This gives you the same capacity but greater bandwidth since the memory uses two slots, which makes for better performance. Related: How Does RAM Speed and Timing Affect My PC's Performance?ĭual-channel memory lets you take a certain memory capacity, like 32GB, and divide it into two RAM sticks. On the other hand, a gaming PC often has four slots for running two pairs of dual-channel memory. If upgrading your laptop shipped with 8GB RAM, you may need a 16GB SODIMM stick because there's only one available slot. Once you've settled on DDR4, the main issue you'll want to address is how much memory you need and how many slots you have.
If you're building a new PC from scratch, you may want to opt for the newer standard for future compatibility, but even for new PCs, DDR4 has a big advantage in price.
Originally released in 2014, DDR4 is an older RAM standard than DDR5, released in 2020.
