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I have servers running VMWare. The server is a Intel Xeon with 96 Gio of RAM. We need to increase the RAM on the server (assume with the same memory model). Somebody told me adding more memory to a computer can slow it because there's more address space to look after.

I'm pretty sure it's bullshit and I can't find any paper that confirm that adding memory can slow down a computer. Instead, I have only documentation that confirm that it can speed it because it can have a bigger swap.

So my question is : Can adding RAM to a server can make it slower? If so, is it perceptible? Do you have any documentation on the subject?

MadHatter
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efficks
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    My strong inclination is that your colleague is talking rubbish, but proving a negative is hard (ie, impossible). Politely ask your colleague to state his references; those we can check much more easily. – MadHatter Nov 07 '17 at 13:14
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    I have servers running VMWare - No you don't. You have a server running a VMware product. Knowing which product and version would be immensely helpful in determining if there are any memory related known issues. The server is a Intel Xeon - Again, details matter. Knowing exactly which processor would go a long way to determining if there are known issues. – joeqwerty Nov 07 '17 at 13:22

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Adding more RAM to a server will probably make the boot process (or more specifically the POST) slower, because that normally includes a some level of memory checking.

I've never heard anyone claiming that adding more RAM will slow down a server once it's running through (unless you have mismatched RAM, or there's an issue with the specific board/chipset).

rbsec
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    Adding more memory modules to a channel can alter the memory bus speed. For example the Dell R710's user manual page 130 states the memory modules run slower with additional modules added. So in theory it can run slower. – drg Nov 07 '17 at 15:05