4Gb or should I really get 6Gb and GTX260 Direct X10 or 11

[CarneyUK]

I currently have 4Gb of RAM which is 2 sticks of 2. It is Corsair DDR3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24 Platinum Edition?? (whatever all that means :book:)

 

When I bring up CPUz it says my memory is dual channel. I take it that is because it only has 2 sticks in (3rd slot is empty) I have been trying to get another stick of 2Gb of the same ram. Is it worth getting the stick or not?? i.e. will it make my memory then read as triple channel and will there be a difference in performance?

 

Also I have a Palit GTX260, not nVidia like I thought. DXDiag says I have DX11 installed, but I take it I can only run at DX10 due to the GPU?

 

As you will see my sig is changing all the time as I learn more about my PC and it's bit's and bob's.....thanks to all you peeps who have helped me understand more (mainly through learning about overclocking my i7 920 CPU)

 

A much apprecieated NOOB!! LOL

[MTFDarkEagle]

If you have a 64bit windows it's worth it. 4gb is a bit too tight.. Yes, you can only run it in dx10, because the gtx260 doesn't support dx11. dx11 is installed with win7.

[Fopeyducker]

Yes you need 3 sticks of DDR3 to use the triple channel. Yes it will improve performance though how much of an increase you will see in the real world day to day is much like the OC thread. Make sure the memory is in the same colour slots when you add the 3rd stick of RAM

 

Yes you have DX11 installed but your DX10 card will only be able to use DX10 features. It is a NVidia card/GPU, just that it is produced/put together by Palit.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Fopeyducker
Doh beat me to it lol

[CarneyUK]

Thanks Peeps!!

 

So it's another 2 gig of ram, GTX580, then a cooler and overclock like hell mmmwwwwaaahhhaaaaahhhaa!!...........then buy a new PC when I fry this one.

 

On a serious note, will get some ram a cooler then think I will go for the overclock. May take a while, so gonna have to speak nice to the wife since chrimbo is coming up :music_whistling:

Edited November 11, 2010 by CarneyUK
can't spell LOL

[Frederf]

It depends on your motherboard. Odds are that if it only has 3 slots then it's not a triple channel setup. Triple channel setups tend to have 6 slots. You'd have to look up your M/B model and manual to see for sure. If the M/B doesn't do triple channel then a third stick probably breaks the dual channel and you'd have a slight memory speed loss with the benefit of more capacity. If it does triple channel then it's win/win.

 

Palit GTX260 is an nVidia card. It's what you call a sub-vendor. All GTX260s share most parts and card layout. The sub-vendors like XFX, Rosewill, Asus, etc. take the reference design and fiddle with some stuff. You see DX11 because Win7 has DX11 installed and ready to use. The card itself is DX10.1 and uses a subset of the DX11 features. If you put in a DX11 card Win7 would be ready for it.

[CarneyUK]

Triple channel setups tend to have 6 slots. You'd have to look up your M/B model and manual to see for sure.

 

I have 6 slots, black, red, black, red, black, red. The first 2 red slot's have a memory stick in leaving 1 red and 3 black empty.

[Fopeyducker]

When you get 3 sticks put them all in the black slots or all in the red slots don't mix the colours or you won't get triple channel

[Frederf]

I think that's wrong. I can't say for sure without knowing your M/B.

 

Dual channel M/Bs tend to color their slots by channel. Same color=same channel. Carney, I'm guessing the best memory placement for you would be to populate R1, R2, B1, B2 and leave R3, B3 empty. That way you have two sticks in Red-channel and two sticks in Black-channel. Right now with the two channels asymmetrical you're probably in single-channel mode.

 

Your M/B manual with have a section on memory population rules.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Colour coding is what's mostly used:

triple channel will be the same coloured slots

[Fopeyducker]

I think that's wrong. I can't say for sure without knowing your M/B.

 

Dual channel M/Bs tend to color their slots by channel. Same color=same channel. Carney, I'm guessing the best memory placement for you would be to populate R1, R2, B1, B2 and leave R3, B3 empty. That way you have two sticks in Red-channel and two sticks in Black-channel. Right now with the two channels asymmetrical you're probably in single-channel mode.

 

Your M/B manual with have a section on memory population rules.

 

How's he going to fill 4 slots with 2 sticks?

 

I am correct, the only thing you need to look up, (when you get the extra stick), is whether they recommend filling the red slots or the black ones if you have 3 sticks of ram. Mine are in orange slots, black ones are empty. Not sure of the best combination with what you have at the moment.

Edited November 11, 2010 by Fopeyducker

[CarneyUK]

Have just found my manuals in the bottom of my wardrobe :music_whistling: I have the manuals for my Mobo, processor, joystick and more.....have even managed to find out 2 more buttons on my joystick are usable so have used them for weapon selection in DCS Black Shark.....anyway back on topic......

 

The mobo is a triple channel mobo. It has six slots as follows:

 

DIMM_A2 = empty

DIMM_A1 = 2Gb

DIMM_B2 = empty

DIMM_B1 = 2Gb

DIMM_C2 = empty

DIMM_C1 = empty

 

It advises A1 and B1 with 2 sticks. Phew!

If I get another stick (3 sticks total) it advises A1, B1 and C1 (all red ones)

4 sticks? as above but 4th stick in A2, then after that fill them all (no option for 5 sticks, just goes straight to 6.)

 

It's amazing what you learn when you read the manual......:doh:

Thanks peeps and Fopeyducker.....you need a new Callsign :smilewink:

[CarneyUK]

Phoned the peeps I bought my PC from and have ordered another 2Gb stick of the same stuff I already have, so that'll be 6Gb of ram. Paid for by the misses :thumbup:

 

All I gotta do now is get the cooler and then can overclock!! Will be looking at a new graphics card for early next year!

[Succellus]

I m having to re-learn computer assembling since i ve let my skill totally dull not following the market.

Would i have known it earlyer, i would have sayd that you should sell your memory and bought a tripple channel kit since you got a X58 mobo.

Don t worry i did the same mistake, ad i want to kill myself.

[CarneyUK]

I m having to re-learn computer assembling since i ve let my skill totally dull not following the market.

Would i have known it earlyer, i would have sayd that you should sell your memory and bought a tripple channel kit since you got a X58 mobo.

Don t worry i did the same mistake, ad i want to kill myself.

 

I think when I get the new 2Gb stick I will have 3 sticks in so it should be triple channel anyway?? Or am I wrong in my assumption?

[Succellus]

You are wrong with your assumption, double channel memory always come in pais and probably work only in pair.

Triple channel memory como only in 3.

There are architecture diferenciations.

EX: double channel don t work with triple channel. Installing double channel as tripple channel (EX: A1.B1. C1) wil not make it, if it works at all, which i doubt.

[topdog]

The kits or pairs are only sold to improve in the 'harmony' of running the memory in that configuration; coming from the same batch, same vendor, same brand, with all the same timings, equates to no loss of performance due to slight differences that then outweight the benefits of trying to get dual/triple channel performance.

 

The memory itself is just memory, it will work in whatever combination the motherboard says it will work in. The architectural changes are not (specifically enabling this) on the sticks themselves.

 

If you bought 2 'dual channel' DDR3 memory kits and used 3 of the sticks (leaving 1 to the side) you could quite easily put them in and use them as a triple channel kit, so long as the harmony isn't broken. You could also buy 3 separate sticks from 3 different shops and still be in with a reasonable chance of it working out under these conditions.

 

So, your best bet for moving from dual to triple channel (provided the mobo supports it, and it sounds like you've already done the homework on that,) is to replace the lot or add an identical stick to the 2 you have already got.

 

Mixing them up with different vendors/brands/models is risky and/or bad.

[Succellus]

I m really not sure what you say is true, would it be you would see the same memory beeing sold in pair or in triple.

And you don t see reviews of dual memory in triple install to concur with tripple channel either.

The Dual channeling and tripple channeling have diferenciations, in latency timming and other feautures.

 

Basicaly your saying double channel will work in 3, and i m saying they will not equal triple channel, well, not me but reviews done out there.

 

By what i ve seen, assuming the reviewer are idoneous, I doubt double channel and triple channel architecture come down to pure marketing.

[topdog]

Start here:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-channel_architecture

 

This talks about the enabler for the architecture, which requires - supporting motherboard (because it has a supporting chipset and memory controller), supporting CPU (to request and use the memory), and then the right quantity of identical sticks of RAM.

 

Then look at the specifications covering sticks of RAM themselves, and there's no comments to be made about dual or triple channels because it's not really relevant, just a cursory related link to the other article near the bottom:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR3_SDRAM

 

This is no different to when people were first moving from 'single channel' to dual channel architecture, and iterated in replies given to people asking the same questions:

 

http://forums.overclockersclub.com/index.php?showtopic=178662

 

"[Vendor X] could easily use triple channel, there is no physical difference between the sticks of memory that go into a DDR3 triple channel setup versus dual channel. But its much more expensive for only a little more performance."

 

"It is all the same RAM, ALL OF IT. It is just how they sell it. The ram is the same, how it is used is different."

 

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/278397-12-triple-channel-question

 

"Dual- and triple-channel kits are just packaging. It is the same as if you bought 2 or 3 identical individual modules. Nothing fancy here.

 

Triple-channel architectures only work as triple-channel when all 3 channels are populated with DIMMs (at least one DIMM). Otherwise, they will "downgrade" to dual-channel if you only populate 2 DIMMs.

 

If you buy 2 x dual-channel kits, that is the same as 4 x individual modules. You populate 3 of them across all of the channels to enable triple-channel mode, then you have one leftover as a 2nd DIMM in the first channel. Should work."

[CarneyUK]

Thanks for the info, I am hoping that I was right as I am getting a new 2Gb stick that is exactly the same as the 2 I already have in (when I bought the pc the original 2 sticks were not bought as dual channel)

 

The 3 sticks I will have in once the new one arrives are all Corsair Platinum Ed DDR3 XMS3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24 @1.65v so I am hoping this means they are designed as triple memory but as I only had two sticks is why it would only show as dual. They all have the same code TR3X6G1600C9.

 

Will soon find out on Tuesday when it arrives LOL

[Migo]

There are no Dual-Channel or Triple-Channel RAM-modules. You just have to use modules that will be able to run with the same frequency and timings.

 

You should rather overclock your CPU. 3.8/4Ghz would give you a 50% performance boost. It's easy and you would have to make major mistakes to damage any hardware.

[Succellus]

Wait... this mean if i buy 6 dual channel memory they work as tripple channel ?

 

So its pure marketing after all....very good to know.

 

So is i buy 3 sets of double channels memories, all same brand clock etc, i ll have 2 stokes of tripples chanell. This does 12GB an overkill probably but very interesting indeed.

 

Thanks carneyUK.

Migo i would like to do that but i fear thermal issues, and most people says 950 ain t as good to overclack than 930. And since vendor game me an 950 because he was out of stock of 930 and accepted my command. I was aiming at the 930.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Succellus

[topdog]

The only part you could say isn't pure marketing, is that microelectronics can still have slight variations that cause problems even with the same brand/model/specifications (hence what I was referring to as 'harmony' when using them together), and SOME of the vendors that provide kits will assert that the kit itself has been tested together and works in a dual or in a triple channel configuration as applicable.

 

That isn't to say all vendors even do that, though, but then neither does it have to be strictly necessary, it's just a small piece of mind and convenience.

 

Carney, I think you'll do OK with that approach; I have faith and pleasant experiences in Corsair's mid to high range memory brands (and gone from a kit to a non-kit pair of memory modules without problem in the past, for dual channel systems).

 

Succellus, one thing to beware of with that (trying to populate 2 banks of triple channel) is that it will put more strain (relatively speaking) on your machine to deliver power to the RAM modules, and that can adversly affect the overclocking potential.

 

I believe - not something I have personal experience with this time though - that is due to the desire in getting better overclocking rates and stability/lifetime by keeping voltages low, but in doing so end up not supplying enough consistent juice to power all the sticks, so they become unstable instead. Thus filling in all the banks with sticks can lead to reduced tolerances in how much both ends of your system can be tweaked.

 

If you're not interested at all in overclocking, that wouldn't be a problem, but if you are, plan ahead for that to make the right decision and compromise to get what you want.

[Succellus]

The only part you could say isn't pure marketing, is that microelectronics can still have slight variations that cause problems even with the same brand/model/specifications (hence what I was referring to as 'harmony' when using them together), and SOME of the vendors that provide kits will assert that the kit itself has been tested together and works in a dual or in a triple channel configuration as applicable.

 

That isn't to say all vendors even do that, though, but then neither does it have to be strictly necessary, it's just a small piece of mind and convenience.

 

Carney, I think you'll do OK with that approach; I have faith and pleasant experiences in Corsair's mid to high range memory brands (and gone from a kit to a non-kit pair of memory modules without problem in the past, for dual channel systems).

 

 

Succellus, one thing to beware of with that (trying to populate 2 banks of triple channel) is that it will put more strain (relatively speaking) on your machine to deliver power to the RAM modules, and that can adversly affect the overclocking potential.

 

I believe - not something I have personal experience with this time though - that is due to the desire in getting better overclocking rates and stability/lifetime by keeping voltages low, but in doing so end up not supplying enough consistent juice to power all the sticks, so they become unstable instead. Thus filling in all the banks with sticks can lead to reduced tolerances in how much both ends of your system can be tweaked.

 

If you're not interested at all in overclocking, that wouldn't be a problem, but if you are, plan ahead for that to make the right decision and compromise to get what you want.

 

Thanks with what i read recently, i knew about the strain. But this is for the future end of next year maybe. My first concern in building a right is if i ll have enought juice.

To do what i described i would have to upgrade from my currently 650 to an 850.

[Konovalov]

Succellus, On the juice concern that you have check out my sig detailing my current system. All that is with a Seasonic 600w PSU. I would doubt that you will need to upgrade to a 750-850w unit unless you want to run dual graphics cards or top of line cards such as gtx480.

 

Google search power supply calculators and you can determine what you need. EDIT: Here is a really good PSU calculator from Antec where you can choose pretty much every system component you have. It takes only 5 minutes to complete then hit the calculate button and you will have a pretty good idea of what you need and factor in a little wattage headroom.

 

http://www.antec.outervision.com/

Edited November 13, 2010 by Konovalov

[Succellus]

Konovalov, unless things change drastically in near future IE: games i like demands an absurd amount of GPU, i intend to double my MSI GTX 460 hawk, so ill need a 800 PSU to have ease of mind.