Do I need to buy Quad Channel?

[h4rm0ny]

Simple question - how important is it that I buy all my sticks of RAM together in a "Quad-Channel" pack rather than say two "Dual-Channel" packs? And can I mix and match manufacturers so long as the speed and timings are the same? If it matters, my interest is in DDR4.

 

[h4rm0ny]

Hmmmm. Conflicting answers. So let me add more detail. I'm considering 3200 DDR4 memory for a Threadripper build. Will definitely be Threadripper. MSI X399 Creation motherboard. I don't intend to do any overclocking although technically 3200 is overclocking. So maybe I do. If for some reason I end up with a bit less than 3200 it's not the end of the world - it's a pro system which will run a lot of VMs. So I want a lot of memory. In shopping for RAM I'm in some cases buying multiple packs of "Dual Channel" RAM rather than specifically advertised as Quad Channel packs. I'd also like to know that I can add more RAM later, hence questions of different manufacturers.

 

[h4rm0ny]

Thanks all. Well then this frees me up to have a bit more choice in what RAM I get. Sounds like I'm perfectly fine buying 2x the same Dual Channel packs if I want and also alright with getting some more of the same brand and type later on. And probablygetting a different brand if I must, so long as I match the speed, latency and size. I'm not really interested in getting extreme overclocks and can even live with it dropping down slightly if I must, so that gives me a bit more freedom. RAM is so horribly expensive that I want to get the best value for money that I can.

 

[h4rm0ny]

I'm currently going for this:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/corsair-vengeance-lpx-32gb-4x8gb-ddr4-pc4-25600c16-3200mhz-quad-channel-kit-black-cmk32gx4m4b32-my-49e-cs.html

But do people think it would be worth paying a little more to get 2x these?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team-group-dark-pro-8pack-edition-16gb-2x8gb-ddr4-pc4-25600c14-3200mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-08l-tg.html

I definitely want Quad Channel because I've seen this has a significant benefit on Threadripper but from your answers seems 2x these will still work. It would drop the latency from 16-18-18-36 to 14-14-14-3.​

I also looked at 2x

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...3600mhz-dual-channel-kit-black-my-08q-tg.html

which would be faster still but my motherboard is only specced up to 3200 (which is already technically OC'd) so I think the second one would be a waste.​

My build will be a 1920x for the time being, with a plan to upgrade to a 2nd or 3rd gen TR when I have more budget next year and prices have fallen a little. Use case is software development (compiling) and VMs.

 

[h4rm0ny]

if money is no object, then i'd go with the 8pack samsung b-die ram. 3200c14 is sufficient.
failing that, then https://www.overclockers.co.uk/king...d-channel-kit-hx432c16pb3k4-32-my-26m-ks.html
it's £100 cheaper, it's up to you to decide whether that performance difference is worth that £100

Well, I wouldn't say money is no object. Otherwise I'd be going for a 2nd Gen TR. But I could potentially go up by a £100 if it made a noticeable difference. One thing I have in mind is an eye on adding more later on. If buy lesser RAM then I'm stuck at that level. I know how much £100 is worth. I'm not really sure how much 14-14-14-36 is worth, is the problem.

Great catch on the Kingston RAM! If I get the Corsair RAM then I'll get that instead. Or well, you know what I mean.

 

[h4rm0ny]

going from 3200c16 to 3200c14 may yield 1-2% performance benefit with ryzen/threadripper...possibly only slightly more if the program is heavily ram dependent.
if i recall correctly, ryzen/threadripper plays happier with samsung b-die compared to other ram types - but i think it's only when going for monster overclocks that this matters. most ram should work out of the box fine.

Thanks. My work can be heavily RAM dependent at times, but still a few % isn't much. I'll probably want to go up to 64GB at some point so I think I'll stick with the Kingston and save my pennies.

Thanks for all the advice!