hp h8-1080t memory question/upgrade

cyberwasp

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Nov 21, 2013
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I've had the HP h8-1080t 6 core 3.2g I7 with 12g of ram for 3 years. I'm really getting into some heavy Photoshopping and was wondering if upgrading the memory would help. I've since put in an amd 7750 hd w/2g and a 500 gb ssd.

I've tried to understand what memory is installed and from running memtest 86+ it says there's (2 X 4g) and (2x 2g) making 12g. I was also told I should be using triple channel memory to benefit from this feature.

I read the forums faq on memory which suggest running cpu-z to check although my system flags in as virus so I didn't get it.

I've also tried finding information on the motherboard, again am not sure which it is other than HP's site. I've looked over the motherboard with a fine tooth come only to find the brand. Pegatron, no indication to model. TIA
 
Solution
CPU-Z is not a virus. Be sure to download it from here: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

The downloads are on the right hand side of the page.

It's doubtful that adding more memory is going to benefit you much in Photoshop. 12Gb is plenty for any current version. However, having odd sized or mismatched modules MIGHT be causing a performance issue, as well as running so many modules since it's a strain on the memory controller.

There is no "Dual channel", "Triple channel" or "Quad channel" memory modules. Those are all methods employed by the motherboard to optimize memory module bandwidth and any modern memory module is capable of being in any of those configurations so long as they are all matched modules, modules with...
CPU-Z is not a virus. Be sure to download it from here: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

The downloads are on the right hand side of the page.

It's doubtful that adding more memory is going to benefit you much in Photoshop. 12Gb is plenty for any current version. However, having odd sized or mismatched modules MIGHT be causing a performance issue, as well as running so many modules since it's a strain on the memory controller.

There is no "Dual channel", "Triple channel" or "Quad channel" memory modules. Those are all methods employed by the motherboard to optimize memory module bandwidth and any modern memory module is capable of being in any of those configurations so long as they are all matched modules, modules with identical specifications (Will often work in channel modes, but not always.) and are installed in the correct banks for whichever channel mode, dual, triple or quad, you intend for them to operate in.

All that being said, the motherboard has much to do with it. What is the model of your motherboard? It should be printed somewhere directly on the motherboard itself.

What is the model number of your i7 CPU?

Download and run CPU-Z and look on the memory and SPD tabs to find the memory module information. On the SPD tab, if you select each slot from the drop down box, it will list the model number of the module installed in that slot. Please post the model numbers of each memory module. I'll see if an entire reworking of you memory structure is indicated or if you might just want to add an additional 4Gb module, run those three modules in triple channel and discard the 2Gb modules.

Depending on your motherboard's capabilities, it might make more sense to simply get two 8Gb modules, run them in dual channel and have a total of 16GB of RAM which again, is more than plenty for most machines that are not high end workstations, running virtual machines or using very high end professional CAD, video rendering or studio audio editing applications.
 
Solution
My apologies. It's mean a stressful week and I tried the link your provided and spent that last 20 minutes deleting junk off my pc even though I unchecked all of the extras. did a search and found it in a zip without added crapware. Below is the spd info you requested. TIA

Slot-1 16JTF51264AZ-1G4D1 4096 PC3 (10700)
Slot 2 16JTF25664AZ-1G4G1 2048 "
Slot-3 16JTF51264AZ-1G4D1 4096 "
Slot-5 16JTF25664AZ-1G4G1 2048 "
To bad they don't offer a way to cut and paste
 
You can post screenshots to the forum by uploading your image to a free image hosting site like www.tinypic.com, copying the generated URL and then inserting it into your post by clicking the "Post and answer" button (Not the quick reply button) and then selecting the picture button from the toolbar above the text box. Like this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2173703/post-images-tomshardware-guide.html
 
Since neither of those modules seems to be available in order to supplement the ones you currently have, and if you really feel there is a need to increase the amount of memory, I'd recommend just getting two additional 4GB modules, as apparently neither of those boards supports 8GB modules, and running them in dual channel by using the slots designated in the motherboard manual for dual channel operation. Slot placement of modules is what determines what form of "channel" operation is indicated so long as the modules are compatible enough to be used in said configuration.

Since your modules are matched pairs, you should have two 4GB modules operating in dual channel and two 2GB modules operating in dual channel, depending of course on what slots they are placed in. In CPU-Z, on the Memory tab, it should tell you what mode you are operating in if you look in the box next to "Channel".

It would also be helpful to know which of the two possible motherboards you have in that machine, The Pegatron IPMTB-TK or the HP Truckee-UL8E, which seems to be the two possibilities. As mentioned before, there should be a model number printed on the motherboard if you remove the side panel and do a visual check of the board surface you should find some indication of which board is installed.
 


Darkbreeze, according to cpu-z, it is running in triple channel mode. I've looked again on the md for a model # without luck. I think at this point I'm going to wait for the funds to get a whole new system built around the Asus X99. But I do appreciate the effort you have put forth in helping me. Thank you
 
No problem at all. If it's running in triple channel with 12GB of memory, I doubt there is any need to address the memory at this time anyhow. If you are having performance issues or other concerns, it's likely due to something aside from a lack of resources.