I'm running a Mini ITX board with a single 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM stick. My brother recently upgraded his PC and gifted me his extra 4GB stick. I now have one slot left, but I'm wondering if adding the 4GB stick will improve performance for gaming, especially for titles like Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Black Myth Wukong. Both RAM sticks are from the same brand with matching speeds and latencies. Should I go ahead and install the 4GB stick?
5 Answers
If you're gaming heavily, it might be time to consider a better upgrade path. Sure, dual channel can help, but with only 8GB in dual, you probably won't see a huge performance boost. I'd suggest selling the 4GB sticks and investing in another full 16GB stick so you can maximize your memory performance and future-proof your setup!
If you go forward with that 4GB stick, keep in mind you’re already on single channel, so performance can’t really drop much further. It might be better in the long run to invest in a full 32GB dual channel set if you can.
It’s worth a shot to see if it works! Your RAM sticks match in speed and timings, so they could play nice together. If it does run, you’ll have 20GB with likely about 8GB operating in dual channel and the rest in single channel. But do keep an eye on your RAM usage—if you weren’t already maxing out 16GB, you might not notice a massive change.
Adding that 4GB stick could be a mixed bag. Generally, dual channel memory can boost performance by around 20-30%, but since you’re combining different capacities, your motherboard might not recognize it as dual channel. You may only end up with 20GB running in single channel mode, which won't necessarily slow your PC down, but it won't really speed it up either.
Honestly, if you can swing it, grab a matched dual channel kit instead of piecing together RAM. It’s generally better and avoids issues with compatibility. You’d get much better performance overall for around $65.
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