If your laptop or PC has dual-channel memory slots on the motherboard, and you only have one RAM stick installed, you may be considering adding another one. But does dual-channel RAM really improve your computer performance, or is it a placebo? This guide evaluates the single vs. dual-channel RAM performance based on their intended benefits.
Increased Bandwidth
Think of dual-channel RAM as having two driving lanes instead of one. This setup theoretically doubles the amount of data that can flow through. But in reality, RAM bandwidth depends on other factors, like the CPU, GPU, individual applications in use, and your HDD/SSD data rates.
However, when you compare dual-channel memory vs. single-channel memory, you do find a small increase in data speed, but it’s not as dramatic. To test this, we upgraded from a 16-GB single-channel to 32-GB dual-channel memory on a Core i3 Windows 11 laptop, then compared the bandwidth using CPU-Z.
As shown below, there’s absolutely no change in DRAM Frequency at 1330.4 MHz. This example uses an identical pair of RAM sticks in interleaved mode.
However, if you check Uncore Frequency, that improves in a dual-channel memory setup. This value refers to the RAM cache impact on CPU. In our setup, it increased to 997.8 MHz, a marginal increase of 11 percent.
The actual increase in bandwidth when you upgrade from single-channel to dual-channel RAM is generally in the range of five to 20 percent. But it can be as high as 30 percent, provided you use a solid-state drive (SSD) or a hybrid drive.
FYI: find out everything you need to know about dual-channel RAM?
Improved Multitasking
This is one of the most noticeable impact areas of a dual-channel memory setup versus a single-channel one. Having two memory streams and more GBs in use drastically reduces the bottlenecks on applications. If your applications suffer from stuttering, that will become a thing of the past.
It’s not possible to compare Task Manager memory composition by varying the RAM sticks, as different applications have their own impact. However, in the following setup of a 32 GB DDR4 RAM, we are running several browser applications, along with media players and games. The memory impact is only 17 percent, with nearly 26 GB of available space.
Loading time is another noticeable impact. When you add more RAM in dual-channel mode, your PC boots faster, and the individual applications also load quicker. For some applications, the difference is only in milliseconds, but for others, you’ll find the delay reduced by several seconds.
Tip: experiencing slow boot times for your PC? We have the fixes.
Enhanced Gaming Performance
Another noticeable impact of a dual-channel RAM setup lies in gaming performance. Although it does depend on the individual games and GPU, having more RAM automatically makes the games load faster. There’s much less screen flickering during gameplay.
You can always test the gaming performance using Windows Game Bar. In the following 32 GB DDR4 rig for Angry Birds 2, the average RAM consumption stood at 23%. It was nearly 34% for a similar 16 GB DDR4 on the same game.
If you’re playing a game with a very high frame rate (FPS), the mouse cursor and keyboard controls feel smoother. The game assets populate faster, and the average response time is much better than what you’d expect.
FYI: learn the RAM health for your PC using one of these techniques.
Better Energy Efficiency
It is believed that dual-channel RAM may reduce energy consumption of your computer. It should also reduce PC overheating, as you have twice the memory channels to communicate with the CPU. However, in terms of actual tests, we found no such improvement on an idle laptop or PC.
A waning battery is the single biggest reason for a laptop’s higher energy consumption. It also depends on your individual usage habits. It’s important to know the tradeoff between shutting down a PC completely and putting it to sleep. These are the only things that matter. Whether you have a single channel or dual-channel RAM won’t affect your energy efficiency much.
On a Windows laptop, you can apply the Energy recommendations for your device for real energy efficiency.
FYI: find out the maximum RAM capacity on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
Higher Data Transfer Rates
While dual-channel RAM does improve data transfer rates compared to a single-channel RAM, the impact is very marginal. You can test this using Novabench, which does a detailed memory test for your current single-channel RAM, as well as when you migrate to a dual-channel.
In this Novabench test of a 32 GB DDR4 rig, the memory transfer value was 10884 Mbps. It was only a slight improvement of seven percent over the memory transfer value for a single-channel 16 GB RAM, at 10153 Mbps. While the data transfer rates may not seem very high, more effective multitasking makes the overall PC experience much smoother.
Tip: learn about RAM disks and how they work.
Single vs. Dual Channel RAM Performance: Do Cost Considerations Pay Off?
To answer the question of whether dual-channel RAM improves performance, we have to take into account another aspect: the cost factor. As seen in our comparison, the biggest benefits of dual-channel memory lie in multitasking and gaming performance. Clearly, things will be faster for you.
A dual-channel RAM setup will certainly benefit users who want to run multiple applications in parallel. It will also help those running a virtual machine using VMware and other such programs. Considering the low price of a pair of dual-channel RAM sticks, it’s a worthy investment for those who want a powerful PC.
But the data transfer speeds are just marginally better. Adding another RAM module won’t have that much impact on online download speeds. Cost-wise, it doesn’t make sense to add more RAM to an older laptop that you’re trying to replace.
With the knowledge of the benefits of dual-channel RAM, learn how to enable this configuration on your PC. Before upgrading to dual memory, you should also learn your RAM type.
Image credit: Unsplash. All images by Sayak Boral.
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