[SOLVED] 8 gb 2666 mhz (single channel) VS 16 gb 2666 mhz (dual channel) - Why there's no difference in fps while gaming?

[Ezio AF]

Hi everyone,

Till few days ago I had on my PC only single channel Apacer 2666 mhz RAM.
Due to lack of fps in gaming (Mafia II, Skyrim), I decided to buy dual channel memory Kingston HyperX 2666 mhz 8x2.
I've heard, dual channel is a must for AMD desktops and after many forums and video comparissons of single and dual channel I saw, dual should give you much better performace, even in gaming.

I tested same games on dual channel and it gives me same amount of fps (68), no difference at all. In BIOS and CPU-Z memory is working properly at full speed, as dual channel as it should.

My PC is not that great but I believe there should be at least a minor difference in performance when you switch from single to dual channel on AMD PCs

PC specs:

ASUS PRIME A320M-K
AMD Ryzen 3 1200
MSI Radeon RX 560 4gb Aero OC
2x8gb Kingston HyperX 2666 Mhz DDR4 CL16

Does anyone know what is the problem or what I did wrong?

 

[Math Geek]

you would see an increase if the game was using 100% of the 8gb of ram you had. did you check and verify how much the game is actually using?

fps is mostly determined by your cpu which is not that great. that is the limiting factor and why you won't see any increase just due to some ram. most likely the cpu is already doing all it can and having more data sitting in ram waiting to be used won't make the cpu do any more work.

so again, if the cpu is waiting for data from the ram due to the ram being 100% used, then more ram will help. but if the cpu is working flat out already, more data sitting in ram will make 0 difference.

 

[Ezio AF]

I checked Skyrim game with RivaTuner Statistic and it turns out I'm using around 5,1 gb of RAM, CPU usage is 25% while GPU usage is 54% (with minor jumps to 99-100%). Getting 75fps

With AMD Radeon Software, after I set performance to gaming + record screen, I get the same frame rate, only usage is different - 5,3 gb of RAM, CPU usage 45-50%, GPU between 70-100%

 

[logainofhades]

Slow ram speed, and not a particularly powerful GPU. A lot of those dual vs single channel videos will be using a high end GPU, to eliminate graphics being a limitation to performance.

 

[Ezio AF]

Definitely planning to change both CPU and GPU while price drops a little.

So, should I change RAM then? I've bought same sticks at the same store few days ago with warranty of 10 yrs, I hope they will accept return so I can change them for faster one.
My motherboard can run up to 3200 mhz. Should I go for 3000 mhz with lower CL or 3200 mhz with bit higher CL?

Actually, will there be any changes if I change current RAM for faster one or should I focus on getting better GPU and CPU first?

 

[logainofhades]

I would pick up a kit of 3200 CL16 ram, if you can exchange it. It might not give you much, if any boost, now, but you will be better set up for that future upgrade.

 

[Ezio AF]

Unfortunatelly it's not possible to exchange RAM after I spoke with store customer service. I guess I'll need to live with what I have now.
I think there won't be much of a difference in gaming when I buy high end GPU and CPU. Thank you guys for the quick answers.

 

[geofelt]

Games are normally limited by the gpu.
Yes, some types of games are cpu limited, and slow ram on a ryzen processor can have some impact.

 

[Uboatfreak]

I checked Skyrim game with RivaTuner Statistic and it turns out I'm using around 5,1 gb of RAM, CPU usage is 25% while GPU usage is 54% (with minor jumps to 99-100%). Getting 75fps

With AMD Radeon Software, after I set performance to gaming + record screen, I get the same frame rate, only usage is different - 5,3 gb of RAM, CPU usage 45-50%, GPU between 70-100%

It sounds like Skyrim is not using your GPU and CPU resources properly. I do not think that is a memory issue as Skyrim was released in 2011 when 1600 Mhz DDR3 memory was standard.

I think that is just because Skyrim does not have a very well optimised engine. 75 FPS is very good anyway, so I would not worry about it. Maybe lookup what others with your CPU and GPU get in Skyrim to see if it is different?