How do I know if my RAM is single or dual rank?

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How do I tell the difference between dual and single rank modules? Multiply total number of chips (less any ECC chips) by the chip width. If it equals 64 its single rank. If it equals 128 its dual rank.



Herein, how do I know if my RAM is dual rank?

How do I tell the difference between dual and single rank modules? Multiply total number of chips (less any ECC chips) by the chip width. If it equals 64 its single rank. If it equals 128 its dual rank.

Also, what is a single rank DIMM? A single-rank DIMM has one set of memory chips that is accessed while writing to or reading from the memory. A dual-rank DIMM is similar to having two single-rank DIMMs on the same module, with only one rank accessible at a time. A quad-rank DIMM is, effectively, two dual-rank DIMMs on the same module.

Also asked, should I buy single or dual rank RAM?

Generally Single Rank Memory is faster than Dual Rank Memory, in layman's terms when a computer accesses Single Rank Memory it only has to go around the track once, where are Dual Rank it would have to go around the track twice.

Is 2rx8 better than 1rx8?

A = 1Rx8 means the memory chips are on one side of the RAM module and 2Rx8 means the memory chips are on both sides of the RAM module. On the other hand using a PC3L RAM in a PC3 RAM slot may damage it due to overvoltage. So PC3 and PC3L RAMs are not compatible with each other.

37 Related Question Answers Found

What does RAM rank mean?

A memory rank is a set of DRAM chips connected to the same chip select, which are therefore accessed simultaneously. There is little difference between a dual rank UDIMM and two single-rank UDIMMs in the same memory channel, other than that the DRAMs reside on different PCBs.

Can I mix 1rx8 and 2rx8 memory?

Generally you can mix 1Rx8 and 2Rx8, as well, though mixing different kinds of RAM sometimes prevents interleaving (i.e., it might be a tad slower). I do recommend running a memory test after RAM upgrades, though.

What is unbuffered RAM?

Definition. Buffered RAM is a memory module in computers that have a register between the DRAM modules and the system's memory controller. Unbuffered RAM is a memory module in a computer that does not have a register between the DRAM module and the system's memory controller.

What is DIMM RAM?

DIMM (dual in-line memory module) is a type of computer memory that is natively 64 bits, enabling fast data transfer. DIMM is a module that contains one or several random access memory (RAM) chips on a small circuit board with pins that connect it to the computer motherboard.

How much RAM do I need?


In general, we recommend at least 4GB of RAM and think that most users will do well with 8GB. Choose 16GB or more if you're a power user, if you run today's most demanding games and applications, or if you simply want to make sure you're covered for any future needs.

Can you mix dual and single rank memory?

The Hynix DIMM is dual rank using x8 DRAM, and the Samsung is single rank using x4 DRAM. So long as the DIMMs are not within the same bank group, it's okay to mix these For example, using the single rank Samsung DIMMs to complete a quad or six channel set with the dual rank Hynix DIMMs.

Can you put a 4gb and 8gb RAM together?

There are chips which are 4GB and 8GB, in dual channel mode this will not work. But you would still get 12GB total only a little slower. Sometimes you will have to swap the RAM slots since the detection has bugs. IE you can either use the 4GB RAM or the 8GB RAM but not both at the same time.

Is 12gb of RAM good?

12GB of RAM is good enough to do a lot of things , It's depending on what software are you going to use. For ArcGIS Maps editing , You might need at least 16GB of RAM to edit it. Also 2GB of RAM is good enough to watch 4K videos (4096x2160) , playing very simple games , Video and pictures editing , etc…

Is ddr4 dual channel?

Dual-channel architecture requires a dual-channel-capable motherboard and two or more DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, or DDR5 memory modules. The memory modules are installed into matching banks, each of which belongs to a different channel).

Can I run 3 sticks of RAM?


To answer your question yes you can use three sticks of ram, however you will not get the maximum performance from it like you will from matched pairs in dual channel. For stability & performance, never mix sets and always configure in dual channel mode.

Does dual channel RAM matter?

Every person with a good knowledge about computers will agree: if your computer supports dual-channel mode, it is better to buy two memory modules than a single module with twice the capacity. Doing so, the maximum bandwidth of the memory doubles, because both modules are accessed simultaneously.

What is dual rank ddr4?

Dual rank is a bit like dual channel in that interleaving (on module in the case of dual rank) can boost performance, although dual rank is not as efficient as dual channel, since the data bus is shared between ranks.

Can I mix different sizes of RAM?

“You Can't Mix RAM Size.”
Generally, most laptops or computers come with two slots for RAM sticks, and sometimes more. It is advisable to use RAM sticks by the same manufacturer, of the same size, and of the same frequency. But there's a simple reason behind why mixing RAM sizes is usually not the best way.

Is ddr4 better than ddr3?

DDR4 RAM looks faster on paper
DDR4 RAM can transfer data at a rate between 2133MT/s and 4266MT/s, while DDR3 RAM can only hit transfer data rates between 800MT/s and 2133MT/s. Another number you'll see is the clock speed, which is how fast the RAM can read and write data.

Can you mix dual channel and single channel memory?


There really isn't explicit dual-channel or single-channel or quad-channel memory. In traditional desktop motherboards, this means you want two sticks of memory to use two channels of memory on your system.

What does dual channel RAM mean?

Updated: 04/26/2017 by Computer Hope. Alternately referred to as multi-channel memory, dual-channel memory is a DDR, DDR2, or DDR3 chipset on the motherboard providing RAM with two dedicated high-throughput data channels. The channels permit reading from and writing to memory to occur on distinct channels.

What is Sr and Dr Ram?

Single Rank (SR) Memory is usually faster than Dual Rank (DR) Memory, especially when using multiple DIMMs. Each rank on a DIMM has a separate set of DRAM chips. SR DIMMs have half as many chips as similar DR DIMMs and may yield better stability, and produce lower heat.