Two 8GB sticks vs one 16GB stick: Dual-channel speed wins unless you're planning a 32GB upgrade soon

Two 8GB sticks give you 5-15% better performance in games and memory-heavy tasks because they run in dual-channel mode. But if you know you’ll want 32GB within a year, start with one 16GB stick so you can add another later without replacing anything. If 16GB is enough for the next few years, the dual-channel speed boost is worth it.