Filling Memory slots on Server boards

[jjdynomite]

I want to use 2 E5 2683 v3 CPU's with the SUPERMICRO MBD-X10DAL-I motherboard. The motherboard has 8 ram slots and supports 2133mhz DDR4. I am thinking about getting a couple sticks of this ram as it may allow for easy expansion to higher amounts of ram. I know with enthusiast grade hardware you don't have to fill all the slots. Let's say I only want to buy two sticks of this to start off with (mostly for cash flow reasons), will the system work with only one stick for each CPU? What are the allowable Ram stick allocations assuming I only use 32GB sticks? For example 1 stick for each CPU, 2 sticks for each CPU, 4 sticks for each CPU? EDIT: The CPU and Motherboard support 256GB of RAM.

Would I be better off getting 8x 16GB sticks and being done with it?

RAM info:
Samsung DDR4-2133 32GB/4Gx72 ECC/REG CL15 Server Memory M393A4K40BB0-CPB

 

[gbeirn]

You don't have to fill all the slots. There would be a performance impact since each CPU has 4 slots and each slot is one memory channel to the CPU.

Using 1 stick = 1/4 of possible available bandwidth to CPU
Using 2 sticks = 1/2...
Using 4 sticks = full bandwidth

Thats per CPU.

Using 1 stick per CPU = 1/4 of possible available bandwidth to CPU, 1/4 of possible total system bandwidth.
Using 2 stick per CPU = 1/2 of possible available bandwidth to CPU, 1/2 of possible total system bandwidth.

etc. etc.

How this will impact the system depends on what you are using it for.

 

[J--]

DDR4 will only get cheaper, no point in buying at the peak only to have it depreciate, if you don't need all that memory.

 

[fractal]

gbeirn: Does that motherboard support quad channel memory? I can't find that information from a quick google.

If not, and it only supports dual channel memory, then there should be little difference between two and four sticks of memory other than total capacity.

There will, however, be a measurable difference between an odd number of sticks and an even number. Whether that measurable difference is noticeable is a matter of interpretation.