The difference between Single Channel and Dual Channel in RAM

Remember back in the day, when we had a slow computer running tasks or running games smoothly, the first advice we got from hardware vendors, service providers, or even our computer-professional friends was: “Buy extra RAM,” and really, that was their advice. goldfish. Random access memory, or what we often call it RAM, is the nerve center of the computer. No matter how powerful the computer contains the high-performance components of the central processor, graphics and hard disk, but the RAM memory will still be the "dots on the letters", as it determines whether the computer is slow or fast. Today, we will explain to you what is Dual Channel technology, the difference between it and Single Channel, and whether it is necessary to activate Dual Channel technology or not.

 

But, what is RAM and why is it important for a computer?

 

If you are new to the world of hardware and your experience is still simple in this field, you may want to know first what is the importance of RAM for a computer and what should be addressed when buying any of them, although we have tried to explain this in more than one way several times, but For those who missed it, it is in short as follows...

 

Imagine that your father asked you several requests to go down and buy them from the market or the store next to your house, for example, and let it be more than 10 requests. Will you remember all of them, or are you prone to forget some of them? Surely you are prone to forget some of them because your fast memory is unable to retain the various information For a long time, so what you're going to do now is you'll get a pen and a notebook and start taking orders, and when you go to the store you'll take that piece of paper out of your pocket and start the buying process.

 

Your memory is the RAM, and the notebook is the virtual memory on the hard disk. When the central processor finishes analyzing the data and extracting its results, it immediately stores it inside the RAM until it is needed again after a short period of time, and it does so in order to be able to complete the tasks Faster.

 

But if it becomes clear to him that the memory is not enough for the results of the new operations, he will start storing the results on the hard disk memory, which sometimes causes slow performance when the processor needs to access these results again.

 

Therefore, the issue of "sufficient capacity" of RAM is one of the most important and priority issues that should be taken into account. You don't have to buy 64GB unless you really need that capacity in order to build a server or workstation dedicated to working with professional software. As for everything below that, i.e. games, routine use in browsing, social networking sites and normal daily uses, you can be satisfied with a maximum capacity of 32GB or even 16GB, perhaps even enough with 8GB as we see many laptops today. In the end, you will always find that the right capacity for you depends on the form of your uses, the type of need, and your functional or recreational activities. Now, you need to know what is the difference between Single Channel and Dual Channel in RAM.

 

What does Dual Channel mean in simple words?

 

Quite simply, you can imagine Dual Channel technology as a motorway that has been divided into two sections in order to regulate the traffic of cars inside. In this way, cars will be able to cross at higher speeds, and it is likely that the road will be able to accommodate a larger number of cars in the same amount of time.

 

But what does Dual Channel mean in practice?

 

Dual Channel RAM is two “slices” of RAM with exactly the same specification present in more than one channel or socket. The purpose of multichannel is to increase data transfer speed and bandwidth by adding channels and Additional communication between the RAM chips and the memory controller integrated into the central processor, which we call the IMC short for Integrated Memory Controller.

 

Now you are wondering how exactly this technique works. It is known that the random access memory (chips) located on the surface of the RAM, communicates with the rest of the computer parts through the controller built into the central processor block using a data bus. The memory controller built into the CPU has multiple channels ready to communicate with the memory chips, allowing for the possibility of increasing the amount of data that can be transferred in the same amount of time. The more transmission channels, the larger the data volume.

 

Central processors may have supportive memory controllers or one-, two-channel, four-channel, six-channel, and eight-channel memory controllers, but more often six-channel and eight-channel controllers are for server platforms.

 

As for consumer desktops, you will often find mid-range platforms that support two-channel, while professional platforms support four-channel.

 

What are the requirements to activate Dual Channel technology?

 

If you want to take advantage of Dual Channel technology, you should have several things combined at once, which starts from the CPU that supports Dual Channel technology, that is, it has the built-in memory controller supporting the technology, in addition to the motherboard that should support the technology through The number of slots for the RAM chips.

 

In fact, you don't need to do anything to activate Dual Channel or Quad Channel technology, instead of just buying the right parts for it. For example, you will find that the RAM ports on the motherboard are color-coded to give you an idea of ​​how and the possibility of activating Dual Channel, and you should install the memory chips in the ports that are of the same color. At the same time, the memory chips you will buy should be exactly the same specifications in speed, voltage and size.

 

For example, if you are going to buy 32GB of RAM and want to activate Dual Channel on a motherboard with 4 sockets for RAM, you should buy a bundle of 2 with exactly the same specifications, which is why RAM chips are always sold bundled together. For example, the two bits should be 16GB in size, 3200MHz, the same CL10 timings, and the same 1.5v voltage.

 

Then you install the two chips into the motherboard ports of the exact same color, that is, both of them are in the ports that are blue only, black only, or depending on your color.

 

In the end, is the performance difference worth?

 

From third-party reviews and hardware labs, yes there is a clear difference in favor of activating Dual Channel or Quad Channel, but this is theoretical. On the ground, the difference between activating the technology and not activating it should not be much. So, in the end, if you are going to buy or build a new PC platform for gaming or business, make sure you buy a full bundle of RAM or a pair of them with the exact same specs. In this way, you guarantee not only the highest speed but also the compatibility and stability of the performance of the new platform.