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4x2gb or 2x4gb or 1x8gb ram sticks?

post #1 of 14
Thread Starter 
My question to you guys here at ocn is; is there a differences between using multiple sticks of ram? I am building an matx build and will likely use 4x2gb dominator 1866ghz ram, but is there a dissadvantage to this or no?
edit: i will be running an i5 2500k @ 4.0ghz and not planning to add more ram in the future, hope this helps answer questions
Edited by mordocai rp - 8/12/12 at 6:57pm
post #2 of 14
i would say get the highest capacity ram per stick unless if it is an amd llano build, in which i would recommend getting dual channel 1600mhz+ ram. the only real difference is not having ram slots open. lets say you have 2 slots for ram, with 1 8gb stick, in the future you could get another and get 16gb. if you have dual 4gb, you would need to buy 2 8gb sticks to get 16gb, spending more money.
Edited by thepoopscooper - 8/12/12 at 6:31pm
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post #3 of 14
2x4GB Samsung 30nm is what I would use. It will run 1866/1.5V easy and it's all I buy anymore, runs fine on systems that have problems with other RAM.
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post #4 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2thAche View Post

2x4GB Samsung 30nm is what I would use. It will run 1866/1.5V easy and it's all I buy anymore, runs fine on systems that have problems with other RAM.
this isnt of use to him. he was asking what the differences between having 4 2gb sticks, 2 4gb sticks, and 1 8gb sticks, not a suggestion on what he should get.
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post #5 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepoopscooper View Post

this isnt of use to him. he was asking what the differences between having 4 2gb sticks, 2 4gb sticks, and 1 8gb sticks, not a suggestion on what he should get.

And my answer is 2x4GB, preferably Samsung 30nm. 2 sticks of 4GB are still easiest on the memory controller.
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post #6 of 14
You don't 1x8GB, as it'll run the memory in single channel. 4x2 is generally not the top recommendation because running 4 sticks is tougher on the memory controller... 2x4 would more than likely be the optimal configuration, allowing expansion later if absolutely necessary, but giving you the easiest and best performance.
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post #7 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2thAche View Post

And my answer is 2x4GB, preferably Samsung 30nm. 2 sticks of 4GB are still easiest on the memory controller.
what do you mean your answer is 2X4gb. he was asking what are the performance differences, not what he should get...
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post #8 of 14
This depends on which platform/processor you have and how many channels the memory controller supports as well as the quality of the memory controller.
In this case, it's kind of hard to diagnose since you don't have your rig in your sig.

Please fix that.
post #9 of 14

The more memory sticks, the more stress it puts on the memory controller (which leads to less stability when overclocking) and the less you can upgrade. I would say the 2x4GB if you aren't going to be upgrading in the future (because you will get dual channel benefits) and 1x8GB if you are going to upgrade in the future.

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post #10 of 14
Thread Starter 
updated OP to be more precise on my system, sorry about that i forgot
Quote:
Originally Posted by funfortehfun View Post

The more memory sticks, the more stress it puts on the memory controller (which leads to less stability when overclocking) and the less you can upgrade. I would say the 2x4GB if you aren't going to be upgrading in the future (because you will get dual channel benefits) and 1x8GB if you are going to upgrade in the future.
even with a slight overclock? I'm not sure why but i love seeing all 4 ram slots filled thats why i was wondering about
Edited by mordocai rp - 8/12/12 at 7:13pm
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