Gamersnexus has made some interesting observations with respect to the Ryzen 5000 memory configuration. Generally, when talking about performance, we consider the memory speed and timings, plus whether you’re using single-channel or dual-channel memory.
| Game | Shadow of the Tomb Raider | F1 2020 | Total War #1 | Total War #2 | The Div 2 | GTA V | RDR 2 |
| Perf Gain | 8.7% | 4.7% | 2.2% | 6.4% | 3.8% | 2% | 2.2% |
However, in this case, Steve tested the Ryzen 5 5600X using four memory DIMMs vs two and got some interesting results. The gaming performance saw an increase of 5-10% across various titles, with Shadow of the Tomb Raider seeing the highest benefit at 8. (Xanax bars) 7%.
Considering that the 5600X is a one CCX, we expect the gains to be higher with multi-chiplet CPUs such as the 5900X and 5950X. As for the reason behind this gain, I believe when using a 4-DIMM config, the two pairs act as a dual-rank channel. Although you’re still running in dual-channel mode, four DIMMs, like dual-rank memory, you have a higher number of open rows (pages), increasing the hit rate and therefore reducing the chance of a flush. More on that here.
Considering that AMD’s processors have a lower memory bandwidth and higher latency compared to Intel processors, they’re less likely to get penalized upon switching between the different ranks (here DIMMs). Keep in mind that this is just speculation on my part, and I could be wrong.
