▷ Single channel vs dual channel: differences and why it's worth it

Many users do not know the differences between single channel vs dual channel and in this article we will explain why Dual Channel should always be activated. Is it worth connecting one or two memories when we mount our computer? Do you know the performance differences and their benefits? Let's start!

RAM tends to go largely unnoticed when building a new system. However, there are some guidelines such as not mixing and matching kits and buying strictly in pairs of two to take advantage of the dual chanel. These rules make sense, since mixing modules was a sure way to find stability problems in the past, and as for the dual channel, it allows doubling the memory bandwidth on paper.

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Single channel vs Dual channel, we check if

However, many of the equipment for sale comes with a configuration of a single memory module, with the excuse on the part of the manufacturers that this leaves a bank free to expand it in the future in a simpler way. They also often say that in their tests there is little difference between the single channel and the dual channel.

Today we will analyze the performance of the platform with dual channel and single channel memory configurations, to definitely check if there are significant differences. For this, tasks related to Adobe Premiere, games, video encoding, transcoding, number processing and daily use will be used. The goal is to debunk or confirm some myths about PC memory.

We recommend reading our article on How to erase a hard drive completely

Before that, we must understand how memory works. Memory pipeline exists at the platform level, so there may be a dual channel chipset or IMC (Integrated Memory Controller, as in modern CPUs), but the memory itself does not have a special bit or chip that I controlled it. It depends on the motherboard and the support platform to offer multiple channels.

The performance of two 2 x 4 GB modules is being tested in single and dual channel configurations. A single module will operate on a single 64-bit data channel, which means you can push the data down into a single full-width 64-bit pipe. The channel effectively runs between the memory controller or the chipset and the memory socket; In the case of modern architectures, the memory controller often integrates with the CPU, rather than acting as a separate component on the board.

By using multi-channel platforms, something available in all modern builds, we multiply the effective channel width by the number of channels available. "Cash" is the key. For dual channel configurations, we now have 2 x 64 bit channels available for memory.

Consult the manual of your motherboard to correctly connect your memory in Dual Channel. They usually go wide or differ in different colors as seen on this Gigabyte motherboard.

This means that we have duplicated the data traces running on the memory bus, and now we have an effective channel of 128 bits, which in turn doubles the maximum theoretical bandwidth. The modules can process 64 bits of data at any given time, so two-channel platforms will simultaneously read and write to two modules (saturating the 128-bit wide bus). To use RAM in a dual-channel configuration, the memory must be plugged into matching memory banks and must be identical in specification.

Is there really a significant difference?

The application of synthetic and real-world tests is important; Without synthetic tests, we cannot adequately isolate memory performance and make extrapolations / predictions for real world tests. That said, without real-world testing, it's difficult to put things in perspective for users.

RAM frequency and pipeline will have the biggest theoretical impact on obviously memory intensive applications. In this environment, those applications tend to be rendering, encoding, transcoding, simulation, and computational weighing tasks (for example, applying a filter in After Effects). It should be clarified that the memory capacity remained constant throughout the test. Each test was performed numerous times to achieve the best possible parity. Additionally, RAM was purged between all tests. Without further delay we leave you with the results obtained:

Single channel vs dual channel
	Single channel	Dual Channel
Euler 3D	4994 points	5965 points
WinRAR	460 s	447 s
Handbrake	209 s	200 s
Shogun 2 Benchmark	46 fps	46 fps
Cinebench OpenGL	110 fps	110 fps
Adobe premiere	236 s	229 s
Adobe after effects	14.23 fps	15.1 fps

Final words and conclusion about using Single Channel or Dual Channel

As we can see from the tests, the difference between using a single channel and dual channel memory configuration is minimal, as it barely saves us a few seconds in the most demanding rendering tests. In the case of demanding CPU games like Shogun 2, we see that there is no big difference in team performance between the two settings either.

Gamers, conventional users and office users should not worry. Actually, at the end of the day, the same rule applies to everyone, simulation pro or not: it is quantity and frequency that matter, not channeling. Quad and better channels theoretically have a deeper impact, but this is in tune with the higher density of kits that are intended for four-channel platforms. If you want to increase speed, density and frequency should be at the top of your list.

We always recommend activating the Dual Channel, although the improvement is not spectacular, it always helps. We also recommend that you take a look at Dual Channel vs Quad Channel.

A dual channel configuration will always be better, but if we are going to buy a laptop with a small amount of memory, it is better that we opt for a model that includes only one module, this way the expansion in the future will be as simple as putting a second module equal to the first, and we will already have a dual channel.

Surely you are interested in reading one of our guides:

• Best processors on the market Best motherboards on the market Best RAM memory on the market Best graphics cards on the market Best SSDs on the market

This ends our article on single channel vs dual channel, we remind you that you can leave a comment if you have any questions or want to make a contribution to the rest of the colleagues. You can also register and comment on our free forum.

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