4x4 memory explain

[Sherri Mauderer]

I have the Gskill ddr3 1866 cl9-10-9-28 1.5v pc3 149000 4x4 memory. Now it is quad channel has 4 chips with 4gb each on each stick. My mobo is a gigabyte 990fxa-ud3 v 1.1. Custom built PC windows 7 pro. Dual crossfirex sapphire 7870 graphics cards. Amd fx series 8 core CPU. Originally the PC showed 32gb of memory. There were 4 sticks of the above memory in it. We had some problems and I cleared the cmos. Now it reads 16gb memory and windows shows each of the 4 slots has a 2x4 stick in it. Gigabyte support is trying to tell me I only have 16gb memory. OK then for one why would it have said originally 32gb and why now is it saying 2x4 in each slot? The mobo can support up to 32gb quad channel. I am an IT tech I know that 4 chips with 4gb each means there's 16gb on each ram stick. This mb has dual bios like nothing I've ever seen. Can someone explain what needs to be changed to get the memory right. I told gigabyte support OK then if 4x4gb means 16gb total then 2x4 means I only have 8gb by your reasoning so explain to me how that works. Anyone know about the gigabyte mobo dual and advanced bios?

 

[RealBeast]

I think that you are a little confused. Your motherboard is dual channel not quad channel as you can see HERE.

4x4GB is four sticks of 4GB each, so 16GB total. No idea why your bios ever said that you have 32GB, unless you have 4x8GB (four sticks of 8GB each) and are running Windows 7 Home Premium, which is limited to 16GB.

Gigabyte dual bios is a feature to help insure that if one copy of the bios gets corrupted, you can still boot from the other. HERE is a little information on it in general, refer to your motherboard manual how to use it if needed.

 

[Tradesman1]

4 sticks (you are calling chips) with 4 GB each = 16GB total - what is the model # of your set of DRAM -since it's GSkill look at the last few digits of the model number after the last '-' (example model # F3-14900CL9Q-16GBXL ends with '16GBXL' which indicates the package of DRAM has 16GB total and is model Ripjaws X Low. prior to that '-'- is a 'Q' indicating a 4 stick (DIMM) set of DRAM

 

[Sherri Mauderer]

Mine ends in 16gbzl. Not sure bif that matters but I have read the owners manual over and over. I've been told by techs that I shud have a bios setting to enable the quad channel on the ram and that's how my brother got 32gb. And I was wrong it's version 1.2 mobo.

 

[Tradesman1]

It is a 16GB set - so that's out of the way - you have 16GB period. Next have no idea of who you have been taklking to but trust me, they may 'claim' to be 'techs' but any that claim you can run quad channel on a AMD 990 chipset is no where near being a 'tech'. The CPUs that run on the AM3+ mobos have dual channel memory controllers - you can magically turn a dual channel MC (memory controller) into a quad MC. No more than you can flick a switch and turn a 4GB stick of DRAM into a 8 GB stick

 

[Sherri Mauderer]

The answers on this website have also said u can triple your ram on these boards with a bios setting. I've Googled it and found similar things but the bios is complicated and I can't get a straight answer. It's quad channel ram double sided ñ mobo is dual channel and I read all about the new memory and it said as long as its dual sided u can triple ur ram with a bios setting so not sure why before it had 32 and now it don't but I know it's possible but all of u are just arguing with me So I guess never mind then

 

[Tradesman1]

NO DRAM is in of itself 'quad' channel - how many channels that are or can be utilized is determined my the memory controller of the CPU - and NO FX CPU has a quad channel MC. Each stick of DRAM is a single 64 bit device, when used in dual channel it is seen along with other sticks in dual channel as a 128bit device, tri channel (which is seen on socket 1366 mobos, Intel) is seen as a 192 bit device, quad (only seen in 2011 socket mobos on enthusiasts PCs see the DRAM as quad with 4 or 8 sticks as a single 256 bit device.

DRAM, as stated doesn't magically double itself for any reason. No one is arguing with you - we are simply telling you you are wrong. If you don't want to believe us, that's fine too...Contact your mobo manufacturer, contact GSkill direct, be happy to give you their email address, I'm also an Administrator on the GSkill forums....as far as that goes contact any DRAM manufacturer or mobo maker and they will all tell you the same

 

[Sherri Mauderer]

I just installed and configured the second graphics card that I had to remove before when it read 32 after enabling crossfire it now shows 32. So now tell me I'm wrong! Thank you for telling me I'm stupid. I've fixed every computer problem ever brought to me so I'm not stupid. So you are all wrong thanks and goodbye!

 

[Tradesman1]

You've already identified the set as a quad 16GB set, now you expect us to believe it has transformed into a 32GB set - don't think so, especially after all the other bad info you've provided....If you want to make things up that's up to you, am closing the thread