Single Channel vs Dual Channel Memory - Laptop Gaming and CPU Benchmarks

You may have heard that games and applications perform better with dual channel memory compared to single channel memory, but why is this the case, and how much of an improvement can you expect?

In this comparison I’ve benchmarked 16 different games in a laptop at all setting levels as well as 9 different CPU benchmarks to show you the differences in performance and help you decide if you should buy or upgrade to dual channel memory in your laptop.

Update: I forgot to note that all memory was CL17-17-17-39

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[commandantcousteau]

I dedicate this video to all macbook users with their soldered memory.

[skirmich]

Nice comparison..
My way to explain how Dual Channel works is:

-Single Channel is when you have a single straw going into a milkshake.
-Dual Channel is when you have 2 straws going into a milkshake.

You get double the milkshake with each sip in Dual Channel while you get "Bottlenecked" in Single Channel.
If you want to go further the Ram Speed is how fast you sip the milkshake and Ram Capacity is the size of the milkshake.

[rexaifi]

Wow, didn't expect the fps difference between single and dual was that noticeable, thanks for this informative video btw, had pondered on this few weeks ago and you made a video out of it!

[kaushikkampli]

Holy crap I never knew this thanks plz continue this type of videos.

[bonflores]

This is the closest thing to a GPU upgrade that laptop users have.

[alexthomas]

Good job Jarrod you always seem to have good ideas for videos

[mattsmechanicalssi]

Just realized you're at 25K subs! Congrats! You deserve it and more!

[noahashton]

The next Hardware Unboxed on those benchmarks dang! Great video man!

[KlaveR]

This is literally true, I have GL65 with 8GB RAM. The performance of the entire system is bottlenecked (The Witcher 3 ultra Novigrad city - 50 high to 60 low fps ). I just ordered second 8 GB RAM chip (just about 30 bucks), and guess what, in the same condition I gain 10-20 fps. 16 GB dual channel (8x2) is the standard for a gaming PC

[GoTeamScotch]

I recently upgraded my Aero 17 from 16GB to 32GB because I routinely have multiple Adobe CC apps open at the same time, plus web development apps, and I was getting close to the 16GB limit. I swapped out a 2400mhz stick for a single 2667mhz 32GB stick and saw a minor speed bump just from that. I've been tempted to get a 2nd stick to fill out the 2nd slot, but I couldn't justify going up to 64GB of memory, since my workflow doesn't really require it. But seeing those performance numbers jump from single to dual channel in you video is just the excuse I needed. Lol. I guess I'll be installing the 2nd stick tomorrow.


Thanks as always for clear concise info. This is in my opinion *the* top tech/laptop youtube channel out there.

[floriang]

This is actually exactly what i have been searching for👍🏼

[chaoz]

Very good video. I would also prefer dual channel memory no matter what.

[odigitapradana]

Just watch two of your video (the video comparison between i5 8 gen vs i7 7 gen + this one) and nothing can stop me from subscribing this great channel. I would like to see another great video in the future, keep it up!

[BilguunsparKO]

this is soo helpful i never knew about this such a big fps gain on low settings

[Ornal]

Was looking for this kind of video around month ago before I upgrade my MSI GE62 6QD with exta 8gb ram. Now I'm running 16gb in dual channel and I noticed a bit better gaming performance gaining few extra pfs and better lows. Happy with this decision.

[earsmouth]

This video was freaking brilliant!! Amazing how much of a difference this makes. I only today realised I had my desktop PC's RAM put in single channel on my motherboard. Changed it to dual channel and now very excited to get a performance boost in my games (I don't like playing at max settings and low frames, so medium to high settings are what I use).

[NinjaXHide]

Thank you! I have been telling my friends for 2 years and they still did not believe me that Dual Channel helps in every configuration, i was telling them to get 2X 8GB instead of 1X 16GB ... I saw huge improvements in PUBG the suttering is non existent anymore and i don't get any fps dips anymore, it helped with avg. fps in every game that i play, i get a lot more fps now and there is no more stuttering and there are no more fps dips.

[Cloud]

So, what is the best for me, 8GB RAM+16GB RAM, 8GB RAM+8GB RAM, or 16GB RAM?

[lewzealand]

Great video, Jarrod! Like many others I didn't expect quite that big of a performance difference in games using a discrete video card. We've done a lot of low end gaming here using various NUCs and with Integrated Video, dual channel low latency memory is a requirement. When you're running low end, you need every frame you can squeeze out. Nice to know that it also makes a big difference in the upmarket gaming world!

Fantastic effort, clear, concise, I love your channel. More subs people!

[arnavjain]

Relatively new viewer here, looking at this old video is soo weird. You end each sentence in the same way it's trippy