Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size)

buckman341 · 09-28-2009, 03:05 PM

Right now I have 2x1gb corsair XMS2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034

They are in an nvidia 680i mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188009

I would like to upgrade but I'm not sure if I should just get 2x2gb sticks and remove the old ones or maybe buy an identical (but larger sized) set of corsairs and run all 4. Not sure if that would even work.

corsair xms2 (dhx, what is that?) 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145194

It's a higher price than my other options but if I could use it with what I currently have I would get 6gb out of the deal. It has the same timings and voltage as my current set and is the same brand. Not sure if xms2 DHX is wildly different or not.

OCZ reaper 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227267
has same voltage as my current memory but slightly different timings. pretty sure these wont work well with what i have...

Gskill PI 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231209
I was originally just going to go with this memory and replace what I have completely. I like that it runs at 1.8v and has fast timings. I usually get corsair but these looked pretty solid.

Any advice would be appreciated. Mostly I'd like to know the limitations on what chips can run together in the same system. Thanks!

FreeNerd · 09-28-2009, 03:26 PM

In my experience using all 4 channels in your computer does not always improve performance. I would get the larger 2 x 2 GB sticks of your preference. I have run OCZ and Corsair with great luck, and my brothers are both running Gskill without issue. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the listed RAM.

Easiest way for you to know which is better is to get the new RAM. Replace your existing RAM with the new RAM, so you are running 2 x 2 GB sticks. Run 3dmark06 and record the result. Add the additional 2x1GB of RAM and run the banchmark again. Go with the RAM configuration that gave you the best performance.

I had a AMD 939 CPU with 4x1 GB of DDR 3200 RAM. I got better gaming performance in a 2x1GB config with lower latency than a 4x1 GB config. The motherboard could not support the lower latency speeds with 4GB installed. For virtualization the 4x1 GB setup was better, so it really comes down to what your needs are.

**greenbrucelee** · 09-28-2009, 03:28 PM

what you should do is get rid of the ones you have now and replace with 2x2GB dimms.

Generally most mobos will not like all four slots filled especially if they are different speeds and you would probably have to change the voltages for it get some what stable.

If you are going to overclock then what I said above is mandatory. If you have two different speeds then the faster speed will default to the slower ram speed which makes it slightly pointless in buying it.

I reckon you would be better with the OCZ reaper 2x2GB.

**wrench97** · 09-28-2009, 03:29 PM

2 gig sticks and 1 gig sticks uses the same amount of power to run, for that reason 2 sticks of 2gig each are better then 4 sticks, a lot of motherboards the 680i being one can have problems when filling all the ram slots.

**Tyree** · 09-28-2009, 04:33 PM

Same as above. Go with a 2X2 GB Matched Pair. Mixing RAM and filling all the slots on the Mobo can cause issues.
OCZ-Corsair-G.Skill are all good brands. OCZ and Corsair have the better prices for now.

I use OCZ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227199
And Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

09-28-2009, 03:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
buckman341 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size) Right now I have 2x1gb corsair XMS2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034 They are in an nvidia 680i mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188009 I would like to upgrade but I'm not sure if I should just get 2x2gb sticks and remove the old ones or maybe buy an identical (but larger sized) set of corsairs and run all 4. Not sure if that would even work. corsair xms2 (dhx, what is that?) 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145194 It's a higher price than my other options but if I could use it with what I currently have I would get 6gb out of the deal. It has the same timings and voltage as my current set and is the same brand. Not sure if xms2 DHX is wildly different or not. OCZ reaper 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227267 has same voltage as my current memory but slightly different timings. pretty sure these wont work well with what i have... Gskill PI 2x2gb http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231209 I was originally just going to go with this memory and replace what I have completely. I like that it runs at 1.8v and has fast timings. I usually get corsair but these looked pretty solid. Any advice would be appreciated. Mostly I'd like to know the limitations on what chips can run together in the same system. Thanks!

09-28-2009, 03:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
FreeNerd Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 238 OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP	Re: Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size) In my experience using all 4 channels in your computer does not always improve performance. I would get the larger 2 x 2 GB sticks of your preference. I have run OCZ and Corsair with great luck, and my brothers are both running Gskill without issue. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the listed RAM. Easiest way for you to know which is better is to get the new RAM. Replace your existing RAM with the new RAM, so you are running 2 x 2 GB sticks. Run 3dmark06 and record the result. Add the additional 2x1GB of RAM and run the banchmark again. Go with the RAM configuration that gave you the best performance. I had a AMD 939 CPU with 4x1 GB of DDR 3200 RAM. I got better gaming performance in a 2x1GB config with lower latency than a 4x1 GB config. The motherboard could not support the lower latency speeds with 4GB installed. For virtualization the 4x1 GB setup was better, so it really comes down to what your needs are. __________________ “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing” ~ Aristotle

09-28-2009, 03:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
greenbrucelee Mentor Hardware team Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,800 OS: XP SP3 My System	Re: Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size) what you should do is get rid of the ones you have now and replace with 2x2GB dimms. Generally most mobos will not like all four slots filled especially if they are different speeds and you would probably have to change the voltages for it get some what stable. If you are going to overclock then what I said above is mandatory. If you have two different speeds then the faster speed will default to the slower ram speed which makes it slightly pointless in buying it. I reckon you would be better with the OCZ reaper 2x2GB. __________________ Microsoft certified professional, Network +, A+ certified

09-28-2009, 03:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,433 OS: Win7	Re: Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size) 2 gig sticks and 1 gig sticks uses the same amount of power to run, for that reason 2 sticks of 2gig each are better then 4 sticks, a lot of motherboards the 680i being one can have problems when filling all the ram slots. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

09-28-2009, 04:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,479 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Running 4 sticks in dual channel?? (sticks not same size) Same as above. Go with a 2X2 GB Matched Pair. Mixing RAM and filling all the slots on the Mobo can cause issues. OCZ-Corsair-G.Skill are all good brands. OCZ and Corsair have the better prices for now. I use OCZ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227199 And Corsair http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184 __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently. Last edited by Tyree; 09-28-2009 at 04:35 PM.