Dual Channel RAM?

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

I was wondering, is it possible to run 'normal' RAM in a Dual Channel configuration if it's two sticks of exactly the same specs/ make? Or do they have to be specifically marked as Dual Channel RAM?

And, on the same topic what are the benefits of running Dual Channel RAM? Are they noticeable in real world performance or only in benchmarking progs? If they give a real life benefit, how much of a benefit?

 

[ViRGE]

Yes.

 

[Koing]

You can run them in Dual Channel.

You get extra speed. Search on AT and you can find the article.

Koing

 

[Jiggz]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
Yes.

:thumbsup:

 

[egkenny]

Dual channel RAM is only regular RAM tested in pairs in a dual channel motherboard to make sure they work well together. They only started doing this after a lot of people were having problems with certain motherboards finding RAM that would work well tegether.

Some dual-channel motherboards are pickier than others and require that the RAM be closely matched. Some people have found that cheap RAM works for them. Others have found they have better luck with higher priced RAM. Even brand of RAM (even high priced ones) make a difference for some. Overclocking seems to make any RAM mismatch problem worse.

When I built my computer 3 years ago with a dual-channel motherboard there was no such thing as matched pairs of dual-channel RAM. I played it safe and bought two sticks of high quality RAM. It worked out fine.

 

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

So Dual Channel isn't some special configuration or anything, it's just two sticks of RAM running side by side which have been tested to run that way without screwing up. So if I buy 2 1Gig sticks of exactly the same type/brand of RAM they should run together in what could be called a Dual Channel configuration without any probs?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: TheGingerbreadGenius
So Dual Channel isn't some special configuration or anything, it's just two sticks of RAM running side by side which have been tested to run that way without screwing up. So if I buy 2 1Gig sticks of exactly the same type/brand of RAM they should run together in what could be called a Dual Channel configuration without any probs?

Yep. Buying "Dual Channel" RAM is sort of like buying "Four Wheel Drive" tires for your car. The RAM isn't what determines whether your system can run in dual channel mode.

They don't even need to be the same brand; they just need to run at the same speed/timings (and they generally need to be the same type; no mixing single- and double-sided DIMMs, or registered and unregistered, for instance).

That said, if you're buying all the RAM together, sometimes you get a slightly better price buying a matched pair of RAM compared to buying two identical sticks separately (usually just a few bucks, but hey, take what you can get).

 

[TheGingerbreadGenius]

Great advice. Cheers.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yep, it's the mobo chipset that does the dual channel thing, not the ram.

 

[dnuggett]

Can the sticks be different sizes? i.e. one 512 and one 1GB?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: dnuggett
Can the sticks be different sizes? i.e. one 512 and one 1GB?

Always have to make it difficult around here, don't we?

The answer is: it depends.

Most memory controllers can deal with different amounts of RAM on each channel (a so-called 'unbalanced' dual channel configuration). However, some (mostly older ones) require that you use the same number of DIMMS on each channel (so you could use, say, 1x256 + 1x512 or 1x512 + 1x1024, but not 1x256 + 2x256, at least not in dual channel mode).

I'm pretty sure the A64 itself can deal with almost any combination of DIMMs you can throw at it, but some motherboards require you to install RAM in certain ways. This is one of those situations where you need to consult the documentation for your motherboard.