4x8gb vs 8x4gb RAM

[Dalkamyr]

I'm about to buy ram for my PC and I was wondering if it's better to do one rather than the other?

My dumb reason (I know) for wanting 8x4gb is I think the mobo looks better with all the slots filled lol

 

[jboydgolfer]

Seems to me you've already made your mind up

 

[Dalkamyr]

No not really, I know what my preference is. But I have no idea if one is better than the other when it comes to performance

 

[FreedomEclipse]

4x8Gb - its easier on the mem controller and more stable when it comes to overclocking

 

[Kursah]

+1 to 4X8. Plus you can upgrade further should the need arise.

 

[alucasa]

Less RAM sticks, the better.

8 RAM sticks for showing off.

 

[Dalkamyr]

4x8Gb - its easier on the mem controller and more stable when it comes to overclocking

More stable "as in more stable RAM overclock"?
Or does it affect the CPU overclock as well?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

More stable "as in more stable RAM overclock"?
Or does it affect the CPU overclock as well?

Both. All you need to know is it puts a lot more stress on the CPU and overclocked ram is meaningless if your OC isnt stable. Not that much can be gained from overclocking ram these days anyway so most people dont bother. Overclocking desktop ram makes very little real world difference.

 

[Dalkamyr]

Both. All you need to know is it puts a lot more stress on the CPU and overclocked ram is meaningless if your OC isnt stable. Not that much can be gained from overclocking ram these days anyway so most people dont bother. Overclocking desktop ram makes very little real world difference.

Ok. So even an xmp profile of say 3200mhz for ram would be considered an overclock right?

Think I'll go for 4 sticks. Thank you for the tips

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Ok. So even an xmp profile of say 3200mhz for ram would be considered an overclock right?

Think I'll go for 4 sticks. Thank you for the tips

I dont think XMP profiles count. The ram is rated to run at that speed therefore its not not overclocked. I dont have a X99 setup so i cant tell you for sure if the CPUs still have problems with high ram speeds. For me on DDR3 -- Trying to find a CPU that will take 2400mhz DDR3 and be stable can be quite difficult as that too stresses out the memory controller

 

[phanbuey]

Both. All you need to know is it puts a lot more stress on the CPU and overclocked ram is meaningless if your OC isnt stable. Not that much can be gained from overclocking ram these days anyway so most people dont bother. Overclocking desktop ram makes very little real world difference.

depends on your cpu... I hear the 2600k can still throw some punches at high rez if you have 3200Mhz ram.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

depends on your cpu... I hear the 2600k can still throw some punches at high rez if you have 3200Mhz ram.

well I dont have a problem running 2400mhz on this side of the ivy-bridge-e pond

Im not sure if its just random CPUs that dont like it or a widespread thing, but from what Ive heard i can be hit or miss.

 

[Kursah]

CPU's have a maximum rated memory speed. That XMP profile clearly goes beyond that, which would have me consider it an overclocked situation...the memory is just binned and qualified to run at those speeds. The actual manual overclocking has been removed from the picture, but I do find many kits of RAM are able to be OC'd at least a little past their rated speeds.

Take the 4790K, rated to for DDR3 1333 and 1600. Many board MGF's will advertise OC XXXX Memory Speed. So while the memory is binned to run at higher speeds, it is theoretically an overclock because the IMC in the CPU has to support it.

Looking at the specs page for my mainboard, the Asus Z87-Pro, every speed listed that it supports over 1600 is listed as O.C. The Asus X99A lists any DDR4 faster than 2133 as O.C.

So between running faster on the DIMM circuits, it is also stressing and causing the IMC to need to handle the extra load from faster RAM. I'd consider that an overclock...just not one that's as fun as one you earn. But then you gotta be into earning it...with RAM that can be a huge pain in the ass depending on if you are just using dividers and XMP profiles or if you're mixing BCLK and dividers to try and eek every MHz out of it. I'd rather eek more MHz outta my processor if it came down to CPU vs RAM.

I just got some DDR3 2400...found it'll run 2400 speeds at 1.50-1.52v versus its 1.65v rating. So I may crank the voltage back up and shoot for 2800-3000 at some point.

 

[EarthDog]

Ok. So even an xmp profile of say 3200mhz for ram would be considered an overclock right?

Think I'll go for 4 sticks. Thank you for the tips

it's overclocking the memory controller, not the sticks. Those are rated to run those speeds with the XMP profile. For z270, JEDEC is 2400 mhz.

 

[Hood]

I dont think XMP profiles count. The ram is rated to run at that speed therefore its not not overclocked. I dont have a X99 setup so i cant tell you for sure if the CPUs still have problems with high ram speeds. For me on DDR3 -- Trying to find a CPU that will take 2400mhz DDR3 and be stable can be quite difficult as that too stresses out the memory controller

Anything above the Intel or AMD rating for the CPU or platform is technically considered overclocking. It was 1333, then 1600, then 2133 for DDR4, now 2400 on recent CPUs. That's why motherboard ads always show higher speeds than that as (O.C.). Some consider RAM to be overclocked only when it is run at speeds higher than the RAM is rated, like when I run my 2400 sticks at 2666. I have run 2400 rated RAM @2400 using an i3-4130 CPU on a Z87 board, with no issues, because the motherboard (Asus Z87-K) is rated up to 2933 (O.C.). That system ran slightly faster than almost all other Haswell i3 systems, because the others all ran 1600 or 1333 RAM (but you could only tell when benchmarking).

 

[Komshija]

Everything than needs to be said has already been said. 4x8GB is the way to go.

 

[Dalkamyr]

Yup. I found an interesting read that seems to point towards higher frequency memory for better performance in gaming!

Take a look:

http://www.techspot.com/amp/article/1171-ddr4-4000-mhz-performance/page4.html

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Yup. I found an interesting read that seems to point towards higher frequency memory for better performance in gaming!

Take a look:

http://www.techspot.com/amp/article/1171-ddr4-4000-mhz-performance/page4.html

Yeah... And im sure your eyes can pick out an extra 4fps in games.

4fps = negligible difference
extra 4fps = waste of money.

We're not tuning cars here. An extra 4 horse power to an engine makes all the difference but frames per second is something totally different and you WONT be able to tell the difference.

Here in the UK....

Corsair 8GB Vengeance LPX DDR4 4200MHz = $338
Corsair 8GB DDR4 Vengeance LPX 2133MHz = $76

Unless money grows on trees for you then you wouldnt need to be asking this question at all. you could just pay any boutique PC builder $6000 and have them build the most OTT machine that Russian hackers have ever seen.

 

[Dalkamyr]

Lol you made me laugh
Russian gansgta style baby lolz.

Well according to the website, the difference can go up to a 19% FPS increase in games. That's not an insignificant improvement in my eyes. But yes, it's definitely overpriced lol.

Maybe I'll go American style... Or I'll let my Russian gansgta side come out

Is 32gb ram better for Gaming than 16gb?
Would 16gb be enough for a few years?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Well according to the website, the difference can go up to a 19% FPS increase in games. That's not an insignificant improvement in my eyes. But yes, it's definitely overpriced lol.

How well it does is dependent on the game itself but over the years general consensus is that it makes little to no difference at all and because its so situational and nobody can quantify how much performance youre going to get out of it, people just dont bother. There is a sweet spot for ram speeds, On DDR3 it was 1600mhz, for DDR4 its probably 2133.

There are a few uses where faster ram helps.

1. It helps a 'gaming PC' if that PC is running dual GPUs. Faster ram helps shovel data around the subsystem/interconnect quicker. Your System has to keep both graphic cards fed with data, faster ram helps this
2. Youre running an AMD APU or CPU with integrated graphics that relies on system ram and having faster ram will boost your performance a lot.
3. Getting top score in synthetic benchmarks -- Though with benchmarks, they dont represent real world performance most of the time so should be taken with a pinch of salt unless youre pitting your machine against others who are doing the same.
4. youre running a file or gaming server.

Is 32gb ram better for Gaming than 16gb?

Depends -- do you run games that need to load up tonnes of mods or textures? 32GB helps.

Would 16gb be enough for a few years?

Depends if you run games that requires tonnes of mods. games like Skyrim, fallout or Oblivion have tonnes of community made mods, texture packs and addons -- if you need to run a lot of these then more ram helps.



You can still get a decent gaming experience from 8GBs of ram though personally i would get 16GB just to have a bit more elbow room.

 

[alucasa]

8gb is nowadays standard. At least as far as gaming is concerned. Don't go for this because 8 x 1gb RAM sticks sound ... stupid.

16gb is norm around here and why not. It's cheap enough.

32gb is overkill, at least as far as gaming is concerned.

It's gaming. Don't invest too much into this. You will get stressed out later when new stuff comes out and feel you are behind and outdated.

 

[Dalkamyr]

Ok. so here are the kits I'm looking at. Which one would you pick? (this is in CAD $)

• http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...7&cm_re=ddr4_16gb_3000-_-20-158-127-_-Product
• http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313709
• http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232407
• http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc..._ddr4_green_tesla_16gb-_-20-011-334-_-Product

(the last one looks badass but has got rather loose timings, correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[FreedomEclipse]

GeiL Evo X -- $119. Why pay almost $200 for the same amount of ram? Unless youre going for looks??

 

[alucasa]

Hell, I'd pay for looks. But I wouldn't pay for fancy underwear that nobody is going to see.

But I am a guy. It's different for the other side, and quite frankly I wouldn't mind them paying over the odds for fancy underwear.

 

[Dalkamyr]

I know this is out of the subject, but I must just say: I friggin Love Jean-Luc Picard!