Memory "unganged mode"

[zwierdo]

I am building my first system with new parts and repurposed parts. It will POST and allow me to enter the BIOS. I can also start loading the operating system. I have not yet loaded XP Home.

One of the initial screens tells me that memory is in "unganged mode" DOe4s that mean that my DDR2 memory sticks are not in the proper slots?

Also, it says my SATA drive is running in IDE mode, and asks if I want to switch to AHCI mode. Should I do that?

System
New:
Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H AMD785G Socket AM2+ MB
AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1Ghz Black Edition AM3 CPU
OCZ Vista Performace Ed. 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz
Corsair CX400W 400W Power Supply

Repurposed:
320GB SATA HD Seagate
midtower ATX case
keyboard, mouse, monitor

Thanks for your help.

John Zwiers

 

[stevensl2]

No, you can set them to "Ganged" mode in the BIOS but I doubt It would make a difference.

 

[zwierdo]

Thanks for the info.

 

[jitpublisher]

The phenoms will perform better in unganged mode, that is why the default mode is unganged. Do not confuse unganged or ganged with dual channel, it is not the same thing.

 

[Griffolion]

Ganged mode basically allows all the cores of the processor to see the whole lot of memory as one big block while unganged mode gives an equal but separate portion of memory to each core to play with.

Unganged is better for multitasking as each core has its own dedicated memory portion.

Ganged is better for games or other programs that will take a massive amount of memory while running as all cores can get easier access to the big memory file since the memory isn't portioned out.

Its up to you really, i have it ganged and sacrifice a tiny bit of boot up speed after log on to make sure my games are running optimally.

 

[Paperdoc]

For some time now, mobo makers have put a feature in their BIOS to solve the problem of Win XP's inability to use SATA devices without installing drivers from a floppy disk. The option often is made the default. It sets the SATA ports to make the drives attached to them behave just like older-style IDE or PATA devices that Win XP (and previous Win's) CAN handle with no help. But that trick is not necessary with VISTA or Win7 - they have additional capabilities built in to handle native SATA and AHCI devices right from the start.

There are advantages to using native SATA or AHCI systems, so read up on them and choose which you prefer. You BIOS is just letting you know that the default setting is in place (IDE) and offering you the opportunity to change that and make it permanent. Unless you are installing Win XP, you probably should change it to whichever you prefer.

Thanks to OP and Griffolion for getting the explanation of "Unganged" out here. I wondered about that, too, on a new system we just put together with a Gigabyte mobo.

 

[stevensl2]

Funny how I cannot seem to find the Ganged/unGanged options in my i7 system BIOS, but I could in my PhenomII system.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That's because it's only an option on AMD systems. Intel doesn't use that technology.

 

[zwierdo]

For some time now, mobo makers have put a feature in their BIOS to solve the problem of Win XP's inability to use SATA devices without installing drivers from a floppy disk. The option often is made the default. It sets the SATA ports to make the drives attached to them behave just like older-style IDE or PATA devices that Win XP (and previous Win's) CAN handle with no help. But that trick is not necessary with VISTA or Win7 - they have additional capabilities built in to handle native SATA and AHCI devices right from the start.

There are advantages to using native SATA or AHCI systems, so read up on them and choose which you prefer. You BIOS is just letting you know that the default setting is in place (IDE) and offering you the opportunity to change that and make it permanent. Unless you are installing Win XP, you probably should change it to whichever you prefer.

Thanks to OP and Griffolion for getting the explanation of "Unganged" out here. I wondered about that, too, on a new system we just put together with a Gigabyte mobo.

I installed XP Pro. Later I tried to switch the mode to AHCI and the system wouldn't boot. I had to go back into the BIOS and manually change it back to IDE mode.

Are you saying that I can't run in AHCI mode in XP, or that I may need to set the mode to AHCI prior to loading the operating system?

Funny thing: I tried to install XP Home first, but had lost my key...Doh! I had done a full reformat of the 320 GB SATA boot drive. When I went back to install XP Pro, the system recognized the drive as having only 132GB. Any ideas about why that happened?

I plan on performing a reinstall after testing and OC.

John

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You have to select AHCI mode prior to installing the OS.

Pre SP1 Windows XP disks only recognize up to 132GB of disk space. You should slipstream SP3 into your Windows disk.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation

 

[zwierdo]

You have to select AHCI mode prior to installing the OS.

Pre SP1 Windows XP disks only recognize up to 132GB of disk space. You should slipstream SP3 into your Windows disk.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/H [...] stallation

Excellent info! Thanks!