How does dual channel ram work?

captain wajji

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Jul 9, 2012
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Hello guys.

I'm planning on installing 4gb x 2 2400 mhz DDR4 rams for now. I know they'll work as dual channel.

Later on when I install another pair, do I have to buy the same company rams or what?

Will it work as dual channel if I buy it of the same company/different company?

I'd like to have a total of 16gb ram but since I'm short on budget, I'll get only 8gb (4x2)
 
Solution
Ram can be made from different materials/ use different IC chips over time so same model ram made some time apart can cause problems but not always.

Its always best to buy ram in a kit. Could say, buy all your cup cakes now because you don't know how they'll taste in future even if they look the same because ingredients and baker can change.
as long as u have 2 ram it will run dual channel even if 3 or 4 actual ram are used.

you get best performance from exact same ram types. (so if u can get same one later on it wont matter. 2 sticks now and 1 or 2more 5 years from now doesnt matter)



it would run dual channel if you used a 2gb stick from company A and a 8gb stick from company B. it would just (iirc) run at the lesser speed one which is why people always suggest same ram sticks as they have same speed, and everything else so they will run perfectly w/o any dip from mismatching em.
 

captain wajji

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Why do people strongly suggest rams from the same packet?

I understand the same company and same speeds but same box?
 

TJ Hooker

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Combining RAM that wasn't purchased as a single kit is never guaranteed to work without issue, even if it's the exact same model. Buying matching models (or at least matching timings) is generally recommended to minimize the risk of issues though.

If you get all 4 sticks working together, they will run in dual channel regardless of if they're different brands.

Edit: What @hotaru251 said is largely incorrect. Buying matching sticks is about compatibility, not performance. And it can absoluting make a difference buying a 4 x 4GB kit now vs buying a 2x4 GB kit now and another later. If you were to run a 2GB stick and an 8GB stick, I believe they run in something called flex mode where the first 2 GB of the 8 GB stick runs in dual channel with the 2GB stick, and the remaining 6 GB effectively runs in single channel.
 

captain wajji

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Could be the reason why my old 4gb rams keep on burning after 5,6 months...
 

TJ Hooker

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What do you mean "burning"?

I don't think mixing kits should damage anything, it would just potentially cause instability. Unless maybe if one kit was rated for a higher voltage than the other and you're running both kits at that voltage, effectively overvolting the other kit. But even then I'd be skeptical it'd damage the RAM, that quickly anyway.
 

captain wajji

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Burn as in stop working.

Alright, I got it... So 2 rams from one box and 2 from another would be fine that way right?
In case I buy a pair later on. (Same box)
 

boju

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Ram can be made from different materials/ use different IC chips over time so same model ram made some time apart can cause problems but not always.

Its always best to buy ram in a kit. Could say, buy all your cup cakes now because you don't know how they'll taste in future even if they look the same because ingredients and baker can change.
 
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