Dual channel

shintojohn · 05-31-2006, 07:52 AM

Hi friends,
I assembled a PC with AMD athlon 64 bit 3000 + procesor and asus a8n-VM mohterboard.
The mother borad is supporting dual channel.
can anybody explain the difference between single channel and dual channel.
In bios settings, it is showing single channel.How can I change into dual channel.

**MunkyPhil** · 05-31-2006, 08:00 AM

Welcome to the forum, good to have you onboard.

Dual channel doubles the bandwidth available to your RAM, allowing a performance increase of around 10-15% (I think). For example PC3200 DDR400 runs at 3.2Gb/s bandwidth or 3200Mb/s hence the PC3200. Dual channel would double this to 6400Mb/s (6.4Gb/s), doubling the maximum throughput. Of course, this doesn't double the speed of your RAM, PC3200 would still run at 400MHz.

I have 2x512Mb PC4000 DDR (CL2.5) and performance tests show it runs at PC4300 DDR2 CL3 speeds. Significant enough for me. I would choose dual channel over single channel any day, look for the dual channel kits when buying RAM, they're matched pairs and tested to run together well.

Look at your motherboard manual to get the specifics about your motherboard's capacity to allow dual channel and its RAM population rules. Your manual is a goldmine of info and it will explain everything. If you're still confused about anything feel free to post back with more questions. We're always here.

cfcDevil · 05-31-2006, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MunkyPhil

.... look for the dual channel kits when buying RAM, they're matched pairs and tested to run together well.

Pardon my ignorance. I thought dual channel is a function of the mobo, not the RAM stick, no?
I have a Asus A8N-SLi and the manual does not mention i have to get dual-channel ram kit in order to get dual channel function. It only says which memory slots to put the double-sided ram to enable the dual channel function. Did i miss something?

**MunkyPhil** · 05-31-2006, 08:41 AM

You're right, dual channel is a function of the motherboard. I mentioned the RAM kits because they're tested to work best with each other in dual channel boards. RAM can cause problems in dual channel motherboards if you use different capacities, manufacturers and speeds in dual channel configurations. That is why the kits are best.

cfcDevil · 05-31-2006, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MunkyPhil

RAM can cause problems in dual channel motherboards if you use different capacities, manufacturers and speeds in dual channel configurations. That is why the kits are best.

That i totally agree, espcially for modern mobo. I just want to make sure i did not misundertand the dual channel function and how to invoke it.

shintojohn · 06-01-2006, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfcDevil

That i totally agree, espcially for modern mobo. I just want to make sure i did not misundertand the dual channel function and how to invoke it.

My mother board is supporting dual channel. so by using two RAMs,(which are tested to work best with each other in dual channel boards) I will get advantages of dual channel ..Am I right??

cfcDevil · 06-01-2006, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shintojohn

My mother board is supporting dual channel. so by using two RAMs,(which are tested to work best with each other in dual channel boards) I will get advantages of dual channel ..Am I right??

That is right but check your mobo manual because some mobo requires user to allocate the memory sticks appropriately in certain pattern in order to get dual channel. The poster in this thread had similar question. His/her mobo is a good example.

Asus A8V-E Deluxe Dual Channel Ram Question

05-31-2006, 07:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
shintojohn Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2 OS: xp	Dual channel Hi friends, I assembled a PC with AMD athlon 64 bit 3000 + procesor and asus a8n-VM mohterboard. The mother borad is supporting dual channel. can anybody explain the difference between single channel and dual channel. In bios settings, it is showing single channel.How can I change into dual channel.

05-31-2006, 08:00 AM	#2 (permalink)
MunkyPhil TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Liverpool, England Posts: 1,140 OS: Win XP Pro SP2 My System	Welcome to the forum, good to have you onboard. Dual channel doubles the bandwidth available to your RAM, allowing a performance increase of around 10-15% (I think). For example PC3200 DDR400 runs at 3.2Gb/s bandwidth or 3200Mb/s hence the PC3200. Dual channel would double this to 6400Mb/s (6.4Gb/s), doubling the maximum throughput. Of course, this doesn't double the speed of your RAM, PC3200 would still run at 400MHz. I have 2x512Mb PC4000 DDR (CL2.5) and performance tests show it runs at PC4300 DDR2 CL3 speeds. Significant enough for me. I would choose dual channel over single channel any day, look for the dual channel kits when buying RAM, they're matched pairs and tested to run together well. Look at your motherboard manual to get the specifics about your motherboard's capacity to allow dual channel and its RAM population rules. Your manual is a goldmine of info and it will explain everything. If you're still confused about anything feel free to post back with more questions. We're always here. __________________ "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." - J. Robert Oppenheimer, July 16th 1945. CPU-z -- Memtest -- Speedfan -- Prime95 -- SandraLite Important Power Supply Info -- Applying Thermal Paste -- Posting System Specs Last edited by MunkyPhil; 05-31-2006 at 08:04 AM.

05-31-2006, 08:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
MunkyPhil TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Liverpool, England Posts: 1,140 OS: Win XP Pro SP2 My System	You're right, dual channel is a function of the motherboard. I mentioned the RAM kits because they're tested to work best with each other in dual channel boards. RAM can cause problems in dual channel motherboards if you use different capacities, manufacturers and speeds in dual channel configurations. That is why the kits are best. __________________ "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." - J. Robert Oppenheimer, July 16th 1945. CPU-z -- Memtest -- Speedfan -- Prime95 -- SandraLite Important Power Supply Info -- Applying Thermal Paste -- Posting System Specs