AMD and Dual Channel?

[Mr5oh]

Ok, I haven't really found any good articles on this, so I figure I'll ask. Everyone keeps saying Dual Channel really doesn't help much on AMD chips, now I sort of understand the reasoning behind this however.

However, on my setup, dual channel causes a 500 point jump in PCMark02. I just switched to dual channel on my father-in-law's computer, and his scores jumped 1100 points.

Now I understand these are synthetic benchmarks, however these are pretty big jumps in scores, so at the moment, I don't think I would own a AMD XP motherboard without dual channel.

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[endyen]

Have you ever taken a dog out, and thrown a stick for him?
You know how the dog goes crazy, running everywhere when you pick up the stick, and get ready? This is prefetch. Intel chips do a lot of prefetch. They are proud of how much they do. Amd doesn't do much prefetch, because they want to cut to the chase. Intel chips get a lot more advantage from memory bandwidth, because otherwise, it would mostly be taken up by prefetch.
Amd gains as well, it's just not as drastic.

 

[mopeygoth]

I have had the same wonders when scooping for AMD64 boards, the reason I stuck with intel was that the boards lacked all modern features, despite their high prize, and then the tricky part: three dimm slots?

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[DonnieDarko]

lacked modern features on an amd64 mobo?
what are you talking about?

Watch out for the <b><font color=red>bloody</font color=red></b> Fanboys!

AMD64 2800+ :: MSI Neo-Fis2r :: 512mb Kingmax ddr400 :: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb :: 10K WD Raptor

Addicted, finally.

 

[DonnieDarko]

btw, what is with the 600watt powersupply?


Watch out for the <b><font color=red>bloody</font color=red></b> Fanboys!

AMD64 2800+ :: MSI Neo-Fis2r :: 512mb Kingmax ddr400 :: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb :: 10K WD Raptor

Addicted, finally.

 

[pickxx]

here is what most people mean...Dual channel for A64's doesn't gain a lot of speed because it has an onboard memory controler. Low latency and dual channel arn't needed as much with an onboard memory controler.

The AXP will get advantages from dual channel and low latency because it has no onboard mem. control.

Intel likes fast dimms and dual channel, and its almost double the price of the value RAM that A64 kicks their A$$ in games with.

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<font color=blue> I am on an express train to hell. I hope I'm in the front row, the ride is ALWAYS better in the front. </font color=blue>

 

[endyen]

btw, what is with the 600watt powersupply?

He needs it for cooling, and that mighty graphics card.
BTW he's probably using a 478 board. They have all the old tech you could ever need.

 

[DonnieDarko]

i bet that psu could power my car.

Watch out for the <b><font color=red>bloody</font color=red></b> Fanboys!

AMD64 2800+ :: MSI Neo-Fis2r :: 512mb Kingmax ddr400 :: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb :: 10K WD Raptor

Addicted, finally.

 

[endyen]

Yes, but is it enough for

Geforce 2 MX400 64MB

 

[mopeygoth]

Well, it might just be that the A64 was very recently added to the market at the time I was checking it out. A proper feature packed board went for around double the price as a comparative 478-pin board. The idea of three dimm slots was, in the end, the thing that made me turn back (i am planning to run 4x512mb when the money is there). Don't get offended ppl I really like the A64, (as the first amd i ever did like). 600w psu? well, because I CAN have a 600w psu. Oh yes.. my insane mx400? my "actual" gpu is currently RMA'ed, I hope my specs doen't give the impression that I the kind of person who would actually use it and be serious about it . I hate MXcards... even though they run Fallout 2 just fine..

> donnie: heh... just say the word and well exhange the steeringwheel with a keyboard while we're at it, übergeek that

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[pickxx]

Your right, i never thought about it like that....having 4x512 on one mobo is worth it to lower my gameplay and lessen the power of my machine. i can't think of any reason you couldn't have 2GB in a A64 board, also if you want to stick with 512dimms, then you can get 1.5GB in. (i know mobo makers dont reccomend this but THG did a test and almost all of them took 3 double sided dimms without problems.)

I guess if you have the money to burn on low lat. 512dimms and you REALLY want 2Gb...1gb of that you will probably never use, go right ahead.

I'll stick to my cheap Value ram on my A64 2800+ and still spank your machine in D3.

--------------------------------------------------------
<font color=blue> I am on an express train to hell. I hope I'm in the front row, the ride is ALWAYS better in the front. </font color=blue>

 

[mopeygoth]

what's with the sarcasm dude? take a chill.. My old machine had, at one stage, 1.5gb of ram, and yes there was a very noticeable difference in multitasking and loadingtime/gameloadingtime

heh... well, thenever I get my gpu back i'll meet you online and well'll see about that

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[pickxx]

Granted you could be compiling a video file, while working on an audio file, while trying to edit things in photoshop. All very RAM intensive items....but you do realize unless you get very low lat. RAM you was just wasting money. $350 for each gig. Thats like $700 for 2GB.
compared to 1.5Gb on an A64....for $240. Which will run just as fast.

You would probably kill me online, 2reasons... 1, i only game occationally and i am not great. 2, i have a 64mb, *64bit* card....its slow, but it works for what little i do.

everything else equal in our systems but your 2gig of low lat. vs my rig with 1.5gig of value ram.....we would be about even. you would take some games, and i would take others.
but i bought my whole system for what you would pay for your ram. I would pay about 1/3rd of what you payed for the same gaming power.

So who won?

--------------------------------------------------------
<font color=blue> I am on an express train to hell. I hope I'm in the front row, the ride is ALWAYS better in the front. </font color=blue>

 

[mopeygoth]

heh.. I just might do that kind of multitasking anyways, i was thinking more like 135€ for another 2x512mb ddr400 or about 430€ (minus whatever I get for what i currently have) for 4x512ddr500. So, actually the expence is minimal. Plus the brag-value would increase quite a bit

speed, currency and framerate is not all that matters when it comes to frags.

I don't think there is a winner based on opinions, just two happy gamers..

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[DonnieDarko]

I edit movies using the newest versions of premiere and aftereffects open and barely come close to using all 512mbs of ram.

Watch out for the <b><font color=red>bloody</font color=red></b> Fanboys!

AMD64 2800+ :: MSI Neo-Fis2r :: 512mb Kingmax ddr400 :: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb :: 10K WD Raptor

Addicted, finally.

 

[Mr5oh]

I come close to using up 512, so when I upgraded I went to 1024, however I haven't ever come close to useing that up yet. You guys are apprantly doing more ram intensive stuff than I.

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[mopeygoth]

... and a lot of processor intensive apps use about 49-50% of your processor speed, but that does not make you buy a slower cpu, does it? The point is that it makes the pc faster, no matter if it is utilized or not

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[DonnieDarko]

... and a lot of processor intensive apps use about 49-50% of your processor speed, but that does not make you buy a slower cpu, does it? The point is that it makes the pc faster, no matter if it is utilized or not

Sorry but that is way wrong. Having more ram then what is needed is not going to make the program run any faster. If a program needs 200mbs of ram, and you have a gig of ram, it will not run faster than if you had 512mbs of ram.


Watch out for the <b><font color=red>bloody</font color=red></b> Fanboys!

AMD64 2800+ :: MSI Neo-Fis2r :: 512mb Kingmax ddr400 :: Sapphire 9800pro 128mb :: 10K WD Raptor

Addicted, finally.

 

[Mr5oh]

Not to interupt your "friendly discussion" but I have to agree with DonnieDarko there, having more RAM is going to help you one bit, if it isn't being utlized. Adding 2 more gig to my 1 gig of RAM, wont change my performance at all.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
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[mopeygoth]

I am giving up on this one... instead I will revert to my actual question, which was; how does dual channel memory work on an amd64 with only three dimm slots? I think I read an "eyebrow-raising" thing somewhere that dualchannel would work with three blocks installed(?)

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[endyen]

That's easy, and a great feature. You put a 256 in slot 1 (the different colored slot) and a 256 in slot three, and you have dual channel. Then you want to upgrade, so you buy a 512, and put it in slot 1, and twin the other 2 in slots 2 & 3. You have a gig, in dual channel. You dont have to sweat about matched pairs. Nice Eh!

 

[phial]

i have 3 sticks of ram running in dual channel

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[mopeygoth]

pretty sweet.. so the last stick (or first if you wish) runs 'off'? nice not having to worry about the matched packs .. tnx

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[mopeygoth]

what does your bandwidth read? (ie Aida32 reads)

Abit IS7 - Prescott 3GHZ@3.6ghz - i865PE - 1024mb dual ddr400 - Geforce 2 MX400 64MB - 600W dualfan(front/rear) PowerTek Psu - maxtor 4K080H4 & 6Y120P0 - samsung sm-352b

 

[phial]

awee hes a mopey goth

thats so 1995, get with the times eh

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