how could i know if my RAM is dualchannel?

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 01:27 PM

same as above

Zardon · Dec 2, 2004, 02:00 PM

Is this the Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM in your signature?

I dont know the motherboard you are using at all , but if you have 2 x 512 modules in the right slots on your mobo (normally 1 and 3 or 2 and 4) it should say on boot up. does it? need more info.

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zardon

Is this the Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM in your signature?

I dont know the motherboard you are using at all , but if you have 2 x 512 modules in the right slots on your mobo (normally 1 and 3 or 2 and 4) it should say on boot up. does it? need more info.

yeah, it's the mem i'm asking for, the one in my sig. sadly my mobo doesnt support dualchannel but will it be still posted on boot up even it doesnt support dualchannel?
my mobo is Jetway PM2MP http://www.jetway.com.tw/evisn/produ...m2mp/pm2mp.htm

Zardon · Dec 2, 2004, 04:21 PM

If your motherboard doesnt support dualchannel then you can be assured it wont be working in dualchannel.

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 04:31 PM

that's why im askin if my RAM is a dualchannel ram because im planning to buy a new mobo, and most of the mobo's that supports dualchannel is expensive but if my mem isnt then i won't buy those expensive ones

Nuke209 · Dec 2, 2004, 04:32 PM

u can use cpu-z from www.cpuid.com and see if it's in dual or single

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 04:33 PM

btw is dualchannel a RAM thingie or only on mobo? i don't acctually get it, hehehehe thanks in advance zardon

mkk · Dec 2, 2004, 04:41 PM

There is no such thing as "dual-channel RAM" since it's all up to the motherboards/memory controller. The memory does not have to be of the same type or brand either, although it can help making it easier on the mobo.

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 04:51 PM

so.. it'll be ok for me to but a mobo that supports dualchannel and get the performance bonus even when i'm running DDR 333? and will there be a noticable improvement if i run it with the mobo supporting dualchannel?

mkk · Dec 2, 2004, 05:01 PM

If you can get a newer board that is not too expensive then yes maybe it could be worth it. Especially if you could also get some other improvements out of it, like perhaps on-board SATA or something else that you might not currently have. Zardon and others are more on top of the Intel side, but dual-channel should give a decent boost with your type of system.

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 05:53 PM

now i get it, i've read somewhere that dualchannel only becomes available if using 2 DDR's with the same speed, but my mem is only 1 stick, will the dualchannel work for me?

Babalou · Dec 2, 2004, 05:57 PM

You need two physical sticks. and usually placed in slots 1 & 3/2 & 4.
So no 1 stick of ram will not allow dual channel.
This is of course requiring a Dual Channel motherboard.

Matth · Dec 2, 2004, 05:59 PM

No, it won't - Dual channel needs two sticks of RAM, so unless you can arrange a swap of that overpriced 1Gb for two 512's, or can afford to go to a new mobo AND another 1Gb, I'd forget the upgrade - and buy a DVD Writer or something, if you don't already have one.

"Capability" upgrades are generally a lot better value than "performance" upgrades!

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 06:00 PM

so.... it's not worth it buying a mobo that supports dualchannel? i'm not planning to upgrade my RAM anytime soon, dualchannel supported mobos are expensive you know, but my current mobo only supports 266 DDR and reads my 333 as 266, it there a performance hit? and should i see a noticable performance if i buy a new mobo?

Matth · Dec 2, 2004, 06:06 PM

Other than trading the 1GB, and anyone who needs a 1Gb should be happy to swap, as it's generally more expensive than a pair of 512's

The performance gain from dual channel, will certainly not be double - It depends on the workload, cached well or not cached well, as on those access which miss the CPU cache, the transfer rate would be doubled, but latencies unchanged.

PS. If you're using a touch of FSB overclocking, it's running the DDR333 at 266 plus the % overclock.
You may also be able to use aggressive memory timings, and get about as much speed as you can out of the RAM.

It might be more useful if the motherboard could run asychronous memory timings (DDR333 memory to a 533FSB), but the time lost when they are out of step, can make it tough for any gain to be realized. If you run DDR333 at 266, then it runs like DDR266 - if you're lucky, or if you can set it, it uses fast timings, but if you're unlucky, a DDR333 with slack timings stays just as slack at 266.

rjpogi · Dec 2, 2004, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjpogi

so.... it's not worth it buying a mobo that supports dualchannel? i'm not planning to upgrade my RAM anytime soon, dualchannel supported mobos are expensive you know, but my current mobo only supports 266 DDR and reads my 333 as 266, it there a performance hit? and should i see a noticable performance if i buy a new mobo?

bump

bug77 · Dec 2, 2004, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjpogi

so.... it's not worth it buying a mobo that supports dualchannel? i'm not planning to upgrade my RAM anytime soon, dualchannel supported mobos are expensive you know, but my current mobo only supports 266 DDR and reads my 333 as 266, it there a performance hit? and should i see a noticable performance if i buy a new mobo?

Yes, running DDR333 @ DDR266 is a performance hit. And a good reason to upgrade your motherboard. As someone already suggested, maybe you can exchange your stick for 2x512 (preferrably DDR400). I'd say there's a 20% performance bonus coming from this changes alone.
I'm not up to date with P4 motherboards, but I think you should look for something based on 865/875 chipset...

Matth · Dec 2, 2004, 06:20 PM

It gets complicated - unless you also replace the 533FSB processor, you can olnly run 2x DDR266 (plus a bit of overclock), or RAM independent of or ratio'ed to the FSB if the chipset and BIOS support it.

DDR333 run at 266 might run at 266 with the slower timings needed for it to be stable at 333.
It should be possible to run "average" DDR333 at "fast" 266 timings

Running memory below it's maximum speed is not "bad", it's an opportunity to tweak the timings.

swimtech · Dec 2, 2004, 10:51 PM

We seem to be discussing the same subject here as I just now noticed...

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/hardware-discussion-support/62826-should-i-upgrade-first.html

and it might be good to get other member's input for rjpogi's sake...

A motherboard upgrade, and ram swap to do dual channel, would help, but I don't think it would be a big help in real world use...

rjpogi · Dec 3, 2004, 01:25 AM

wahhh! it get very very complicated, what's the first thing i should do? a very very detailed instructions would help, i don't want to waste my hard earned (really hard earned, i save my 6 months allowance for this) cash for a noticable performance upgrade, help will be much appreciated, thanks God bless

Dec 2, 2004, 01:27 PM	#1
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	how could i know if my RAM is dualchannel? same as above __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 04:31 PM	Thread Starter #5
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	that's why im askin if my RAM is a dualchannel ram because im planning to buy a new mobo, and most of the mobo's that supports dualchannel is expensive but if my mem isnt then i won't buy those expensive ones __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 04:32 PM	#6
Nuke209 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: St. Paul Posts: 568 Rep Power: 0	u can use cpu-z from www.cpuid.com and see if it's in dual or single __________________ 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

Dec 2, 2004, 04:33 PM	Thread Starter #7
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	btw is dualchannel a RAM thingie or only on mobo? i don't acctually get it, hehehehe thanks in advance zardon __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 04:51 PM	Thread Starter #9
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	so.. it'll be ok for me to but a mobo that supports dualchannel and get the performance bonus even when i'm running DDR 333? and will there be a noticable improvement if i run it with the mobo supporting dualchannel? __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 02:00 PM	#2
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	Is this the Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM in your signature? I dont know the motherboard you are using at all , but if you have 2 x 512 modules in the right slots on your mobo (normally 1 and 3 or 2 and 4) it should say on boot up. does it? need more info.

Dec 2, 2004, 04:21 PM	#4
Zardon DriverHeaven Founder Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 32,480 Rep Power: 179	If your motherboard doesnt support dualchannel then you can be assured it wont be working in dualchannel.

Dec 2, 2004, 04:41 PM	#8
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,490 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	There is no such thing as "dual-channel RAM" since it's all up to the motherboards/memory controller. The memory does not have to be of the same type or brand either, although it can help making it easier on the mobo.

Dec 2, 2004, 05:01 PM	#10
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,490 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	If you can get a newer board that is not too expensive then yes maybe it could be worth it. Especially if you could also get some other improvements out of it, like perhaps on-board SATA or something else that you might not currently have. Zardon and others are more on top of the Intel side, but dual-channel should give a decent boost with your type of system.

Dec 2, 2004, 05:53 PM	Thread Starter #11
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	now i get it, i've read somewhere that dualchannel only becomes available if using 2 DDR's with the same speed, but my mem is only 1 stick, will the dualchannel work for me? __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 05:57 PM	#12
Babalou HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 132 Rep Power: 0	You need two physical sticks. and usually placed in slots 1 & 3/2 & 4. So no 1 stick of ram will not allow dual channel. This is of course requiring a Dual Channel motherboard.

Dec 2, 2004, 05:59 PM	#13
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	No, it won't - Dual channel needs two sticks of RAM, so unless you can arrange a swap of that overpriced 1Gb for two 512's, or can afford to go to a new mobo AND another 1Gb, I'd forget the upgrade - and buy a DVD Writer or something, if you don't already have one. "Capability" upgrades are generally a lot better value than "performance" upgrades!

Dec 2, 2004, 06:00 PM	Thread Starter #14
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	so.... it's not worth it buying a mobo that supports dualchannel? i'm not planning to upgrade my RAM anytime soon, dualchannel supported mobos are expensive you know, but my current mobo only supports 266 DDR and reads my 333 as 266, it there a performance hit? and should i see a noticable performance if i buy a new mobo? __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP

Dec 2, 2004, 06:06 PM	#15
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Other than trading the 1GB, and anyone who needs a 1Gb should be happy to swap, as it's generally more expensive than a pair of 512's The performance gain from dual channel, will certainly not be double - It depends on the workload, cached well or not cached well, as on those access which miss the CPU cache, the transfer rate would be doubled, but latencies unchanged. PS. If you're using a touch of FSB overclocking, it's running the DDR333 at 266 plus the % overclock. You may also be able to use aggressive memory timings, and get about as much speed as you can out of the RAM. It might be more useful if the motherboard could run asychronous memory timings (DDR333 memory to a 533FSB), but the time lost when they are out of step, can make it tough for any gain to be realized. If you run DDR333 at 266, then it runs like DDR266 - if you're lucky, or if you can set it, it uses fast timings, but if you're unlucky, a DDR333 with slack timings stays just as slack at 266. Last edited by Matth; Dec 2, 2004 at 06:14 PM.

Dec 2, 2004, 06:20 PM	#18
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	It gets complicated - unless you also replace the 533FSB processor, you can olnly run 2x DDR266 (plus a bit of overclock), or RAM independent of or ratio'ed to the FSB if the chipset and BIOS support it. DDR333 run at 266 might run at 266 with the slower timings needed for it to be stable at 333. It should be possible to run "average" DDR333 at "fast" 266 timings Running memory below it's maximum speed is not "bad", it's an opportunity to tweak the timings.

Dec 2, 2004, 10:51 PM	#19
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	We seem to be discussing the same subject here as I just now noticed... http://www.hardwareheaven.com/hardware-discussion-support/62826-should-i-upgrade-first.html and it might be good to get other member's input for rjpogi's sake... A motherboard upgrade, and ram swap to do dual channel, would help, but I don't think it would be a big help in real world use... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Dec 3, 2004, 01:25 AM	Thread Starter #20
rjpogi DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Seoul-Tokyo Connection Posts: 235 Rep Power: 0	wahhh! it get very very complicated, what's the first thing i should do? a very very detailed instructions would help, i don't want to waste my hard earned (really hard earned, i save my 6 months allowance for this) cash for a noticable performance upgrade, help will be much appreciated, thanks God bless __________________ AMD 64 +3000 Venice 2 Infineon 1 gig PC2700 333Mhz DDRAM ECS Elite nForce3a Mobo Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Inno3D Geforce 6600 AGP