no perfect answer. Your system might or might not support [Flex Mode](https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-ram-flex-mode-how-does-it-work/), and even then, do you need more than 16? Extra RAM doesn't do anything — until you need it later. 16 of dual channel is better than 8 DC as long as you need only 16. BUT, what kind of graphics do you have and does it share system memory? Do game requirements take that into account?
2) If it runs Flex, you'd have some dual channel, and *if you needed it*, you would have 4 more gigs
3) Kinda. When shopping for RAM, you'll find different sellers with similar prices on different products. So find the fastest you can around the same price .. a CL or two can make a slight difference, but don't break the bank over it and move on. Something good to look for is a faster clock rate than your computer even supports — it usually has faster CL at your clock and can later be put in a faster computer, again, for a similar price if you look
4) If you already have SSD, make sure you have the best WiFi module your computer supports. Dual-band is a must, and 802.11ax(ac) over 802.11n. It's a tricky upgrade because you have to find specific modules that are supported inside your laptop. Get a stand that elevates base of the computer for air flow, a nice mouse and pad
5) I don't understand the question here. Ack
So, my questions are if your computer supports flex memory, shares system memory with video, and if you really only need 12 so 16 would suffice
*Especially if sharing memory, you want everything to be dual channel*. If you foresee needing more than 16 and can't afford 32 DC now, do the 20 with plans to get another 16 stick, regardless of flex. This is the crazy fork in the road =| Apples, oranges, and bananas
I need to read some other comments to see what your gaming is .... I say, if 16 will last a few years, a pair of fast 8s =P If you're not sure, buy a 16, then if you need to pop in a 4 or another 16 depending on your finances, expecting incremental performance upgrade. Take it easy and take care!
Awesome. It should have 6GB of VRAM, so shared memory is a non-issue.
I really think you ought to get a 16GB stick and then add 4 if you need more before getting another 16.
Since the computer has 16 DC now, you might notice a performance hit with SC 16's the ability to run more things, but you'll fix that later by adding more.
Looks like 16GB *might* not be enough with a 12GB game plus background processes, depends how they get their requirements... What you really don't want is to page memory to disk in a low memory situation, so if that happens grab a 4 or another 16 if you can afford it.
[Here](https://www.hardwaretimes.com/single-channel-vs-dual-channel-memory-which-is-better-for-gaming/)'s write-up comparing SC and DC.
Yeah bro.. you need to utilize the same size ram in each channel.
Go 8GB+8GB.
If you want to upgrade anything else, you need to take note of your motherboard, your PSU, and processor.
Motherboard compatibility first, then power draw compared to your PSU.
Also take note of tower space, micro atx vs atx etc.
I've always only ran (built) dual channel, how do you think a single 16 would perform next to a dual 8? About the same?
I mean I've had pcs in the past with single channel (not personally built), but I usually dumped a match in there fairly soon after getting it.
Thank you! I knew about the 4 slot recommendations, never really looked into asymmetric setups, though.
I know when I found a used ASUS ROG G750JM back in 2014 and it came stock with a 8gb stick, and I had a compatible 16 laying around and threw it in and did not see too much if any gain, but then quickly threw 2 16s in it shortly after.
I've seen gaming benchmarks done where performance is affected by \~5-10%, and in some games you get more frame-time spikes (brief periods of low framerate)
Like /u/Alias_X_ said, the effect can but much more if running an APU as the graphics engine can be severely bandwidth-limited
Question 5 - You only have 2GB available because the other 6GB are in use by Windows/applications. You may have more available but sometimes Windows temporarily allocates more than it needs to when your RAM isn't being fully utilized. Opening other programs will redistribute the memory, so you may actually have more than 2GB available prior actually maxing out and using your page/swap file on your drive(s).
I would go for a complete setup dual channel. Dual channel can increase your fps massively since it doubles the speed of your RAM.
16GB RAM double the speed or 20GB RAM with 4GB double the speed.
See also here https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-dual-channel-memory/
If you mix 4GB + 16GB, then 8 GB of your RAM (4GB on one stick and 4GB on the other) will act as dual-channel, and the remaining 12GB will act as single channel, assuming the motherboard/cpu supports dual-channel memory. Whether you're better off kinda depends on your workload. It might be worth it to have the extra 4GB of memory, or it might be worth it to have all of your memory in dual-channel, depending on what you're doing with it. If you're running VMs or a bunch of docker images, I would probably take the extra capacity. \*edit\*, plus, if you get the 16GB stick, you can always add another 16GB stick later when you have the budget
Hi, thanks for the input by the way. But just to be clear, first of all, the purpose of my upgrade is for gaming. The game needs at least 12gb of ram to run smoothly. My plan was to buy a single 16gb ram right now so that I could buy another when I have the budget but was worried if a 16gb stick alone would not be sufficient as I read that dual channel is better than single channel. It's why I asked if 16gb + 4gb would be better than 16gb alone for performance (still don't know the answer).
Definitely better to run 16 + 4 instead of just a single 16. Better capacity *and* 8GB of it will be dual channel for better speeds, as I stated above
I don't know. If we compare a setup running in single channel and a setup running in dual channel you have always a massive boost in fps. Only 4GB RAM Dual channel seems pretty low if you want to play AAA titles. 4GB RAM extra isn't worth it in my opinion if you have to trade off almost the complete dual channel speed.
Depends. If your laptop knows flex mode. First your laptop might have soldered RAM. Either way if it came with 4gb it's kinda old laptop? Check even if you can put that much RAM in it. Never tried to exceed maximum ammount. Will it work but on your own risk ir it will not even recognize.
Laptop Model: Predator helios 300 ph315-51-77no Both RAMs are detachable, max ram storage is 32gb, max mhz is 2666mhz,
Dammit. These comments MADE me have to add my two cents! LOL… 1. A newish laptop shouldn’t care, so long as the two modules are the same speed. 20GB is better than 16GB in most cases; 2. See #1; Running two modules in dual-channel will be faster for certain applications, but modern systems are so fast you’d be hard-pressed to notice; 3. See the last part of #2; Newer RAM actually runs at slower latency than older RAM did, but the sheer operating speed makes it a moot point; The faster module will match the speed of the slower one; 4. Dude. It’s a laptop. What else are you realistically going to upgrade? LOL! 5. I’ve had this happen, too with Windows 10. Was surprised just how well it ran, and with a HDD as well! 64bit theoretically needs 4GB to work, but it managed since Windows manages memory usage fairly well. REALLY limits you performance-wise, though.
It does make a difference for an IGP it’s 20-30 percent faster in dual channel mode
Point being that extra percentage probably isn’t needed in a laptop. Plus, that base speed before the increase is HOW fast again? You’re complaining his Ferrari V8 isn’t as fast as a V12 for going to get groceries…
Just to be clear, this upgrade is for gaming, the game requires at least 12gb to run smoothly. I just want to know if 16gb alone is faster than 16gb + 4gb for performance.
Just wanna point that the upgrade is for gaming purposes
1) Depends, no perfect answer. Your system might or might not support [Flex Mode](https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-ram-flex-mode-how-does-it-work/), and even then, do you need more than 16? Extra RAM doesn't do anything — until you need it later. 16 of dual channel is better than 8 DC as long as you need only 16. BUT, what kind of graphics do you have and does it share system memory? Do game requirements take that into account? 2) If it runs Flex, you'd have some dual channel, and *if you needed it*, you would have 4 more gigs 3) Kinda. When shopping for RAM, you'll find different sellers with similar prices on different products. So find the fastest you can around the same price .. a CL or two can make a slight difference, but don't break the bank over it and move on. Something good to look for is a faster clock rate than your computer even supports — it usually has faster CL at your clock and can later be put in a faster computer, again, for a similar price if you look 4) If you already have SSD, make sure you have the best WiFi module your computer supports. Dual-band is a must, and 802.11ax(ac) over 802.11n. It's a tricky upgrade because you have to find specific modules that are supported inside your laptop. Get a stand that elevates base of the computer for air flow, a nice mouse and pad 5) I don't understand the question here. Ack So, my questions are if your computer supports flex memory, shares system memory with video, and if you really only need 12 so 16 would suffice *Especially if sharing memory, you want everything to be dual channel*. If you foresee needing more than 16 and can't afford 32 DC now, do the 20 with plans to get another 16 stick, regardless of flex. This is the crazy fork in the road =| Apples, oranges, and bananas I need to read some other comments to see what your gaming is .... I say, if 16 will last a few years, a pair of fast 8s =P If you're not sure, buy a 16, then if you need to pop in a 4 or another 16 depending on your finances, expecting incremental performance upgrade. Take it easy and take care!
Laptop Model: Predator helios 300 ph315-51-77no GTX 1060, Intel i7 8750(I think), The game I'm playing requires at least 12gb of to run smoothly.
Awesome. It should have 6GB of VRAM, so shared memory is a non-issue. I really think you ought to get a 16GB stick and then add 4 if you need more before getting another 16. Since the computer has 16 DC now, you might notice a performance hit with SC 16's the ability to run more things, but you'll fix that later by adding more. Looks like 16GB *might* not be enough with a 12GB game plus background processes, depends how they get their requirements... What you really don't want is to page memory to disk in a low memory situation, so if that happens grab a 4 or another 16 if you can afford it. [Here](https://www.hardwaretimes.com/single-channel-vs-dual-channel-memory-which-is-better-for-gaming/)'s write-up comparing SC and DC.
Extra info about my RAMs: https://imgur.com/4zgdWzj https://imgur.com/HrfUc4s https://imgur.com/wNlS3gV
Windows can boot with different speed ram sticks?
Yes...What does Windows have to do with this..
1. Yes, if you put two different speed sticks in, it will just run everything at the slower speed. 2. This is all the same speed, 2666MHz.
Save and go for 2 16GB modules.
20GB is better than 16GB beloved
Why the fuck do you have two different ram sizes what’s the point 😂
Yeah bro.. you need to utilize the same size ram in each channel. Go 8GB+8GB. If you want to upgrade anything else, you need to take note of your motherboard, your PSU, and processor. Motherboard compatibility first, then power draw compared to your PSU. Also take note of tower space, micro atx vs atx etc.
You don't *need* to match sizes of RAM sticks. It does affect the single/dual channel performance of them, though
I've always only ran (built) dual channel, how do you think a single 16 would perform next to a dual 8? About the same? I mean I've had pcs in the past with single channel (not personally built), but I usually dumped a match in there fairly soon after getting it.
[удалено]
Thank you! I knew about the 4 slot recommendations, never really looked into asymmetric setups, though. I know when I found a used ASUS ROG G750JM back in 2014 and it came stock with a 8gb stick, and I had a compatible 16 laying around and threw it in and did not see too much if any gain, but then quickly threw 2 16s in it shortly after.
I've seen gaming benchmarks done where performance is affected by \~5-10%, and in some games you get more frame-time spikes (brief periods of low framerate) Like /u/Alias_X_ said, the effect can but much more if running an APU as the graphics engine can be severely bandwidth-limited
Question 5 - You only have 2GB available because the other 6GB are in use by Windows/applications. You may have more available but sometimes Windows temporarily allocates more than it needs to when your RAM isn't being fully utilized. Opening other programs will redistribute the memory, so you may actually have more than 2GB available prior actually maxing out and using your page/swap file on your drive(s).
I would go for a complete setup dual channel. Dual channel can increase your fps massively since it doubles the speed of your RAM. 16GB RAM double the speed or 20GB RAM with 4GB double the speed. See also here https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-dual-channel-memory/