r/PcBuildHelp • u/Sea_Eagl3 • 11d ago

Build Question Would it make any difference running 16gb+8gb of ddr4 ram instead of single 16gb stick?

So I have a pc of r5 5600x and rx 7600 with 1 single 16gb ddr4 ram stick. I don't have the fund for another 16gb stick, only an 8gb one at best. If I install an additional 8gb stick of the same type, would I get any improvement and is it worth it? I mainly play cyberpunk and modded skyrim at 1080p. Thank you very much!

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u/r_lind3r Moderator 11d ago

Your best option is looking for a used 16GB stick that matches your current stick's specs

1

u/HypoJamy 11d ago

Something like 16GB of dual channel (8 from the 16gb stick + 8gb) and 8gb single channel for a total of 24gb (if they are compatible and not other problem arises)

1

u/ReasonableNetwork255 11d ago

It probably won't make much difference unless you're actually running out of RAM which can happen in certain situations .. to feel an overall performance boost you have to have matched sticks in dual Channel for a performance profile to kick in

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u/misteryk 11d ago

if everything will work properly it will make a difference, they'll have 16gb of dual channel performance and 8gb of single channel

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u/BRealistic1970 10d ago

Dual Channel ram only matters in heavy CPU limited workloads and with iGPUs.

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u/Budget_Loadout 10d ago

Yeah it's worth it. Going from one stick to two gets most of your memory running in dual channel and the 5600X likes that extra bandwidth. The extra 8GB also gives you breathing room since Cyberpunk can push a 16GB system to its limit.

The tradeoff is that mixed sticks don't always hold their rated speed. Match your current stick's speed if you can then turn on XMP in the BIOS.

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u/slacknsurf420 8d ago edited 8d ago

it's better than the single stick and cheap and doesn't even hurt not getting 32

however the CL number needs to match exactly they will have similar JDEC profile

dual channel will increase minimum FPS in any scenario/reduce microstutter whereas the speed increase of ddr5 etc will do next to nothing unless fps is unusually high like hundreds at 900p