Memory choice: 2x16GB or 4x8GB?

[Ekirei]

On a motherboard that supports a total of 32GB of RAM and has 4 slots, 4x8GB seems fairly straightforward, but can you use 2x16GB memory units instead? Are there any pros or cons regarding performance between either option? i.e. not utilising all 4 slots, but rather using only 2 with memory of greater capacity?

my thinking was that if 2x16GB was feasible with no consequence to performance, then it might allow for more room near the cpu for cooling paraphernalia, and perhaps afford me a better price than buying 4 lots of 8GB units. (but maybe not 😛)

perhaps its a noob question, but all questions will ultimately be noobish to someone somewhere 😛


thanks,
Alex

 

[morgoth780]

If the 4x8 GB were running in quad channel, it would be faster. I'd just do the 4x8 anyway, since it'll likely be cheaper since 16 GB modules are rarer.

 

[SchizTech]

The only 16GB chips I could find were server memory, not made for consumer desktops. No current consumer motherboard officially supports 16GB chips yet.

 

[SchizTech]

BTW, what do you need with all this memory. Unless you have some particular need it sounds like massive overkill.

 

[xomm]

As stated, 16GB modules aren't in the consumer desktop market just yet, and if your motherboard supports quad-channel memory, 4x8GB is the better bet. Either is completely overkill - unless you're running large amounts of VMs or a need a ramdisk for development, you will never need 32GB of RAM.

If you're maxing out just because you can, I will facepalm in advance, but it's your money, not mine.

 

[swifty_morgan]

would the denser memory modules slow things down because the memory controller would need to be upgraded or dual memory controllers would need to be installed ( impossible to add after processor has been made ) to make it as fast as or faster.................. than running 2 sticks of less dense modules.....

the tri-channel memory boards/processors had a similar problem because the way the Intel memory controller would work. It would have to go up and down the first two sets ( dual channel ) and then go up and down the second set slowing the response time of the memory down.

let's contact the processor manufacturers and insist on 2 or even more memory controllers be put on processors........... that way ram can be accessed faster and bigger faster modules can be utilized. ................. LOL........... figure that one out fellas.