Computer Memory

Whilst two 8 Gigabyte sticks of RAM will technically provide the same memory capacity as one 16 Gigabyte stick, the are ramifications involved with choosing one or the other.

Choosing 2 x 8 Gigabytes
By choosing to install two sticks of 8 Gb RAM, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve gone for the cheap option that will provide an inferior performance. This isn’t the case, as you’ll more than likely experience smoother and faster CPU performance due to the fact that it can access the entire 16 Gigabytes easily. This is because it has double the amount of access points by virtue of being spread across two RAM slots, meaning your CPU has unfettered access to all the available memory.

Choosing 1 x 16 Gigabytes
If you opt for the 1 x 16 Gigabyte route, it means that you can upgrade in the future without having to discard any RAM, as you’ll have a free memory slot (if you have 2 of course). However, laptops and desktop PCs will usually run better when its RAM is spread across two slots, as it effectively doubles the amount of channels available waiting to receive and transmit data. A good analogy would be to compare trying to push a shopping trolley full of data through a small door, rather than one that’s twice as wide. It’s just more difficult and this will result in your one 16 Gigabyte RAM performing far below the level you’re expecting.

So, if this sounds like you and you’re upgrading more than one aspect of your computer, we would recommend putting that extra RAM money towards a Solid State Drive (SSD), which will allow your CPU, your existing memory and in turn, every application and process on your computer to work faster.

SSD drives use flash memory rather than the spinning magnetic disks a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) uses. Not only can stored data be accessed faster by your CPU, but an SSD will use less power and is much less prone to malfunctioning due to being moved or warm temperatures.

Engineered Limits
As something of a side note, if you want to protect yourself in the future against insufficient RAM, then you should avoid purchasing one of the growing number of laptops and desktops on the market that only have RAM slot, which forever limits that computer to one channel memory performance. As we mentioned earlier, a two channel setup will always work more smoothly and be more flexible in terms of future upgrades.

Regardless of which brand you choose, the term ‘dual channel memory’ can be a little confusing, as it is a bit of a misnomer. It is easy to assume that ‘dual’ refers to some part the memory itself, whereas in fact, ‘dual channel’ describes the platform it sits in, i.e. your computer’s motherboard RAM slots.

Dual Channel
When used in the right context, this term perfectly explains how the chipset on some motherboards work and it is a simple case of a motherboard with 1 memory slot being called ‘single channel’ and 2 memory slots being referred to as ‘dual channel’. Over and above this amount i.e. 3 slots and over, is usually described as ‘multi-channel’. So, you can see that the term has nothing at all to do with any characteristics of the memory module itself.

The Benefits
The more ‘channels’ or memory slots you have in your motherboard configuration, the faster your CPU should be able to send and receive data. A certain capacity of memory spread over multiple memory slots should work faster than that same capacity seated in one stick in one slot.

The reason for this is that each pin on each memory module is an access point for your CPU to send and receive data through. The more of them you have, the more access points you provide for your data transfer. It’s that simple.

Multiple channel memory configurations also reduce latency times due to the fact that the memory controller doesn’t have to keep resetting and setting up the module for writing, thus eliminating the issue that a single channel configuration can be rather prone to.

Maximising Your Channels
If you would like to make the most of your dual, tri or even quad channel setup, we would recommend buying and installing more of the same memory already installed in your motherboard. As long as the total capacity doesn’t exceed the allowable maximum for your motherboard and your Operating System, you can install as much as you like (within reason).

You also must ensure that you get hardware that is compatible with your system or you most probably won’t enjoy all the advantages upgrading your memory normally provides. If you’re unsure about how to determine what your current memory specifications are why not give our technical support team a call and they will walk you through exactly what you need to do to locate this information.