RAM Slot Channel Population

[Balakrishna Prasad]

Hello! I read that the Intel's Lynnfield architecture requires the RAM slots A1 and B1 must be populated first. So, when I first built my new PC, my system booted when I only installed my 2x8 GB DDR4 RAM in A1 and B1 channels and it didn't when I installed them in A2 and B2. After first boot, I changed them to A2 and B2 and it worked (as those channels are recommended by my ASUS Motherboard). Should I keep them installed in A2 and B2 or A1 and B1? Will there be any performance and stability impact? Should I follow the 'Lynnfield' recommendation?

Thank you.

 

[Bouowmx]

Uhh, Intel Lynnfield (Nehalem) and DDR4? Correct one of those things.

Both configurations populate 2 channels: same memory bandwidth either way, except one configuration has the modules further away from CPU.

 

[Balakrishna Prasad]

Uhh, Intel Lynnfield (Nehalem) and DDR4? Correct one of those things.

Both configurations populate 2 channels: same memory bandwidth either way, except one configuration has the modules further away from CPU.

So, both (any) configurations will be good? By the way, I'm using 'Skylake'.

 

[LTC8K6]

A1/B1 and A2/B2 will be the same result.

 

[bononos]

Hello! I read that the Intel's Lynnfield architecture requires the RAM slots A1 and B1 must be populated first. So, when I first built my new PC, my system booted when I only installed my 2x8 GB DDR4 RAM in A1 and B1 channels and it didn't when I installed them in A2 and B2. After first boot, I changed them to A2 and B2 and it worked (as those channels are recommended by my ASUS Motherboard). Should I keep them installed in A2 and B2 or A1 and B1? Will there be any performance and stability impact? Should I follow the 'Lynnfield' recommendation?

Thank you.

You should follow your mb recommendation given in the manual.
I doubt there will be a stability impact but the performance will be impacted since the mb might loosen command rate timing and possibly other timings if you populate them incorrectly (unless all ram slots are populated, then this question doesn't apply) . The difference is small however.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I vaguely remember that at least one mobo manual recommended installation of first RAM set into one pair or the other, and I think I look for this type of suggestion every time I plan a choice of modules, placement of cooler fans and other things. I cannot even remember at the moment if one pair or the other was preferred for my SKylake, but I only installed the RAM to be as far from the cooler fan as possible. I can't remember otherwise. If it works fine either way, and you find no such recommendation in the user manual, then don't worry about it.