Question about 4 sticks on tri-channel

mlee

United States116 Posts

November 15 2011 17:45 GMT

Hey guys,

So I have a ASUS P6TD Deluxe Mobo with Tri-channel (/w i7 920).
I plan to buy TWO (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 1600 Vengeance.

Manual tells me to set it up like this if I plan to install 4 sticks

DIMM A2
DIMM A1

DIMM B1

DIMM C1

My question is, after I do that, do I need to change anything in the BIOS?

Also, in the manual it states, "Due to Intel spec definition, X.M.P. DIMMS and DDR3-1600 are supported for one DIMM per channel only."

Does that mean I can't install more than three 1600 ram sticks (1 per channel)? Wording is kind of confusing.

DarkEnergy

Netherlands542 Posts

November 15 2011 17:57 GMT

Hi,
Most motherboards set the ram to default supported speed 1333 hertz you should check if this is true.
just looked up the specs it states 1600(O.C.) that means you need to crank it up yourself.

as for the Tri-channel feature.

if you get 3 sticks of same ram and place it as the motherboard guide suggests.
you have that feature enabled because you have 4 sticks 1 will be out of that configuration.
but you should have and use that feature if you have a minimum of 3 same ram sticks.

GL

edit:
just wondering wy do you need 16 gigs of ram ?
i mean you will not see games breaching the 3-4 gig.
that much ram would be useful only for video editing graphical rendering etc.
i sometimes stream HD playing games and it does not go over 60 % use and i have only 8 gigs.

jaj22

United Kingdom1376 Posts

November 15 2011 18:07 GMT

The way it should work is that when you install a second stick in any channel, the speed is reduced to 1333 and SPD instead of XMP timings are used. This sort of thing tends to trigger BIOS bugs though, so it's a bit of a lucky dip whether it works. This arrangement of sticks can't be wholly triple-channel either - I'm not sure what mapping Intel use in this case, but you'll take a bandwidth drop somewhere.

Unless you really really need 16GB, your best bet would be to only use three of the four sticks. Getting a third pair of sticks would be the second best option.

mlee

United States116 Posts

November 15 2011 18:10 GMT

On November 16 2011 02:57 DarkEnergy wrote:
Hi,
Most motherboards set the ram to default supported speed 1333 hertz you should check if this is true.
just looked up the specs it states 1600(O.C.) that means you need to crank it up yourself.

as for the Tri-channel feature.

if you get 3 sticks of same ram and place it as the motherboard guide suggests.
you have that feature enabled because you have 4 sticks 1 will be out of that configuration.
but you should have and use that feature if you have a minimum of 3 same ram sticks.

GL

edit:
just wondering wy do you need 16 gigs of ram ?
i mean you will not see games breaching the 3-4 gig.
that much ram would be useful only for video editing graphical rendering etc.

Ram is soooooo cheap nowadays, why not get it?

I was originally going to get (3x4gb) since I have a tri-channel, but theres some crazy RAM deals going on lately and getting two (2x4gb) is basically the same price.

I run a dual monitor setup so I have a bunch of windows/programs running on non-stop. With simultaneous gaming/video plus all the other crap running, I'm at around 4-5gb memory load.. so 12-16gb boost from my current 6gb would be very nice.

Also, I've been told running 4 sticks on a tri-channel is pointless. Because that "lone" stick won't be properly used. Is this true?

Shikyo

Finland33997 Posts

November 15 2011 18:12 GMT

Just buy 3 sets and have 24gb

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233189

Also this deal is pretty decent imo.

DarkEnergy

Netherlands542 Posts

November 15 2011 18:23 GMT

On November 16 2011 03:10 mlee wrote:

Show nested quote +

Ram is soooooo cheap nowadays, why not get it?

Well if you can get those deals then of course why not

i run a triple setup and same story but not as high as you you might have more gizmo's running then me, hahaha.
As far as i know dual and triple channel technology is meant to increase the bandwidth to the memory controller so it does not become a bottleneck. and it improves latency.
That the 4th stick will not be "properly" used i do not know actualy.
If i would have to gues i would say that it will be usable but not with the named benefits of the triple-channel technology.
and if it would undermine the configuration i do not know.

mlee

United States116 Posts

November 15 2011 18:42 GMT

On November 16 2011 03:12 Shikyo wrote:
Just buy 3 sets and have 24gb

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233189

Also this deal is pretty decent imo.

Not a good deal at all.. especially not around this time.

The (2x4gb) Corsair Vengeance 1600 CAS9 1.5v is going for $40 shipped on Newegg with coupon (on slickdeals).

About buying 3 sets (24gb).. lol I was thinking about doing it, but such an overkill.

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