Question "dual die" vs. "dual rank"

[Turbonium]

I'm going to rephrase this question after some reading:

Is "dual die" the same as "dual rank"? I can't seem to find a clear answer on this.

 

[Soulkeeper]

When using the most common x8 ddr packages, Dual rank generally adds performance if all else is equal. The only downside typically being lower overclocking potential.
Dual die setups can have performance hits in many cases.
Often "Dual die" means x16 memory chips. Although it can also mean dual package in a cascade setup.
buildzoid did a few videos on the subject recently:

Ultimately it comes down to the bank and bank group utilization being more efficient in non-"dual die" setups.

 

[Turbonium]

Thank you for the informative post.

I recently purchased some "dual die" DDR2 SO-DIMMs (Crucial CT2KIT25664AC667), so I'm a bit disappointed that I got slower sticks. Although, I am unsure as to whether or not the above information applies to older DDR2 memory.

Ignoring the fact that DDR2 memory is obsolete: strictly speaking, would matching Samsung 2Rx8 sticks of PC-5300 be as good as it gets for SO-DIMMs of that generation?

 

[Soulkeeper]

The same basic ideas apply, but since you've got older ddr2 I doubt it'll matter much. There were not as many banks and no bank groups back then, so dual-die setups might not even hurt performance much at all. It's been a long time since i've thought about ddr2. I guess you're ok, I wouldn't worry about it.
The biggest performance effects are likely to come from the actual speed of the memory sticks and the latencies your motherboard/laptop bios configure.
Matching Samsung 2Rx8 sticks should be fine, or just use the crucial you already have. I doubt you'll notice a difference. If this laptop supports dual channel memory, then having two identical/matching sodimms would be the best choice, regardless of make/model.
Sorry I had just assumed we were talking about recent ddr4.

 

[Turbonium]

I already purchased the used Samsung sticks, but I got them for relatively cheap, so no big deal.

I might actually end up testing the bandwidth on the dual-die Crucial sticks, and the Samsung sticks, and reporting back (even though no one really cares about DDR2 anymore). What program/utility is best nowadays for a memory bandwidth test?

 

[Soulkeeper]

For windows, I guess a lot of people use aida memory benchmark.
There are a lot of other benchmarks too.
I'm in linux, myself.

 

[Turbonium]

The "dual die" SO-DIMMs I got are also 2Rx8.

I was not expecting this.