Dual or quad channel

[muddmonky]

im picking ram for my motherboard that is dual channel ddr3 16g total.

i want 8 gigs if posible so i was looking at 4gx2 or 2gx4 are all the 2gx4 quad channel?
if so that means i need 4gx2 right?

even though i have 4 slots that dosnt mean i need to fill them or do i and if i do i would need 2 of the 2 stick packs not one of the 4 stick packs right?

 

[muddmonky]

puting in 2 sets of 2gx2 would be a lot cheaper than 4gx2 but how much slower would puting 4 sticks in be or is it so minute its not even worth figuring out.

if it was 7 latency eather way at 1600 speed.

 

[saint19]

Hi.

If u have 4 slots that means that every slot can handle 4GB max, so, u need two kits 2x4GB.

Now, the quad-channel doens't exist since slot A1 and slot B1 run in dual-channel and is the same for the A2 and B2.

Now my question, Why do u need 8GB?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

There's no such thing as "quad channel". Using a 4x2GB setup results in each channel running in dual-channel mode.

 

[muddmonky]

heres the first one that poped up for 4 2g chips and it says quad channel kit. and all the new computers are coming with 8g it seams to be the new standard now if my bill comes above what i can aford it will be nocked down to 6 or even 4g

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144390

 

[saint19]

Do u really believe that? GEIL IMO is crap and if u really want a good RAM for ur rig go with Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill, OCZ, Mushkin and Kingston(only yhe HyperX series)

With all respect, when u really find a REVIEW about quad-channel let me know, because until know i only know about tri-channel, dual-channel, single channel and flex-channel.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

It's purely marketing. The only CPU's that support anything other than dual-channel and triple-channel RAM are server CPU's. Marketing RAM as "quad-channel" doesn't mean it runs in quad-channel mode when installed in a system. It just means they tested the RAM together and ensure it will run correctly when used together.

 

[mbg10484]

Hey, I got a question on this topic as well. I thought the more channel ram the faster/better it is, so quad channel would be better than dual channel correct? I see a couple people said quad channel doesn't exist, but that was a year ago, now the new X79/LGA 2011 mobo's are starting to come out and they do have Quad channel (8-dimm) capability. Now originally I was going to with about 12GB of ram, But I was looking on the corsair website at some vengeance RAM and the 16GB (4x4GB) quad channel 1600MHz kit is almost half the cost of the same spec'd kit that is dual channel and i thought it would be the other way around. I was originally planning on using the X58/LGA 1366 platform so i priced out 12GB of tripple channel 1333MHz XMS3 ram (which is of a lower grade than vengeance) and it was ~$160. Just now I priced the Quad channel vengeance ram and even for the higher grade, faster ram (1600MHz) its so much cheaper that for just $10 more (~$170) i can get 32GB of quad channel 1600MHz vengeance ram.

So now I'm wondering if this is correct. I would definitely not be complaining but completely surprised if you can get the better, faster ram for that much cheaper.... anyone care to comment?

 

[igotperks]

Do u really believe that? GEIL IMO is crap and if u really want a good RAM for ur rig go with Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill, OCZ, Mushkin and Kingston(only yhe HyperX series)

With all respect, when u really find a REVIEW about quad-channel let me know, because until know i only know about tri-channel, dual-channel, single channel and flex-channel.

are YOU serious? geil is a very respectable module brand....get over your self(with all respect) you just named every other brand out there....I remember when G.skill was considered crap! so dont be talking down on manufacturers like that.... Its fanboys like you who try and make one brand better than another when in reality theres no real difference besides what sticker is on it.

Sorry its just real frustrating to read crap like that because its not true at all. its true that some companies contract crappy manufacturers for their modules.... but to single out geil is totally unfair. Im most likely buying geil modules myself and every single review ive read say they can stand up to the "better brands" thats all I have to say...ohh yea quad channel is just dual channel times 2

 

[Gamer-girl]

No just because you have four slots does not mean you have to fill them, but if do have a dual-channel platform then buy them in pairs. You can either get 2x 4GB sticks or 4x 2GB. But keep in mind it will run at the lowest common denominator, if you already have 2x 2GB @1600 then you buy another pair of 2GB kits @1333 then you will have 4x 2GB @ 1333MHz.

You could run into problems if mix and match different rams. Some motherboards don't work well when that happens. It is best to take a look at your motherboard manual first.

 

[truegenius]

which motherboard and cpu you have?
If you have a sb-e setup then you can use quad channel otherwise 4x4gb ram will work in duel channel only
4 sticks markete as quad channel means a set of 4 sticks only, and every duel or quad sets can run in duel or quad channel mode.

 

[truegenius]

which motherboard and cpu you have?
If you have a sb-e setup then you can use quad channel otherwise 4x4gb ram will work in duel channel only
4 sticks markete as quad channel means a set of 4 sticks only, and every duel or quad sets can run in duel or quad channel mode.

 

[mohammedvazeer]

im picking ram for my motherboard that is dual channel ddr3 16g total.

i want 8 gigs if posible so i was looking at 4gx2 or 2gx4 are all the 2gx4 quad channel?
if so that means i need 4gx2 right?

even though i have 4 slots that dosnt mean i need to fill them or do i and if i do i would need 2 of the 2 stick packs not one of the 4 stick packs right?

It depends how much your mobo supports....for example...my mobo striker 2 extreme supports only 8gb max even though it has 4 slots...but that board is oooooold now...n it's dual channel as well...

You may fit in more memory...but are you gona use all of that ......i play all games on almost high settings and never had a problem with memory being short or something....

What are your pc specs....and which memory are you looking at.....

Maybe i can help you out if you wish.

Good luck

 

[Sprinx]

Please check the date of the OP. The question was asked in May 2010, before Sandy Bridge existed at all, not to mention SB-E.