Performance difference between dual channel and single channel ram

[eziowar]

Hi, i have gigabyte z87x-ud3h mobo with 4gbx2 dual channel ddr3 1600mhz rams at slot 1 and slot 3. now i got 2 more 4gb ddr3 1600mhz rams which are not dual channel . so now if i use those 2 rams on 2nd and 4th slot will my performance gonna degrade and that previous dual channel rams' dual channel feature wont work anymore? how much performance difference for gaming purpose is between dual channel ram configuration and single channel ram configuration( assuming all rams have everything same stats except dual channel feature ) ?

 

[k1114]

Let me get this straight, you are going to fill all 4 slots with 4gb sticks? Then it'll all be in dual channel. Just because ram is sold as a separate stick doesn't make it any different than sticks sold together as far as channels. The only difference is they were tested and guaranteed to work together. When mixing sticks, there is always the chance of it not working or being unstable.

But to answer the question, for most games you don't really see any difference.

 

[Scottray]

Dual channel is determined by the mobo and the use of 2 or 4 ram slots with appropriate RAM that is spec'ed for the mobo. For example, you could use one 16GB stick or a kit of two 8GB sticks of ram. The memory control then splits the data between the two sticks of RAM and it's delivered to the CPU on separate lines, which makes things just a little faster than the single stick.

For general computing and gaming, you'll get a couple percent performance improvement with dual channel. If you're doing serious number crunching, such as statistical software, or some type of CAD software, then there's a significant performance improvement using dual channel. In your case, if the computer boots and can see the 16GB of RAM, you're good to good.