Dual Channel Memory Help


  1. Posts : 3
    Windows 7 64 Professional
       #1

    Dual Channel Memory Help


    Hi everyone,

    I have an oldish (2005) computer which has an ECS NFORCE4-A939 (V1.0) mobo and Im running Windows 7 64 Professional. It uses DDR1 (400) RAM.

    I currently have X2 512MB Corsair ValueSelect VS512MB400 modules running in dual channel which I have been running with for years.

    I have just purchased X2 256MB Corsair ValueSelect VS256MB400 modules to fill up the remaining slots to add a bit of a boost. DDR1 is pricey!

    As I don't actually have the computer with me at the moment so I have some questions,

    1. If I add the 2 new modules to the motherboard will I still run in dual channel (X2 512 and X2 256)?

    2. The new sticks are single sided (chips) and the older modules are double sided, I have heard nightmares about using these together only after I bought them. Will this 4 pairing work fine?

    3. How do I determine which sticks are older (manufacture age), The ones I just got have Corsair printed on the PCB in gold and Value Select written on the chips. My 2005 ones have no PCB logo and have the sail logo on the chips. So which are newer?

    4. How much of a noticeable speed boost will there be going from 1GB on 64bit Windows 7 to 1.5GB?

    I would really appreciate the help because I dont know if everything I have mentioned is compatible.

    Oh and heres my mobo link if it helps,

    http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pro...uID=24&LanID=0

    Thanks
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,963
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       #2

    1) If I understand the question like I think I do, yes. absolutely.

    2) the reason the new ones are single sided is because they half as much ram, so the have half as many...of those things I can't recall the name of. I have never heard of such an issue arising from this. I have heard of issues with different speed sticks being used together, and some people might not realize that that is the actual problem. Hopefully someone else has heard of it before and can provide more info

    3) I thought you said you just bought them. Did you get them used? If not, they can't be too old. If yes, I'll try to figure out how.

    4) In 64-bit windows, I would think you would see a significant performance increase. Honestly, 64bit Windows on 1gig of DDR ram sounds horrible to me. The usual recommendation is 4gigs, but that could cost you $100 to buy.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 3
    Windows 7 64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for the reply Petey7,

    The memory I just got is second hand thats why I was wondering how old they are. I'm glad dual channel will work (hopefully) because I've seen single channel and its really slow.

    If you have a look around the net for 'mixing single and double sided ram' you can see that it can be hit and miss and can cause instability even if the timings are the same. This was totally new to this issue also! I hope someone can shed some light on it.

    I have been running W7 64bit since it was released and I have to say its been great even on 1GB, the processor is an AMD Athlon 64 3200. All the aero and 'eye candy' works smoothly. I don't use the computer for gaming and the most intensive stuff I do on it is 3D CAD and Photoshop.

    As you said maxing out the mobo with 4GB would cost so much you might as well by a new comp. I think this computer still has life in it for what I want so I'm hoping 1.5GB will give it another couple of years.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,963
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       #4

    I'm surprised that CAD runs fine with 1GB of DDR. Glad to here your machine is running fine. I can find no reason why the mixing of single sided and double sided RAM would cause a problem, unless a stick was faulty. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 3
    Windows 7 64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Yeah it runs great even with 1GB, I use Pro Engineer Wildfire 4.0 and Autodesk Maya. You would be suprised what W7 64 can run on, its 'real' minium specs can be as low as XP's.

    I'm hoping all with be fine with the ram, especially as the new pair are from the same brand, range and era as the original ones. I am also hoping to add 2GB of ready boost just to give a slightly faster performance.

    Unfortunately I wont know if its ok till September as I'm in another country but I will post the results back here.

    Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.
      My Computer


 

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