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Who needs dual-channel DDR anyway
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The_OGS
Senior Member
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9. July 2004 @ 13:13 |
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Well I think I do ;-)
I upgraded my main rig to the ABit AN7 mobo.
I was gonna get Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe, but the ABit had the dual optical S/PDIF input/output that I wanted.
My first ABit mobo actually (it seems really nice) but they don't say much about the dual-channel memory.
I want to fire it up with two 512MB sticks! I need a gig anyway - who doesn't?
I have one stick of 512 that I run synchronously at 166/333 (PC2700 speed) with aggressive timings, but I'm never gonna match it. It is generic.
What should I buy and is this gonna be expensive?
ABit AB9 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 @ 2.4GHz
2GB OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum XTC R2
ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB
Enermax Liberty 620W
320GB/16MB WD, 150GB/16MB Raptor
Plextor PX-755SA DVD (SATA)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. July 2004 @ 13:16
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Praetor
Moderator
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9. July 2004 @ 16:41 |
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Well if you want to run DualChannel then you're gonna have to get a similar 512MB stick.
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fcuklad
Newbie
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12. July 2004 @ 11:33 |
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i have recently built my mate a amd 64 machine duel channel ram 512 x 2 and they HAVE note HAVE to be the same make / same speed e.t.c so if ur going to but duel channel ram make sure u get 2 sticks the same speed and same make otherwise
XXXXXXXXXXXX they wont work XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
-- fcuklad --
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agent-k
Senior Member
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12. July 2004 @ 12:09 |
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I was told by the owner of the local computer store that dual channel memory works great on a pentium machine but every Athlon machine that they have tried it on it has run slower.
Seems a bit strange to me but he said they run benchmark tests on every machine that they build and the dual channel athlons always score lower than the non dual.
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda |
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Doofy
Member
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12. July 2004 @ 12:15 |
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i have dual channel running on my abit nf7-s and they are not a matched pair runs fine in dual channel, i bought then so far apart and both from different manufacturers been running fine for 3 months
Burn rubber that doesn't mean warp speed
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The_OGS
Senior Member
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12. July 2004 @ 12:16 |
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Check it out:
Corsair 1Gb PC/3200 Xtreme Low Latency Series
(2 x 512Mb) Timings: 2-2-2-5
Sweeeeet
Like candy, but - $479!
(About $360 US bucks)
I can try to match my 512, it should work. I can get another stick for $119 canadian, but it's all a big gamble.
If it won't work or gets unstable, I'll be pissed off.
But I could set them both manually so, it wouldn't matter if their SPDs said different things, right? Nice, stable, identical settings that both can run easily. This should work.
But I still would love a pair of those Corsairs.
Might sell the dog & cat.
ABit AB9 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 @ 2.4GHz
2GB OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum XTC R2
ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB
Enermax Liberty 620W
320GB/16MB WD, 150GB/16MB Raptor
Plextor PX-755SA DVD (SATA)
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The_OGS
Senior Member
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12. July 2004 @ 12:30 |
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Lookit that, just missed your posts.
Good to hear Doofy that it works, thanks.
Quote:
...every Athlon machine that they have tried it on it has run slower.
I believe it you know, I've always resisted this dual-channel stuff, being a VIA chipset guy, and it seems to me it would payoff only at 200Mhz(400DDR) FSB and with aggressive timings.
I do want to try my Barton at 200 FSB and see if I can get it to come up 3200+ (that's a different thread) but I figure good memory could be a key in making it OC.
ABit AB9 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 @ 2.4GHz
2GB OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum XTC R2
ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB
Enermax Liberty 620W
320GB/16MB WD, 150GB/16MB Raptor
Plextor PX-755SA DVD (SATA)
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Praetor
Moderator
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12. July 2004 @ 22:50 |
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Quote:
I was told by the owner of the local computer store that dual channel memory works great on a pentium machine but every Athlon machine that they have tried it on it has run slower.
LMAO thats because the Pentium systems and mobos cost more. heehee
Quote:
Seems a bit strange to me but he said they run benchmark tests on every machine that they build and the dual channel athlons always score lower than the non dual.
Is he taking "creative advantage" of AMD's naming conventions?
Quote:
I believe it you know, I've always resisted this dual-channel stuff, being a VIA chipset guy, and it seems to me it would payoff only at 200Mhz(400DDR) FSB and with aggressive timings.
I do want to try my Barton at 200 FSB and see if I can get it to come up 3200+ (that's a different thread) but I figure good memory could be a key in making it OC.
Something I think I posted somewhere else but not here.... there are two approaches to memory performance.... either (a) go for high clock speeds or (b) go for low-timings. The high clock speeds favor burst mode transfers while low latencies favor accesstime. For 90% of people, a high clock speed is the better route to go as they will encounter cases where burst mode is more performance enhancing than access times
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agent-k
Senior Member
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12. July 2004 @ 23:31 |
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Well apparently, if they run benchmark tests on two identically built Athlons, one with dual and the other without, the non dual scores highest.
But with Pentiums it's the other way around.
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda
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Praetor
Moderator
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12. July 2004 @ 23:44 |
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Damn i didnt like benchmarks enough as it is but that seriously takes the cake! I did some testing with my system before i made the switch to dual channel and although the performance jump wasnt 100% and more like 40% (which is good considering actual and theoretical never match up). Damn i knew benchmarks were phooey but im kinda dissapointed at that one! :(
Which bench did they run? Please dont say something like 3DMark ....
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. July 2004 @ 23:44
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agent-k
Senior Member
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12. July 2004 @ 23:51 |
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I think it might be.
www.mpcomputers.net
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda
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Praetor
Moderator
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13. July 2004 @ 08:19 |
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Did a quick look, couldnt find anything will look more indepth later.
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Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 10:36 |
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with dual channel ram do i just need two identical sticks or do i have to get a dual channel kit? does it matter if i get oem or retail?
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agent-k
Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 10:51 |
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2 identical sticks will do it.
I bought one stick of 512mb 400DDr Adata 2.5cl ram and about 6 months later I bought an identical one and my motherboard shows it as dual channel when it boots up.
Thats all a dual channel kit is.
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda
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Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 12:32 |
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believe it or not i placed in my board 1x pc3200 and 1x pc2700 both of different brands and they have been running fine in dual channel mode for months at 333 mhz
strange because i always thought they had to be exact modules
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Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 12:40 |
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there are no cables with memory are there, so it wouldn't matter if i got OEM?
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Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 12:52 |
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oem is fine. i always buy oem, otherwise your just paying for packaging that goes straight in the bin.
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agent-k
Senior Member
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3. April 2005 @ 12:56 |
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yeah, poor'nob is right, go for the OEM.
It's cheaper.
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda
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Senior Member
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4. April 2005 @ 11:33 |
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great, thanks:)
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rgfx
Newbie
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9. April 2005 @ 02:23 |
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I have an asus A7N8X-E deluxe mboard with a barton3200, 3x512 pc3200 ddr400 Crucial ram, 430w psu & winXP sp2
Any of the dimms work in any slot okay on their own, and memTest says they're all fine, but if I put any combo of two or three in any slot configuration, the system becomes unstable, and memTest reports errors straight away. I have had the blu screen of death about 3 times so far since installing this ram, something I had NEVER seen in the year I've had the pc.
I know it seems weird, but my mboard does seem to allow the ram to work in dual channel mode with 3 dimms in it, and the manual says its okay.
The problem is intermittant and seems random, I cannot cause the pc to crash by running several apps and large files.
At the moment its running with all 3 dimms in, but its a lot slower running the startup apps than just having the original 512.
Do I need to to adjust voltages or timings or something in the bios?
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The_OGS
Senior Member
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9. April 2005 @ 07:32 |
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Well I'm pretty sure you can't run 3 DIMMs in dual-channel mode.
I think if you check closely you will see that you can run 3 DIMMs, but only at PC2700 speed.
Does your rig run 400MHz(DDR) FSB?
If so, you must pick the 2 DIMMS that most closely match (CPU-Z can be useful for doing that) and run 1024MB at full speed.
If you desire more memory at high speed and in dual-channel, you must run 2 x 1024MB DIMMs.
Trust me it's not worth it, trading stability for an extra 512MB ;^(
If your rig is not rock-solid, it takes all the relaxed joy out of doing ANYTHING with it...
Regards
ABit AB9 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 @ 2.4GHz
2GB OCZ PC2-6400 Platinum XTC R2
ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB
Enermax Liberty 620W
320GB/16MB WD, 150GB/16MB Raptor
Plextor PX-755SA DVD (SATA)
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rgfx
Newbie
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9. April 2005 @ 14:35 |
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cheers, you're probably right about the speed thing, but its still unstable even with only 2 dimms in, it doesn't matter which dimm is in which slot,its always unstable with more than 1 dimm in, but fine with any 1 dimm in any slot. I've gone back to 512 for now, but I've got some work coming up that requires a lot of firepower and i need to get this sorted, but i can't understand whats goin on.
oh yeah, 400mhz fsb and ati 9800aiw 128.
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ddp
Moderator
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9. April 2005 @ 15:23 |
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check motherboard site for bios update, faq & memory compatibility
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rgfx
Newbie
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11. April 2005 @ 03:08 |
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I just spoke to tech support at crucial, and apparently the problem is the A7N8X-E with barton 3200cpu becomes unstable in DDR400 mode...
Has anyone else heard of this, or any solutions?
They reckon I can run in dual channel mode at 333mhz or single-channel at 400mhz.(by using slots A2 & A1)
So I'm running 2x512 in single channel at 400mhz mode at the mo.
I use the computer for graphic not gaming so I reckon this is the best compromise.
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agent-k
Senior Member
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11. April 2005 @ 04:31 |
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Tell them agent-k said they are talking out of their arse.
what a load of old cobblers, thats just a cop out.
Athlon XP2500+Barton OCd to XP3200+ running at 2.2Ghz
Cooled by Thermaltake Extreme Volcano 12
Asus A7N8X-E DeLuxe
2Gig PC3200 400DDR Dual Channel Ram
160Gb Seagate Barracuda
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