Dell Precision T3500 RAM Upgrade - Which memory slots should I use?

[flash2017]

Hello all.

I have a Dell Precision T3500 desktop computer that I would like to upgrade the memory of. It has six slots that accept memory. As of right now, there are currently three 1GB sticks in the computer. There is a 1GB stick in memory slot one, a 1GB stick in memory slot two, and a 1GB stick in memory slot 3.

I have purchased an 8GB RAM kit for the desktop. It came with two 4GB sticks.

I have been looking at documentation for the desktop on Dell's website (Page 74)(Image Link) and I noticed that when it comes to supported memory configurations for 4GB sticks, it wants them to be in slots one, two, and three or it wants them in all six slots. There are no other memory configurations for 4GB that are supported according to the documentation. So it seems like it supports tri-channel memory configurations for 4GB memory sticks, but not dual channel.

So my question is, would this computer work with just two 4GB memory sticks in dual channel or do I need to order another memory stick for it to work? I thought that there may be a case where they just don't officially "support" this memory configuration but it will still work. Does anyone have any idea about this?

My memory is currently being shipped to me and I definitely want to order an extra stick if I need to so I can avoid any extra downtime of my machine.

I would greatly appreciate any assistance with this!

 

[william p]

The T3500 is an X58 chipset system. It supports 3 channel RAM. It will run 2 channel if that's what you install, and there's even a Flex Mode that can accomodate strange module mismatches sometimes. The memory controller is on the CPU and so the timings can vary due to that. But 3x4GB DDR3 1333 is a good setup for any CPU. It supports ECC also. 3 channel RAM is what's keeping that old system relevant.

 

[flash2017]

The T3500 is an X58 chipset system. It supports 3 channel RAM. It will run 2 channel if that's what you install, and there's even a Flex Mode that can accomodate strange module mismatches sometimes. The memory controller is on the CPU and so the timings can vary due to that. But 3x4GB DDR3 1333 is a good setup for any CPU. It supports ECC also. 3 channel RAM is what's keeping that old system relevant.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was trying to figure out!

 

[william p]

Here's thread that goes into this a little more.
https://www.techiehq.net/threads/supported-ram-configurations.86700/