Cost-efficient way to get 128gb of DDR4 for an i9-based system.

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Stringtheory

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Dec 3, 2014
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I'm building a system for scientific computing (neural nets, mostly). I presume the requirement will be similar to those who are doing a lot of rendering or even high-end gaming.

I originally intended to go with 64GB, but I thought I should explore the idea of going directly to 128GB. The motherboard will have 8 slots, so obviously would need -at least- 16GB per stick.

I have no practical way to evaluate performance-vs- cost, and I'm not sure which manufacturers have proven reliable, so any insights would be helpful. I don't need RGB lights or other flash, though that wouldn't bother me.

Suggestions for a starting point?
 
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Karadjgne
There's never a 'sure thing' when it concerns ram, but with that said if you want 128Gb in 16x8 configuration as a single kit, you'll be looking at Corsair or G-skill as the only suppliers. It's never a good thing to mix kits and dropping to 2 separate kits of 64Gb can and will exponentially increase chances of incompatibility, every single stick has to work flawlessly with the other 7 or you are up the creek. Part of the reason a single kit costs more, it's not easy for the factory to obtain 8 sticks that are all in sync, a pair of sticks being far easier. So with a single kit, expect a large dent in the wallet.

As far as performance goes, that's going to depend on your software. There are some programs that love faster ram and show...
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Stringtheory

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I was afraid of that. You had posted a very helpful reply to my query about retrofitting a system with more DDR4, which is why I've been considering going directly to 128gb. Perhaps I should just take my chances and go with 64gb for now.

Same questions would apply though, including the 16GB-per-stick minimum. Are there a few 'sure things' as manufacturers go?
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Don't assume anything about memory usage.

You need to look at the EXACT program or programs you use as well as how you intend to use it.

I highly doubt using video rendering is a good comparison and GAMING certainly isn't even close to being comparable since there's likely not a single game that benefits from more than 16GB of system memory.

It's possible that 32GB is overkill. No idea.

Usually it's best to buy a single kit with all the memory you need for compatibility but in this case without actual testing and numbers I would do the following:

*buy a 2x16GB kit. Test to see if it is fully utilized. If so buy another kit (see motherboard manual for proper placement and use MEMTEST86 to test).

Summary:
Again it's best to find people with actual benchmarks for your EXACT scenario to tell you what capacities you need, but otherwise start on the low end and add to it.

*You also need to ensure your CPU and Graphics Card aren't overkill (or underkill) for what you're doing. For every budget level there's an optimal BALANCE of the hardware components.

Do you benefit most from a Prosumer Volta?
32GB DDR4? 128GB?
CPU cores utilized if good graphics card used?
 
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Stringtheory

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So strike the term 'cost-efficient' then. :) I'm still going to need to resolve the same questions if I start off with 64gb and add 64 more later, so any suggestions would be helpful. It seems like some of the highly rated manufacturers get better ratings based on blinking LEDs, which I don't need. There must be 'plain vanilla' DDR4 that would allow spending toward better specs instead.

 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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There's never a 'sure thing' when it concerns ram, but with that said if you want 128Gb in 16x8 configuration as a single kit, you'll be looking at Corsair or G-skill as the only suppliers. It's never a good thing to mix kits and dropping to 2 separate kits of 64Gb can and will exponentially increase chances of incompatibility, every single stick has to work flawlessly with the other 7 or you are up the creek. Part of the reason a single kit costs more, it's not easy for the factory to obtain 8 sticks that are all in sync, a pair of sticks being far easier. So with a single kit, expect a large dent in the wallet.

As far as performance goes, that's going to depend on your software. There are some programs that love faster ram and show significant performance gains with 3200+ vrs 2400. There's just as many programs that show little to no performance gains with faster ram, or even quad channel over dual channel. So to answer that question you'll need to figure out what the software does prefer and adjust the ram to suit.
 
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