Size of moduels make a difference?

[cr1m]

Hi im sorry if this is a really basic question. But I was wodering if the size of moduels you use to make up a certain amount of ram make adifference?

For example if I wanted 12GB of RAM
Does it make any difference if I make this up of 6x2GB or 3x4GB sticks?

Thanks

 

[o1die]

Check your motherboard manual for capacity per ram slot; some configurations may run in single channel mode, which is slightly slower than dual or tripple channel. The ram placement and motherboard chipset determine overall speed.

 

[cr1m]

Check your motherboard manual for capacity per ram slot; some configurations may run in single channel mode, which is slightly slower than dual or tripple channel. The ram placement and motherboard chipset determine overall speed.

Hmm I cant seem to find the capasity per slot...I have Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 (Socket 1366) and currently got Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) Low Latency Tri-Channel.

Any idea what the capasity is on this?

 

[o1die]

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3449#sp

Your limit is 4 gb per slot for a total of 24 gb, but I don't know if you can add more ram to your 3 open slots unless it's the same size. But 12 gb would be plenty anyway. I've seen a 3x2 gb kit on craigslist for $40 recently. Try to find the same ram if possible; if it's too expensive, I would continue to use 6 gb until you change the board and cpu. It's plenty for most tasks.

 

[cr1m]

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3449#sp

Your limit is 4 gb per slot for a total of 24 gb, but I don't know if you can add more ram to your 3 open slots unless it's the same size. But 12 gb would be plenty anyway. I've seen a 3x2 gb kit on craigslist for $40 recently. Try to find the same ram if possible; if it's too expensive, I would continue to use 6 gb until you change the board and cpu. It's plenty for most tasks.

Ok thanks, I can get 3x2gb kit for an ok price but I can also get 3x4gb kit for not much more. That was the reason for my original question actually...do you think it makes a difference if I have 12gb in 6x2gb or 3x4gb ?

Another thing thats confusing me now is according to my motherboard specs shown on that link, my motherboard supports DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules but my system came with 1600MHz ones...at least according to the the system specs.

 

[o1die]

That's an old chipset, so on many x58 boards, the ram defaults to 1066. One poster recently said Intel voided his warranty for running the ram above 1066; something to do with the memory controller on the x58 chipset or cpu. Again, consult your board manual and see if you can mix ram sizes before you upgrade. A 3x4gb kit should run fine by itself, but I don't know how the board will deal with it if mixed with smaller ram modules. Newer boards have an "xmp" setting in the bios which will set the ram speed up to 1600, but yours may be too old. 1600 is the maximum speed I've heard of at default on newer 1155 boards; anything higher has to be done by overclocking the cpu. If you can't afford a new board or cpu, you may want to proceed with caution with overclocking. Here's an article for your board: http://firingsquad.com/hardware/gigabyte_ga_ex58-ud3r_review/

 

[cr1m]

Thanks so much for all this info! I think I will probably get the 3x4GB as its not much more and I have spare slots. I wont try to use it with my current ram as they're different size moduels and will likely create problems.

Im not sure why my system specs say 1600 but I suspect it may be overclocked as with the cpu.

I managed to find an old link to my system:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=17666594

Only had it for a couple of years , cant believe how fast computers age lol