I have two 8GB DDR4 memory sticks, but they run at different speeds: one is rated for 3200 MT/s and the other for 2400 MT/s. Which setup would be better for gaming on a Ryzen 7 3700X: 1x8GB at 3200 or 2x8GB at 2400? My GPU is a Radeon RX 5700 XT, and I mostly play games at 1080p. I'm trying to decide whether capacity and dual-channel operation matter more than the higher memory speed.
3 Answers
The 3200-rated stick does not become 1600 MT/s just because it is used by itself. DDR4-3200 has an effective transfer rate of 3200 MT/s and a real clock of 1600 MHz. Single-channel memory mainly means half the memory bandwidth compared with dual-channel; it is not a speed setting being divided in half.
Use both 8GB sticks. Even if the system runs them at 2400 MT/s, 16GB in dual-channel mode will generally perform better than 8GB in single-channel mode. The extra capacity also helps avoid slowdowns from running out of memory, especially with newer games and background applications.
Install both sticks and check what speed the motherboard chooses. Mixed memory normally runs at the speed and timings of the slower module, so expect around DDR4-2400 unless you manually tune it. Ideally, replace them with a matched 2x8GB DDR4-3200 kit later, since that would give you both dual-channel bandwidth and higher memory speed.
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