K8V + 2x 512 GeIL dual channel + 1x 512 Corsair = Dual channel still?

[keef247]

Hi,
gonna whack my 2x 512mb GeIL value 3200 dual channel into my K8V when it arrives... only thing is will it still be running in dual channel if i put my 512mb stick of corsair xms3200pro in the third slot? or am i better off sticking it in another machine? i could put it in this machine but it doesnt have dual channel (asus a7n8x-x) so will it even make a difference?
cheers

EDIT apparently doesnt have dual channel:S WTF! but erm will this run slower than my dual channel a7n8x-e deluxe? cause ive been running that with these 3 sticks so probably isnt running dual channel anyway?

[sawyen]

Uhh.. AFAIK, S754 doesnt even do dual channel.. you'll be running singel channel anyways..

So sticking a 3rd stick does nothing to dual channel support. Perhaps the speed might be dropped to 333MHz but depends, not overly experienced with 754 kits..

[keef247]

so would my asus a7n8x-e dlx i was running have been running single channel then with the 3sticks in?
what are the pros/cons of single/dual channel then? why bother having 4 slots on dual channel boards it comfuses me:S

[sawyen]

On certain situations dual channel does provide better performance, but not always. Across most games we play everyday, you're looking at 3-5% increase running from single to dual channel..

Why do ppl run them? Well, it WAS pretty cool having to tell ppl a while back you had your system running dually channel..

Having said that, run them IF you can.. but otherwise, single channel is just fine..

[keef247]

what was this rubbish about "if you run single channel your memory waits for the first stick to become full then starts on the next stick and wipes the first" that sounds like lies to me? cause dual runs together litterally.so what does single do if i have 3 sticks then?
oh and say i had run it dual channel 2x512mb surely my 1.5gb 3 sticks in total would rape it overall by miles because of the extra 512mb? so it still works out faster than loosing a 512mb stick right?

[DanceswithUnix]

Dual channel simply means you have a 128 bit memory interface, single channel "only" gives you 64 bit.

Performance difference totally depends on application. Some applications like the extra bandwidth, most don't care.

If the increased load of adding another DIMM to your system drops the memory from PC3200 to PC2700, then in apps that don't care about the extra memory it slows the system down.

I find it interesting that some S754 boards had 3 DIMM sockets, and yet I never saw a S939 board with 6 DIMMs.

ISTR adding the third DIMM on some S754 boards turns off the sleep modes as that DIMM had to go through a buffer chip and the other 2 didn't. Take that with a pinch of salt though

[keef247]

so would you still recommend using my 3rd 512mb stick in my K8V then?

[DanceswithUnix]

I would just try it.

More and more applications are benefitting from the extra memory, and I don't see applications getting smaller as time goes on.

Keep an eye on the memory speed reported when you fire the board up, it will degrade as you add more sticks as you are giving the CPU more load to drive. If you get some pants speed like DDR 266, then it might be worth taking that third DIMM out.

[keef247]

cheers for your advice mate its really helpful.and linux overclocking tools?and what do you reckon to 64bit ubuntu or linux in general?is it worth it? and have you got a link to overclocking 64bit cause im a socket a guy i have no clue about HTT etc i used to but its bin along time lol.

[DanceswithUnix]

Overclocking is just overclocking, 64 or 32 bit. I just use the BIOS overclocking controls. You need some serious work to get that last bit of performance out of the system, so I just don't bother

I also am a fan of the cool-n-quiet setting, and serious overclocking stuffs that up.

With the RAM and HTT on auto, the BIOS should turn them down as necessary. I get the message that my RAM is running DDR266 at boot up, so the BIOS seems to have turned it down 2 notches for me which is erring on cautious but about right.

I run a 64 bit Fedora Core 5 install at home. It uses more disk space as you still need all the 32 bit libraries around, but is very usable for me. I gather there are some seriously fast 64 bit copies of mencoder around if you do video conversion.