Difference Between 2Rx4 Vs 2Rx8 RAM - Memory - Server Fault

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Learn more about Teams Difference between 2Rx4 vs 2Rx8 RAM Ask Question Asked 13 years ago Modified 3 months ago Viewed 165k times 39

My IT provider is convincing me there is no difference between a 2Rx4 and a 2Rx8 RAM. A little digging around informed me that x4 means 4 bits on a chip vs x8 means 8 bits. Which is good, but what difference does that make?

• memory

Share Improve this question Follow asked May 26, 2011 at 5:08 ShivkuShivku 39111 gold badge33 silver badges33 bronze badges 1

• related: reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/nz41h6/… – T.Todua Oct 16, 2021 at 5:52

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4 Answers 4

Sorted by: Reset to default Highest score (default) Date modified (newest first) Date created (oldest first) 42

2R == 2 RANKS, this is the number of chip selects each DIMM module has.

x4 == data-bus width of each DRAM (chip)

DDR* memory bus width is 64-bits wide.

So a single 1Rx8 (non-ecc, unbuffered) DIMM will have 8 DRAMS (chips) ... 1Rx4 will have 16 1Rx16 will have 4

Ranks, on the other hand, are 64-bit arrays that share the bus. Only one rank can have the bus at a time, the chip select line is the ranks way of knowing that it is that ranks turn to have the bus.

So a 2Rx8 will have 16 chips.

Share Improve this answer Follow edited Feb 20 at 3:00 answered Dec 14, 2012 at 5:22 Paul-KPaul-K 53744 silver badges77 bronze badges 5

• 11 While this is very informative, could you elaborate more on the performance implications of the particular memory configurations? For example, what does 2R and 1R do to performance, how does having additional / fewer chips on a memory module affect performance (if at all), etc? – IceMage May 20, 2015 at 17:14
• @PaulK Could you take a look at this thread? Thanks. superuser.com/questions/1210400/… – smwikipedia May 18, 2017 at 8:33
• I somewhat elaborate on the performance here: superuser.com/a/1253111/774191 – Paul-K Oct 29, 2017 at 20:19
• How does "1Rx4 will have 16 " ? – mohaa8844 Mar 6 at 9:13
• Each rank is 64bits / 4bits = 16chips – Paul-K Mar 7 at 23:50

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First and foremost, the difference is that they are completely incompatible with each other for use in most server boards. If you're replacing an existing memory module you must either match the given designation perfectly or replace the whole bank with the new type. If you're evaluating a completely new configuration, then see Tom Shaw's answer, and when checking compatibility, the "1x" means "Single Rank" and "2x" means "Double Rank" if the system specifications call for one or the other specifically.

Share Improve this answer Follow answered Aug 16, 2011 at 20:51 PhilPhil 11111 silver badge22 bronze badges Add a comment | 6

There's not enough information to say which is better. When looking at RAM you probably care about a number of things:

• Cost
• Density (bytes per slot)
• Performance (RAM timings)
• Reliability (quality, ECC vs non-ECC)
• Compatibility (will it work?)
• Supportability (vendor requirements)
• Power usage (heat dissipation)

The 2Rx4 and 2Rx8 DIMMs may well give you different characteristics for many reasons, but you'd need to ask your vendor about those characteristics directly.

Share Improve this answer Follow answered May 26, 2011 at 5:50 Tom ShawTom Shaw 3,7621717 silver badges2323 bronze badges 2

• 1 My vendor is even more clueless than I am – Shivku May 28, 2011 at 5:27
• 8 Time to find a competent vendor then. – Tom O'Connor Nov 29, 2012 at 19:52

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If it is the right module (example: PC4-12800) then it should fit the slot and perform as well as the relevant standard (example: DDR4-1600K). The matter of integration within components versus on the board of the DIMM is usually not a concern to most users. A DIMM with fewer chips might use a little less power. If power is the constraint then you might solve it by changing DIMMs but that would be a low quality solution.

That said, adhere to the instructions of the motherboard manufacturer. The sizes and placement (matched sizes in the correct slots) of the DIMM modules can have a large effect on the throughput of the system even when the quantity of memory is more than adequate. (Note: I am not referring to the size of components used to assemble the ranks on the DIMM. I am referring to the DIMM size.)

Share Improve this answer Follow edited Apr 17, 2017 at 23:28 answered Apr 17, 2017 at 22:05 H2ONaClH2ONaCl 16088 bronze badges 1

• Sorry, but it does matter, or at least it can. The service manual for my HP desktop even states (page 80): "In addition, the computer supports: ● DIMMs constructed with x8 and x16 DDR devices; DIMMs constructed with x4 SDRAM are not supported". And when I tried to install x4 DIMMs, all I got was a blinking service light. – FeRD Aug 24, 2018 at 16:24

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