Dual Channel Ram

Alright currently I have 2x256 Infineron PC-2700 ram in dual channel. Now I'm thinking about buying these ram http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-995&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE . The question is once i put those ram in my computer will it still be running Dual channel even when I have Infineron and OCZ ram together or do I have to get the same exact ram thats already in my computer which is the Infineron? Thx for the help.

 

You can have two different brands of RAM in your computer at the same time and it won't hurt anything. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but you should be able to buy that RAM and add it to your computer and be just fine. You do have 4 slots for RAM, right?

 

Yeah, frosty you asked me that yesterday a couple times and i told you the answer. As long as the ram is DDR you can purchase it, put it in, and it will autodetect it for you. No setup or anything.

 

Alright man just wanted to make sure sure.

 

No, that's not correct. Very often you can combine RAM from different manufacturers and have no problems at all. However, it is not unheard of for incompatibilities between manufacturers to exist. (Stick A alone = run, stick B alone = run, stick A + B = fail.)

Additionally, for dual channel to work both channels must be matched. Here's an excerpt from this excellent white paper on dual channel:

http://www.silversanctum.com/images/dualchannel.png

Note that that's how dual channel works on Intel boards. I'm not sure how it works from other manufacturers. I've seen boards with 3 DIMM slots that say you can get dual channel with all slots full. Additionally, there's newer technology that allows dual channel to be a lot more flexible than it is now, allowing more configurations to be run in dual-channel mode. See your mobo manual.

 

hmm intresting....So let me get this straight I have to get the same brand of ram which is Infineron in order to get dual channel ram for the gig of ram or can I have have 2x256 ram of Infineron and put one stick in lets say slot A and slot C then I can use the OZC and put one stick of 2x256 in slot B and D?

 

With three memory module spaces, is it better to have memory in slots 1 and 2, or 1 and 3? Also, on my mobo, slot one is a different color and sits a lot closer to slot 2 than 2 does to 3.

 

"With three memory module spaces, is it better to have memory in slots 1 and 2, or 1 and 3? Also, on my mobo, slot one is a different color and sits a lot closer to slot 2 than 2 does to 3."

Assuming you are talking about an nForce2 motherboard with 3 slots, check your manual. Most of them have 2 slots seperated from the 3rd slot. Put one in the slot away from the other two, and put the other in one of the remaining slots. Usually you can put them in either slots 1+3, or slots 2+3.

 

The different color slots represent the different channels.
Probably no differance (check mobo manual) you must have equal amounts of ram in each channel to run in dual channel mode.
When using only one stick of ram usually slot one.

I have asus mobo running in dual channel/ has three ram slots/ one channel has two slots each has stick of 256mb ddr/ the other channel has one stick of 512mb ddr.
The result is total of 1G DDR running in Dual channel

 

So what about me? Do I have to buy infineon ram or I can go with the OCZ ram?

 

Actually, usually the same color is a different bus. (I bet that's what you were saying -- it just confused me.) Usually bus A has one blue slot and one black slot, and bus B has one blue slot and one black slot. So you're supposed to fill Blue A, then Blue B, then Black A, and then Black B.

Out of curiosity, does it work if you split it 768/256? Obviously, best practice is still to have equal portions of memory on each bus (that is, 512/512 is better than 768/256) because you want to split the bandwidth up equally amongst the available RAM.

 

OCZ should work fine, but there's always a chance of an incompatibility.

 

Any1 know any ram that for sure is compatible? I'll would hate to buy it then recieve it then find out it wont work. Also quick question. Any ram can be dual channel ram right? As long they are the same thing. All u need is a mobo that supports it rihgt?

 

Well, if you look at the ICs on the chip you might be able to determine if those are made by the same manufacturer (there's only a handful of memory IC manufacturers in the world, so it's possible they're the same make of memory). But it usually pretty hard to determine that online.

And as I said, it's pretty uncommon not to work. "Best practice" is usually to get the same make of memory with the same timings.

Is there any reason you want the OCZ RAM over the other?

Right. The RAM doesn't care one way or another if you're dual channel or not. It's all in how the chipset is designed.

 

no there no reason at all. If u got any ram u recommend plz share. Those OCZ ram timing is the same exact timing with my current 2x256 infineon ram also. Anyways which of the three ram would u guys choose over the other?

1. Kingston VALUERAM 184-Pin 512MB(256MBx2) DDR PC-2700, Model KVR333X64C25K2/512 - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-141-433&depa=1




2.Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM(Will need to buy two of these to get 512 ram)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-406&depa=1


3.OCZ Premier Value Series, Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 512MB (256MBx2) DDR PC-2700
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-995&depa=1


4.Crucial 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC 2700 4T - OEM (Will need to buy two of these to get 512 ram)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-497&depa=1

 

1 last question. Pc-3200 can it be use a Pc-2700 also? I was just thinking about buying 2x256 Pc-3200 and just put that in my computer with my 2x256 PC-2700 Infineon if Pc-3200 can be used a s Pc-2700. Then once I get enough money I'll just buy an extra 2x256 PC-3200 so I can have a full Gig of PC-3200. So basically I'm asking if I can have 2x256 Infineon Pc-2700 and 2x256 Crucial Pc-3200 together to ass a gig of ram till I get enough money to get another 512 Pc-3200.

 

Lemme say the last sentence again. So basically I"m aksing if I can have 2x256 Infineon Pc-2700 and 2x256 Crucial PC-3200 together to get a gig of PC-2700 till I get enough money for another 2x256 crucial PC-3200 so I can have a gig of PC-3200.

 

Yes, you can run the PC3200 at PC2700 speeds, but as da chicken said, if the RAM modules are not identical, there is a chance of incompatibility. There is probably a good chance it will work, but not 100%.

 

Go for it. I have an old PIII in our loft and it has 4 differnt brands of memory in it. ALL PC100 128MB Sticks!



cooked

 

Thanks for the imput guys just order 2 stick of these http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-542&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE