Is a Single Stick of DDD4 Acceptable?

[trighap]

Greetings;

I am in the process of purchasing a new computer and will build it myself. However, memory is a big deal to me and I am looking to get 16 GB. The prices on the 16 GB single sticks are way less than the price for a bundle of 2 8gb sticks. Therefore I am asking is there a major issue with using only one stick of DDDR4 as opposed to the two sticks I've always used in the pass? Thank you to any who reply to this inquiry.

 

[kanewolf]

It depends on the CPU and the software you run. There is no absolute answer on the impact to performance. There is an impact. Will you notice it? Unknown. You also have to think about the possibility of not being able to match that RAM in the future and having to replace it to get dual channel. Again CPU and RAM dependent.

 

[geofelt]

Be careful that you are comparing apples to apples.
I did a cursory look at some 16gb single sticks and compared to the same specs for 2 x 8gb kit and there was not a very big difference.

What you give up with a single stick is faster dual channel operation.
That is not a big performance hit, but, I think an unnecessary one.

The option for a future ram upgrade using a single stick is somewhat of an illusion.
That is because ram must be in the same kit to operate properly.

Whatever you do, check for compatibility with your motherboard before you buy.
This is particularly important for ryzen which is picky on ram.

One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.