dual channel memory

do you have to use specific memory that is made for DUAL channel if you buy a mobo thats made for dual channel, or can u just use two of the same sticks of memory? i might buy this mobo and it says it needs dual channel memory.
Motherboard

 

No.
Use two sticks of same brand,size,same speed, and that support same timings for best result, less chance of incompatitibility, sometimes different brands will work together.
I have a couple of rigs running in dual channel mode.
The mobo must support dual channel to run in dual channel, with a dual channel board you dont have to run memory in dual channel, but if you do there is a performance increase, I reccomend dual channel.

You can purchase match pairs of memory designed for dual channel, sometimes is cheaper to purchase match pair's.

One of my rigs is running dual channel using match pair of pc2700 ddr.
The other rig is running dual channel using non match pc3200 ddr, although both memory chips are same brand same speed same model number, I purchased from same vendor.

some mobo's are more picky with memory chips than others, some mobo manufactures have reccomended memory lists avaible at there web sites.

Last note there is wide range of quality of memory chips sold, stick to major brand names, and purchase from reputable vendors, most will guarentee compatitibility

 

ok, so if you have two sticks of memory in there it automatically runs in dual channel or do you some how have to "turn it on"? or do you put it in specific slots because the mobo i want has two different colors of memory slots? the two that are close together, one is blue and one is black, then there is another that is spaced a lil bit apart from other two that is blue? if you saw the pic then you would know what im talkin about.

 

i also remember you sayin stick with the name brands of memory, could you maybe list some good brands and some to stay away from?

 

What MOBO "Brand & model" are we talking about?
When memory installed in the right slots it will run dual channel, nothing to turn on.
If I had to guess one stick in each color slot, if your wrong you wont run in dual channel.
When you boot, on screen splash, dual channel mode will be displayed if your running in dual, or only the total of memory installed, it flashes quickly, should be displayed with drive info, you can press "Pause Break" key to halt image, then "enter" to continue booting.

Three slots two are one channel the other slot is the other channel.
In the mobo manual will describe the proper slot's to use.

 

i posted link to mobo in my very first post, lol.

 

what does "64M x 64 -Bit" mean when looking at memory? also please name some good popular brands of memory so i dont buy something that is total crap. Thanks.

 

Also, be advised that different brand/types of memory modules may or may not work together. It just depends on how picky the motherboard is. For best performance and compatibility, buy matched pairs of memory that are designed for dual channel.

 

Yeah, i got that much already, but can anybody answer ^^^ that question?

 

Yes, it refering to double sided ram, it's those little square things stuck on the ram chip check out the link at bottom of my post for more than you need to Know, click the link, turn on your speakers, set back and listen.

First is link for your manual:
ftp://ftp.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/nforce2/a7n8x-e/e1322_a7n8x-e_deluxe.pdf

Second, for dual channel use slot 1(closest to CPU) and slot (3 farthest from cpu) or you can use slot 2 and 3.

Third, here is some reccomended memory from ASUS web, this list from A7N8X Deluxe MOBO, I did not see any specificly for the E version, but the boards are almost Identical.
The chips listed below are PC3200 chips that were tested by ASUS on thier MOBO's

DDR 400 Table
DIMM
Vendor DIMM Part No. CL Size Side DIE
Vendor DIE Part No.
Samsung M368L6423
DTM-CC4 3 512MB Double Samsung K4H560838D-
TCC4
Samsung M368L3223
DTM-CC4 3 256MB Single Samsung K4H560838D-
TCC4
Adata BDMA83A 2.5 256MB Single Winbond W942508BH-5
TwinMOS MDouble
TTUF08108L294
K4FW0/T 2.5 256MB Single TwinMOS TMD7608F
8E50B
Winbond W9451GBDB-5 2.5 512MB Double Winbond W942508BH-5
TwinMOS 2.5 512MB Double Winbond W942508BH-5
TwinMOS 2.5 256MB Single Winbond W942508BH-5
Kingston KVR400X64
C25/256 2.5 256MB Single Winbond W942508BH-5
Corsair CMX512-3200C
2XMS3202 v1.1 2.5 512M Double

Check this out, this company Will guarentee compatitibility, they offer several top brands and have great tech staff, good prices too.:
https://www.memory-up.com/Memory/
Also note Timings, different chips will run at different timings.
Look here:
http://www.comcast.net/qry/websearch?cmd=qry&safe=on&query="memory+timings"&searchChoice=google
And Here:
http://www.corsairmicro.com/memory_basics/153707/index.html

If ya got any more Questions Just Ask

 

Thanks Asus, I seem to have a LOT of questions huh? lol.

 

That's OK
Always nice when ya can get answers.
Asking alot of questions may help to avoid alot of problems.
Those whom do thier homework, always fair better than those who Dont.

That Mobo your considering is nice board! I dont know what CPU your planning to buy, But I would reccomend XP 2500 or Higher.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks asus, your the kinda person that helps me learn better. i can usually get things right when somebody is actually showing me how to do somethin but this is as close to it as im gonna get and it really does help a lot. after im done with this year of school(im a senior now), im most likely gonna go to a trade school or somethin to get certified in pc repair or computer programming(heard they make 50 bucks an hour, lol). i really appreciate you helping me with all my questions.

Im prolly not gonna buy the board right away because i want to save my money and get everything at the same time, that way if somethin turns out defective i still got warranty. i was planning on goin with the athlon xp 2800+ because its pretty cheap now and the next one up is kind of a huge price jump too. i was planning on getting kingston 512 pc3200 to go with that. i think it'll be fast enought for me for a while. dont have a lot of money to spend so im kinda tryin to get the bast bang for tha buck. if you have any good suggestions for my first computer im buildin please let me know. but anyway, thanks again for all your help, really appreciate it.

Chris

 

S & E,

I have the exact motherboard you are questioning. I run two sticks of this memory in dual channel mode [http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-144-305&depa=1]. I couldn't be happier. the XP 2800+ has a FSB of 333, which means the PC3200 ram will clock down to PC2700. my advice? either get the XP 2500+ (best bang for you buck) and get PC2700 ram, or get the XP 3000+ 400 fsb which will run in sync with PC3200 ram.

side note...i took a pc repair and networking class about 3 or 4 years ago, and at the time, if you had your CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), you could make upwards of $70k a year. that was before the crash of the economy. PC repair jobs will never make $50/hr, unless you get lucky or the job market goes back up or you have a computer science or MIS degree. don't limit yourself to trade school...get your degree.

 

lol, i was talin bout the programming stuff makin $50/hr. im not sayin its true or anything that just what i heard. what would it take to get my CCNA? i really want to get into the computer business when i get out of high school just i cant make up my mind what exactly i want to do yet. thanks for the info tho.

 

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html