Dual Channel DIMM

J

jaster713

New Member
I have an ASRock 780FullHD MB, and i was planning on adding 4gb of ram to it. right now have 4 in one channel....upon looking at the manual it says for the dual channel memory configuration with all 4 slots populated to "please install identical DDR2 DIMMs in all four slots."

I was wondering if this matters, i never knew this to be true, i thought as long as each "channel" was the same size, speed, chipset, brand, it was fine. I believe i had 2 512's, and 2 1gb in my previous motherboard and it worked fine.

Just wondering if this is ASRock asking for them to be the same, or if ALL FOUR DIMMs do need to be the same?
 
Are you saying you have a single 4gb stick? Or do you have 2x 2gb sticks?

You can and should be running dual channel already if you have 2 sticks.

You don't even need the same size sticks to run dual channel. I've run dual channel with a 1gb and 512mb stick, or a 2gb and 1gb stick. They don't need to be the same brand either, although sometimes it won't work so it is safer to have the same brand atleast.

If you have two sticks now, just make sure they are in the same colored slots (either the two orange or the two yellow) and it should run dual channel.
 
yeah that's exactly what i thought....currently i have 2 x 2gb sticks both in the same channel (yellow)...i was gonna get 2 more 2gb (or higher) sticks for my other channel, but that comment in the manual pissed me off..."please use identical for all four!" i never knew that to be true, so you think it's just a suggestion not a TRUTH!
 
Each slot is a channel...hence two sticks being DUAL channel, one slot populated would be single channel.

My question is, do you really need 8gb of ram? What are you doing with your PC that you think you need 8gb? I really doubt it, and it will most likely not improve performance whatsover.

Whats the rest of your setup like? CPU, video card, power supply?
 
well just started playing wow, and would like to run 2 (one in the background, just to help level a guy quicker) without lag!

as far as my computer:
ASRock A780FullHD
AMD Phenom 8650 triple core 2.3GHz processor
4gb RAM
powersupply 450w, 12v
and looking to upgrade my video card, any thoughts?
 
So you are running the onboard video?

Thats your problem right there, you need a discreet graphics card.

Whats your budget?


What brand power supply is that?
 
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WOW is not that intensive. What resolution are you gaming at?

If you want cheap, EVGA has a sale on B-stock items right now. $90 for a gtx460, which is actually considerably stronger than a gtx550.

The only problem with B-stock is you only get a 90 day warranty, thats why it's so cheap. It's not inferior quality, they just have less risk so you get deep discount. Mostly it's leftover stock they want to liquidate.

Here's a link to B-Stock items-

http://www.evga.com/products/prodlist.asp?switch=20

However, with a gtx460 you'll be needing a new power supply. 450w won't cut it.

This power supply is overkill but it's gonna be very futureproof for you-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

It's only $60 with the promo code, but you have to order within the next 5 days. Thats a steal for that power supply though.

So you can upgrade to a good quality power supply and a super strong overkill graphics card for $150!

If you aren't like B-stock 90 day warranty, let me know and I'll link you to something else.
 
I'd also recommend to overclock that 8650. Although the 8650 is an OK cpu, it's clockspeed is very low for today's standards.

The multiplier is 11.5, and all AM2/3 cpu's have a 200 bus clock stock. Take that bus clock to 230 and it'll give you 2.65ghz. You'll need to test for stability using prime95 and also watch your temperatures as well especially if you are on the stock cooler. You may or may not need extra voltage with that bump.
Also remember overclocking the bus clock overclocks your ram too. It's not going to be much, so I doubt you'll have issues, but just something to watch out for.

Or, if you aren't into overclocking, a simple CPU upgrade would cure all your problems then. The Phenom II 555 is $90, and although it's a dual core it's actually quite a bit stronger than the 8650 triple core because first of all newer architecture, second it has triple the L3 cache size, and third it's 900 mhz higher stock clockspeed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846

And actually, if you want max bang for the buck, the 955 quad core's price just dropped to $120-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
 
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no that's fine....that's for all the advise,

so no ram, just upgrade video and power? i'm also using onboard sound, is it worth picking a soundcard up, don't really have a problem with what i have, but soundcards, from what i saw seem pretty cheap?
 
So i would like to run 2 wow accounts @ max resolution....

was wondering what is alternative to "b" stock video?

also my buddy has the following:
Intel P964 MB
Core 2 Dual 6380 @ 1.86GHz
2G Ram
GeForce 7600GT
500W power

i am wondering how my PC with the video/power upgrade compares?
 
With the video and power upgrade it obliterates that PC. The gtx460 is a beast, probably literally 30-40 times stronger than a 7600gt.

Instead of B-Stock, than the gtx550 Ti is the way to go. EVGA is an excellent brand-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

Just forget the mail in rebate though, it voids the warranty.

But the 460 is a bit stronger than the 550. The 550 is no slouch though.

What resolution screen do you have?
 
1920x1080

so B stock is sorta like OEM? i really don't care too much about warranty, so i mean there really isn't any concern with B stock?
 
OK, you definitely want the 460 then for two instances of WOW on 1080p.

Yeah exactly, like OEM. Usually no accessories, which for a card isn't a big deal. 99% of the time if a graphics card is going to fail it will be DOA to begin with or within the first couple weeks something will happen. The 90 day warranty keeps that covered. I wouldn't be concerned, and I've gotten good deals from B-Stock all the time. Now I don't usually hang onto hardware very long, but I've never had anyone come back at me for anything that I sold them.


If you are making do with onboard video, a gtx460 is going to rock your world!!!
 
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It's a real steal for $90.

Just don't try to run it with that 450w power supply. If that pops, it can take out the motherboard and video card with it. I've seen it happen. A good quality power supply is the foundation for the rest of the system :)
 
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