Is only using one ram stick compared to two a big deal?

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DogCannon

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Feb 8, 2016
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When i recently bought ram for my new build I accidentally bought one 16gb stick of ram instead of two 8gb sticks. It partially had to do with the fact that the 16gb was cheaper than two 8gb and I didnt really pay attention. Now what I would like to know is if this will impact performance, stability or anything like that. Any help is appreciated :)
Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
HybridWolf
Generally, It doesnt matter, go with what you wish, preferably, 2x4gb or 2x8gb ram is cheaper than 1 Stick of 8gb or 16gb, it does use up more rams slots if you use dual channel, but if your willing to spend another £10 on a budget build or whatever, then go with 1 Stick for the sake that you can upgrade in the future.

Hopefully this helps.

- TheHybridWolf
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Prophecy Destroyer

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May 6, 2017
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Well there is a difference for sure. When you use two sticks they work in a dual channel allowing for higher performance. Dual Channel provides a 10-15% performance boost. Really you're not gonna notice a huge difference, but it's there. You could possibly return the ram and get the two sticks, but that's up to. Here's some benchmarks comparing single to dual channel in the context of gaming http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/does-dual-channel-memory-make-difference-in-gaming-performance/
 
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srimasis

srimasis

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Nov 9, 2012
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Are you sure? The link you provided suggests the opposite. Most games are running faster in Single channel mode.
 
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srimasis

srimasis

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Nov 9, 2012
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You should stick with your current RAM setup. There is no performance impact in single channel mode, Plus you will have a free RAM slot so in future it will be easier to upgrade.
 
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HybridWolf

HybridWolf

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Apr 18, 2017
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Generally, It doesnt matter, go with what you wish, preferably, 2x4gb or 2x8gb ram is cheaper than 1 Stick of 8gb or 16gb, it does use up more rams slots if you use dual channel, but if your willing to spend another £10 on a budget build or whatever, then go with 1 Stick for the sake that you can upgrade in the future.

Hopefully this helps.

- TheHybridWolf
 
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DogCannon

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Feb 8, 2016
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As long as it works that's good for me. I won't return it; too expensive. Im new to Tom's hardware so I might have made some screw ups ( thats why i edited this comment). Anyway thanks for the quick responses :)
 
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