Why does ram matter

It has nothing to do with channel architecture dual channel, quad channel, octal channel. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All rights reserved. Close Search. Tags: desktops hardware introduction pc build resources PC Building ram.

Join the discussion One Comment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. December 28, Josh Covington 2 Comments.

The following two tabs change content below. Image 3 of 4. Image 4 of 4. Image 1 of 8. Image 2 of 8. Image 3 of 8. Image 4 of 8. Image 5 of 8. Image 6 of 8. Image 7 of 8. People tend to keep their desktop computers around longer than tablets or laptops, so planning for the future is worthwhile. An upgrade to 32GB is a good idea for enthusiasts and the average workstation user. Serious workstation users may go further than 32GB but be prepared for higher costs if you want speed or fancy features like RGB lighting.

Anything beyond that is the realm of extreme specialty rigs equipped to handle huge datasets, staggeringly large video files, or niche programs designed for researchers, corporations, or government. Most motherboards use dual-channel or quad-channel memory, and they have requirements for where you should place the sticks. Instead, the extra capacity gives you some wiggle room in running other applications while your games are running.

For the vast majority of gamers, 16GB is enough. However, if you plan on streaming or running multiple applications while your games are running — OBS Studio, a web browser, etc. Right now, DDR4 is the standard across desktops, laptops, and tablets. The benefit of faster memory is simple: More cycles per second means the module can read and write data faster.

That presents a problem if you bought memory rated for MHz. The speed your RAM is rated for is just that: a rating. You need to make sure that your motherboard actually supports the memory speed your modules are rated for and that it supports XMP most modern motherboards do. As for the performance benefit of faster memory, it really depends.