2 8GB RAM vs 4 4GB RAM | Differentiating

In the battle of 2 and 4 RAM sticks, which one to pick? That’s the question people have been asking for ages. And although installing 4 RAM sticks doesn’t make your RAMs quad channel, it certainly is better than having 2 RAM sticks.

So, in short, having 2 RAMs will make your RAM dual-channel. And having 4 RAMs, although won’t make it quad channel, unless supported by your motherboard, will give you some performance benefit.

2 8GB RAM vs 4 4GB RAM | Which Is Better?

As you are now aware of the mechanism of RAM, you know that multiple RAM is better than a single RAM. So, if there are three options in your hand including using one 16GB RAM, two 8GB RAM, and four 4GB RAM, you must eliminate the first option of using one 16GB RAM.

A memory module has 64-bit memory banks which are known as “rank”. The more you get rank, the more you get the bus speed.

When you use two 8GB RAMs, you will get two ranks. That means a 2 X 64-bit memory bank. On the other hand, if you use four 4GB RAMs, then you will get 4 X 64-bit means 256 bit/s bus speed.

Again, you’ll get less traffic using 4 x 4 GB RAM than 2 x 8 GB RAM. So, based on the performance; using 4 4GB RAM is better.

Advantages and Disadvantages of 2 8GB RAM Over 4 4GB RAM

Let us make the argument clear to you by distinguishing the pros and cons of 2 8GB RAM.

Here’s a difference chart between these two before we dive into more detailed discussion.

	2 8GB RAMs	4 4GB RAMs
Cost	Less expensive	More expensive
Multiple Channel Support	Dual-channel guaranteed	Quad-channel not guaranteed
Futureproof	Can add more RAM later	Can’t add more RAM later

Advantages of 2 8GB RAM Instead of 4 4GB RAM

• Better than one 16 GB RAM.
• You can use the other 2 slots in the future to add more RAM cards.
• It increases memory speed.
• It reduces the CAS latencies.
• Less expensive.

Disadvantages of 2 8GB RAM Instead of 4 4GB RAM

• The programs will be processed slower than the other option.
• You’ll get lower FPS during playing games.

Advantages and Disadvantages of 4 4GB RAM Over 2 8GB RAM

Pros and cons of 4 4GB RAM.

Advantages of 4 4GB RAM Instead of 2 8GB RAM

• The processor will communicate faster with the RAMs.
• Easy to get better memory speed.
• The programs will run faster.
• You’ll get higher FPS while playing games.

Disadvantages of 4 4GB RAM Instead of 2 8GB RAM

• No slots will be available for further upgrades.
• Costlier than the other option.
• Expensive than buying 2 8GB RAM sticks.

After analyzing the pros and cons of both options, it may be clear to you that you will benefit more from using four 4GB RAMs than using two 8GB RAMs.

Why Is It Better to Have Multiple RAM Sticks?

A single RAM faces too much traffic while transferring data to the processor. For this reason, the bus speed of the RAM decreases, and the CPU faces the CAS latencies. When you will use two or more RAM sticks, then the data will transfer through a different path, and due to less traffic, the bus speed will increase. So, then the program will process faster using multiple RAM sticks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which One Gives More FPS – 4 4 GB RAM or 2 8 GB RAM?

According to the benchmark test, four 4GB RAMs give 65 FPS on Intel Core i9-9900K [DDR4-3000 CL16] and 64 FPS on AMD Ryzen 9 3900X while applying Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey at 1080p; where two 8GB RAMs give 61 FPS on both – Intel Core i9-9900K [DDR4-3000 CL16] and AMD Ryzen 9 3900X.

Is It Better to Have 2 Sticks of RAM or 4?

You can easily get better speed using two RAM sticks. Again, it is easy to reduce the CAS latencies with two RAM sticks than with four RAM sticks with the same capacity. However, if you use 4 RAM sticks and the size of the RAM is more than the 2 RAM, then you surely will get benefit from them. But 2 sticks of RAM are less expensive than 4 sticks of RAM.

Is 4 4 GB RAM Better than 4 8 GB RAM?

The answer is – “It depends”. If the minimum configuration of your motherboard is 16 GB, then you’ll get no benefits from 4 8 GB RAM. In that case, 4 4GB RAM is better. But if your motherboard, supports, 32 GB, then 4 8 GB RAM is better than 4 4GB RAM.

Should I Use All 4 RAM Slots?

Yes, you can use all 4 RAM slots if you want. But it is not recommended to use a variety of RAM cards in every RAM slot. It is recommended to use the same size of RAM in all slots. Suppose you want to use 128 GB RAM on your motherboard that has 4 RAM slots, in that case, you can use four 32GB RAM in each slot.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has proven helpful to you in learning the facts about using 2 8GB RAMs and 4 4GB RAMs and hopefully, you now know which options among them you can get benefit from after reading this article. Although it is expensive, it is better to use 4 4GB RAM instead of 2 8GB RAM in the computer. If you have any suggestions, then don’t hesitate to share them with us in our comment section below. Thanks for reading.