Memory slot questions

[Morlean]

Now my question is can i use any slot to put ram in? or do i have to use slot 1? or can i use slot 2 and 3? not sure how this is my first build. only reason im askin is because of my CPU cooler fan kinda hangs over slot 1 of my ram. I do have ram in there now xms3 corasairso it doesnt interfere untill i put a memory cooler or ram that has heat sink fins like the corsair Vengence. Any suggestions?

Asus P8P67 LE B3 motherboard
Intel i3 2nd gen 2100 3.1ghz CPU 1155 socket
Cool Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler
DDR3 corsair xms3 ram 3x2 for 6GB installed
MSI R6670 1GB GDDR5 128 bit
Coolmaster 550w power supply
Thermaltake v3 black case
Hp 23" monitor 1920x1080 resolution
Razer Deathadder mouse / Lycosa keyboard
Seagate 2TB Expasiondrive
Seagate HDD 500gig main drive
Windows 7 Premium 64bit OS.

 

[lakedude]

Now my question is can i use any slot to put ram in?

Okay are you sitting down? If you put your 2 sticks of memory in the correct slots it will be dual channel (what you want) and if you put it in the wrong slots it will be single channel (no!).

Problem is the layout is not standardized, sometimes the memory goes in the same color slots, sometimes in the different color slots. Sometimes it goes in the 1st 2 slots and sometimes it goes in the odd slots. Often the manual is no help.

The way to make sure is to just try various combinations and see how CPU-Z reports your RAM. You want to see all of it and you want dual channel.




BTW I have 2 CM 212+ setups. The first time we ran into tall memory we reversed the fan and mounted it on the other side of the cooler away from the RAM. This works fine but is not ideal because pushing air is better than pulling.

When I ran into the same problem a second time I just unsnapped the fan, mounted the heatsink and snapped the fan back on a tad higher then it was originally, just high enough to clear the RAM.

 

[lakedude]

Oh dear, I see you are running 3 sticks on a dual channel board...You might want to take one stick out...

So I just checked out your MB and the manual says the first 2 slots are channel "A" and the and the last 2 are channel "B". This should mean that you would put one stick in slot one, and one in slot 3.

I'm not sure what happens if you try to use 2 and 4 instead...It almost seems like your manual says this will work fine...

 

[denis280]

Oh dear, I see you are running 3 sticks on a dual channel board...You might want to take one stick out...

yes lakedude is right.take one out and use slot 1 and 3.this will give you 4 gb in dual channel.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

6 Gb of ram in single channel is better than 4 Gb of ram in dual channel. In fact, unless you are benchmarking, I challenge you to notice ANY difference between 4 Gb of ram in single channel versus dual channel configuration.

 

[Morlean]

Oh dear, I see you are running 3 sticks on a dual channel board...You might want to take one stick out...

So I just checked out your MB and the manual says the first 2 slots are channel "A" and the and the last 2 are channel "B". This should mean that you would put one stick in slot one, and one in slot 3.

I'm not sure what happens if you try to use 2 and 4 instead...It almost seems like your manual says this will work fine...

Lakedude man you are awsome at explaining this. I thank you. With the new corsair Vengence ram. I am going to get 2x4GB of ram, And with your help now ill know to put it in slot 1 and 3. Also raising the fan on the heatsink is also a awsome idea. Thanks for the help!

 

[Morlean]

ok new question why is my Dram Frequency at 668.9MHz? isnt it soppose to be 1333MHz up to 1600 MHz?

Here is what CPU-Z is saying http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2491687

 

[lakedude]

ok new question why is my Dram Frequency at 668.9MHz? isnt it soppose to be 1333MHz up to 1600 MHz?

Here is what CPU-Z is saying http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2491687

Okay don't panic (good advice straight from Hitchhiker's Guide)

The DDR in DDR3 stands for "Double Data Rate" so while the clock is @ ~668MHz the data rate is double that @ 1333MHz.

If I read the manual correctly your MB is cool in that with 3 sticks it will pair up 1 and 3 and still give you dual channel (some setups will knock you down to single channel if the memory is not installed pairs). CPU-z seems to confirm this by stating that your memory is indeed dual channel (but the stick in slot 2 can't be since it has no matching stick).

Finally if you notice your CPU is only running 1.6GHz this is because you must have run CPU-z while the computer was not very busy and the CPU down clocks itself to save power. If you make the CPU more busy it will ramp up the speed as needed (pretty darn cool).

 

[Morlean]

Okay don't panic (good advice straight from Hitchhiker's Guide)

The DDR in DDR3 stands for "Double Data Rate" so while the clock is @ ~668MHz the data rate is double that @ 1333MHz.

If I read the manual correctly your MB is cool in that with 3 sticks it will pair up 1 and 3 and still give you dual channel (some setups will knock you down to single channel if the memory is not installed pairs). CPU-z seems to confirm this by stating that your memory is indeed dual channel (but the stick in slot 2 can't be since it has no matching stick).

Finally if you notice your CPU is only running 1.6GHz this is because you must have run CPU-z while the computer was not very busy and the CPU down clocks itself to save power. If you make the CPU more busy it will ramp up the speed as needed (pretty darn cool).

WHOO OK GOT! I wish manuales and other people would explain it like you do. Makes it much easier for some who are not so tech savy. would you recommend me going to this memory kit?
http://www.corsair.com/en/cmp8gx3m2a1600c9.html
or this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231455
tthey are both compatible with my (QVL) from ASUS.
eitherway i want to go 8GB 2x4Gb kit instead my 3x2Gb current set up.

 

[lakedude]

The G.SKILL is faster, cheaper and lower voltage (1.5 vs 1.65) so that is an easy choice. The timings are a little weird at 9-10-9 instead of 9-9-9 but the G.SKILL is the better choice IMO.

BUT!

Maybe get this now while it is a shell shocker:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314

 

[Morlean]

whoo that is a hot deal! and it would work with my motherboard?

 

[lakedude]

whoo that is a hot deal! and it would work with my motherboard?

I don't know why not, but in fairness I do make mistakes sometimes.

 

[corkyg]

Memory config in specific slots is covered in Section 1.7 of your Manual. Specifically, 1.7.2 and 1.7.3.