Dual channel help with upgrade pls

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GillyH

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May 27, 2015
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Hello,

My PC came with 16GB (2x8GB) of ram. I am thinking about purchasing 2 more 8GB sticks for a total of 32GB ram. My motherboard is dual channel. This would be dual channel performance and fine, right?

My question is do I have to get 16gb x 2 for 32gb dual channel performance? Or would 4 x 8gb be the same dual channel performance since it is in pairs? Thank you very much.
 
Solution
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As long as you have matched pairs in each channel ( same color DIMMs on the motherboard ) it will work in dual channel mode. Example: 2 x 8GB in channel 1 and 2 x 4GB in channel 2 will still allow dual channel operation.

For the new memory to be guaranteed to play nice with the existing memory you optimally want to add an identical kit to what you have now. If you can't find an identical kit you ideally at least want to match brand, voltage, speed and timings.

You should not need 32GB unless you run a large number of memory intensive apps or multiple virtual machines. It's rare to need 32GB. A general use or gaming machine won't need more than the 16Gb you have.
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As long as you have matched pairs in each channel ( same color DIMMs on the motherboard ) it will work in dual channel mode. Example: 2 x 8GB in channel 1 and 2 x 4GB in channel 2 will still allow dual channel operation.

For the new memory to be guaranteed to play nice with the existing memory you optimally want to add an identical kit to what you have now. If you can't find an identical kit you ideally at least want to match brand, voltage, speed and timings.

You should not need 32GB unless you run a large number of memory intensive apps or multiple virtual machines. It's rare to need 32GB. A general use or gaming machine won't need more than the 16Gb you have.
 
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Solution
Thanks everyone! I use the PC for mostly gaming and my mobo is capped at 64gb. I will add another 2 x 8gb since it is not too expensive. I am buying the same speed so hopefully it will work nice with the machine.
 
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It will not help gaming performance at all but as long as you get an identical set it should work fine. Gaming computers are still good with 8GB. That's all I'm using with an overclocked 2600K and a 980 Ti and I max everything at 1440p. Trust me I spent $700 on the 980 Ti, if spending another $50 on more memory would make a difference I wouldn't hesitate.

Don't match speed, match brand, speed, voltage and timings. Speed, voltage and timings are critical. Otherwise you are just asking for problems.
 
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The memory I am looking at is compatible with my system. I used the Crucial system scanner and found the same ram online, so it should work. I was just going to get that. That should be okay, right? Or you would suggest to find out the same ram that is in my system to find the exact voltage and timings?
 
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Okay, great. If you think buying the same exact ram is better than buying perhaps ram from a more reputable company, then I will do it. Thank you for your reply. I did not know about cpu-z and will use it. I will choose your response as the solution later today.
 
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Yes use exactly same ram.. However, I don't get it. 32GB is just stupid in my opinion. You will never use more than 16GB or even close to when gaming. You'll get ZERO performance gain out of this upgrade, so other than bragging rights, why are you doing it...?
 
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I remember people used to say the exact same thing in the late 90s, the last time I was PC gaming, and it simply was not true. I noticed a major difference in system stability, alt tabbing, and multitasking with more ram, so did many others in 1998 when people were saying that you wont notice a difference with more ram. I'll go with my own experiences. Plus, it is relatively inexpensive and I have 2 slots unused, so why not. I have already noticed dropping frames when using ShadowPlay to record high quality videos and that is with a 980ti and a 6700k.
 
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So why not? I just explained why not. I don't mean to be rude but maybe you should do a bit of research. You'll always get frame drop when recording, that's normal. You should monitor your RAM usage, I highly doubt it gets anywhere near 100% usage. Given you think that upgrading will bring some sort of benefit, can you explain? What gain do you get with an extra 16GB RAM when you barely get even remotely close to 100% usage of the existing 16GB. All you'll be doing by upgrading is lowering your usage. 25% used RAM instead of say 50% which effects nothing.
 
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This exactly. Why upgrade Ram when you probably don't fully use your current Ram, 0 benefits.
 
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There's barely any games, if any at all that use more than 4GB. That still leaves you with 12GB to multi task and other applications, I can't see what would use that much RAM, so I can't see a need for an upgrade. Everyone on this thread has said you'll get no performance gain in terms of gaming. If you want to learn the hard way, by all means go ahead, just trying to educate a bit.
 
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I don't mean to be rude but you should focus on answering the op's question rather than chastising his decision. That is against forum etiquette and can get you banned in certain communities. I already explained why I am upgrading - people said the same in 1998 and that was not true for me (I noticed a difference) as programs became more advanced. I want to because I can and that's that. It is my money and I do not need to give you an explanation. And no, that is not necessarily true because some people say Shadowplay is designed for zero frame loss with Nvidia cards, but that is not happening with complex games, likely because of how hardware intense they are to natively record. VR is likely going to use more ram. I can't even run The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on ultra settings (30fps) with a 6700k and a 980ti, but high is fine. Maybe ram wont make a difference or maybe it will. I'll find out.
 
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You can't seriously think RAM is to blame for getting ~1/2 the FPS you should be getting. Oh lord, it's certainly deeper than that. Funny the person who originally asked for help regarding such a simple question, is now essentially saying the person who answered it is wrong. Heck, I suppose even the moderator who answered is wrong too?

 
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What.. I never said anort was wrong and was much appreciated for his response. Then again, he did not continually ask why I was adding more ram several times and act as if he was spending my hard earned money. I'll participate in another forum next time. I want to add more ram because I want to. That's that. I don't deserve to be interrogated on why and on my own personal preference. Dear lord.
 
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He did state you'll get no gaming gains twice. Fair enough though, don't let this put you off Tomshardware, there are plenty of helpful friendly people, then there are people like me - Who get frustrated at the "know it all noobs" so to speak. I've been in the IT business for most my life, and I shouldn't get frustrated or let it get to me. I should learn to keep my mouth shut and let people learn from their mistakes. The decision is yours as you've explained, we were just trying to steer you in the right direction.
 
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The purpose of this forum is to help people. Unless someone is doing something that will hurt their performance or potentially damage something there is no need to argue with them. Inform them based on your knowledge and experience and move on. Adding more memory is unlikely to help in this situation but it's certainly not going to hurt anything.
 
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