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predatowned

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Yeah, I'm back again with yet another question lol. I'm on an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Mobo, and have 2gb of memory (x2 1gig sticks) I was going to buy another pair of the exact same memory which would fill all 4 memory banks. Would the memory still be running in dual channel? Are there any other side effects when running with all 4 banks filled?

Heres the ram.. (i'd have 4 sticks of this in total)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

EDIT: I'm on x64 Vista Home Premium, so 4gb is pretty much a must for me lol. Vista hogs too much crap even with alot of services and themes turned off :(
 
sorry it wont be running in dual channel. hence the word "dual" which means 2. it will still be a nice addition though.
 
It should run in dual channel mode with 4 slots filled. Dual doesn't mean only 2 sticks. Dual means it access the memory in pairs instead of single. And you can have 2 pairs. The slots are color coded to show which should be pairs.

Manual pdf here
Image of memory page
 
So I was considering getting another 2GB as well, but I'm under the impression that 2x2GB performs better than 4x1GB does that hold true of is that the result of misinformation? Thanks.
 
A lot of times 4x1gb will end up running with worse latency settings in order to run properly on the board. If that is the case then yeah it will run a bit slower. Depends on the program just how much of an impact though.

If what you do really needs more than 2GB then you should see a performance increase by adding more memory even if it runs at higher latencies than before. That's because accessing memory instead of the page file on your hard drive makes a big difference. But yeah, 2x2GB is preferred because you avoid any configuration issues or slow downs.
 
With all the current games do you think that another 2GB would be necessary or not yet?
 
Most of the time there won't be an improvement but sometimes you can get up to 20% better. (keep in mind that was benchmarked in Vista and on the test machine he was using 1gb of memory just idle)
Would want 64bit OS for more than 3GB use anyway (virtual memory).
 
I was researching this exact same thing and I came across a good benchmark someone did and the results were only like 1-3% decrease when using 4x1gb vs 2x2gb so you should be okay if you went that route
 
Killing2Live said:
I was researching this exact same thing and I came across a good benchmark someone did and the results were only like 1-3% decrease when using 4x1gb vs 2x2gb so you should be okay if you went that route
Click to expand...
For clarification, were both configurations running at the same speeds and timings?

If the memory needs to get adjusted to work correctly with 4 sticks, different boards (chipsets) handle it differently. Some just do timings and others mess with the clock speeds.
 
Asus said:
For clarification, were both configurations running at the same speeds and timings?

If the memory needs to get adjusted to work correctly with 4 sticks, different boards (chipsets) handle it differently. Some just do timings and others mess with the clock speeds.
Click to expand...

Yes they were running same speed and times the only difference was the 4x1gb were running at 2T instead of 1T.
 
Well, I installed the other 2 1gig sticks today, and everythings running at normal timings ect. Gaming performance went up quite a bit. Sad that vista needs 4gigs of ram to really perform the way it should.
 
predatowned said:
Well, I installed the other 2 1gig sticks today, and everythings running at normal timings ect. Gaming performance went up quite a bit. Sad that vista needs 4gigs of ram to really perform the way it should.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hide your nut, but Microsoft will be releasing SP1 during first quarter next year, and apparently has reliability improvements, whether or not you needed those extra sticks is yet to be seen.

But yeah, I'm thinking of going up to x64 OS, but I just got too much shite on my system that I'm hoping I don't need too.
 
DEATH eVADER said:
Sorry to hide your nut, but Microsoft will be releasing SP1 during first quarter next year, and apparently has reliability improvements, whether or not you needed those extra sticks is yet to be seen.

But yeah, I'm thinking of going up to x64 OS, but I just got too much shite on my system that I'm hoping I don't need too.
Click to expand...


meh, I have sp1 beta installed and really, it didn't change the fact that vista themes rape your memory. Aero is just too pretty to disable.:P Hopefully the final release offers something better than the beta has.

lol I say make the switch to x64. All my 32bit drivers work fine, it just installs in a seperate folder which is the x86 folder, obviously. If you have the power to back it up, Vista is rock solid even without a service pack.
 
Asus said:
It should run in dual channel mode with 4 slots filled. Dual doesn't mean only 2 sticks. Dual means it access the memory in pairs instead of single. And you can have 2 pairs. The slots are color coded to show which should be pairs.
Click to expand...

LoL. I knew you were gonna say that. Giant must be drunk when he wrote that.

Giant you better put down that Wild Goose. :P


Back to the topic:

4x512mb (2GB) modules run better than (2x1GB)
2x1GB modules run better than a 2GB module.
4x1GB modules will run better than 2x2GB
So on and so forth.

As long as all modules are dual-channel, all modules will run in dual-channel no matter what capacity. If one of them modules happen to be a single-Channel (which you shouldn't mix different modules anyway) all modules will run in single channel.
If all modules are set to different latency all modules will run in the highest latency (Lowest speed).

The higher the ram capacity the slower the rams will perform but, that shouldn't be a problem, since you won't notice performance changes with your naked eye but, it will definitely show the difference when you benchmark system.

When you're upgrading rams (Adding more rams); it's best to use same brand and model for compatibility reason. You can't mix Corsair with Crucial, even if they are the same size and latency. Also, if they are the same size and latency, same brand and model; you must also match volt and timing.

2GB is most preferred, that's why Vista sucks in games.

Good Luck.
 
predatowned said:
Well, I installed the other 2 1gig sticks today, and everythings running at normal timings ect. Gaming performance went up quite a bit. Sad that vista needs 4gigs of ram to really perform the way it should.
Click to expand...
uhhh what?
Vista with 1.5gigs ran amazing for me. In all my games (such as supreme commander).
 
giant384 said:
whats with all the hate!!!

i was corrected....so what....also where is your proof that running that many sticks at one time is better then only 2?
Click to expand...

I don't hate you Mr. Giant, you're one of my favorite posters. I have nothing but lots of love for ya.

As far as; why 4x512MB modules perform better than 2x1GB modules; is the tighter timing. Some say they do, some say they don't. I'll say they do. Google it.

But (For sideline note) 2x1GB modules will OC better than 4x512MB modules. Therefore, I always recommend people to buy 2x1GB (Paired) modules.
Also, for upgrade reasons; buying larger modules is better than filling up your memory banks with smaller modules.

Good Luck.

Ps. Giant No hard feeling boss. OK?
 
Perhaps what he is failing to say is that you can get 512mb sticks with lower timings...
 
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