I'm considering an upgrade for my system. I can get a 12GB setup with 8GB in dual channel and an additional 4GB in single channel for less than $10. However, I know that only the 8GB will actually work in dual channel. I currently mostly use under 8GB of RAM, so would this setup offer a significant benefit? Or would it make more sense to just stick with an 8GB stick, even though that would cost more than twice the price of the 4GB?
1 Answer
I recommend going for the 12GB setup! The 8GB running in dual channel will give you much better performance than a single channel, and the extra 4GB, although slower, is still helpful. You definitely want to avoid running out of RAM and having to rely on the pagefile, which can slow things down.
That's true! But since I usually stay under 8GB, wouldn't I benefit more from just a higher memory bandwidth? What do you think?