RAM question

Hi all. I decided I'd like to upgrade my RAM from one stick of this (1 GB OCZ RAM) to two. I was wondering, though, does the RAM itself need to specifically support dual-channel, or is that completely controlled by the motherboard? Or do I not even need to worry about dual-channel stuff until I have 4 DIMM's? A bit of an explanation on the subject of dual-channel in general would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Dual channel is entirely handled on the motherboard (and CPU for AMD chips). As far as the memory stick is concerned, there's no difference. All memory is capable of running in dual channel.

You can run in dual channel with 2 DIMMs. Check your motherboard documentation for exactly where you're supposed to install your RAM to ensure you'll run in dual channel mode.

The basic idea of dual channel is that there are two memory busses instead of one. Each one is entirely separate, so you get effectively double the bandwidth. The circuitry on the motherboard handles all the logic of dual channel, so it is entirely transparent to the operating system. Think of it like running memory in SLI mode.

 

Oh, great, thank you!

 

All right, I have a question about timing. I understand the CAS latency, RAS-to-CAS, etc., but I'm not exactly sure about the clock speed issue. When I go into my BIOS (I'm using an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium), there's an option to adjust the Max Memclock, and when I have the memory settings on "auto," it's set to 400 Mhz. However, my RAM is rated for an FBS of 200 Mhz. So my question is, how are the FBS and Max Memclock related? Are they the same, in which case I should turn down the memclock? Or does the difference in numbers have to do with the DDR system of using both "in and out" signals?

 

Also, if I mess around with the timings in the BIOS, do I have to change anything else (for example, the CPU settings, or anything in the "jumperless configuration" menu)? Or do I just worry about the DRAM settings if all I want to do is speed up my memory to what it's rated for?

 

Please?