Question re: dual channel/ddr memory.. ?

[jbenj01]

ok.. i have 4 slots for memory (up to 4G total) on my Asus P4C800 deluxe mobo..

i had 1G of Crucial/Micron DDR PC3200 (CL3) memory installed under my Win2000 setup. When i pulled up 'Task Manager', it clearly displayed that i had 2 channels up and running, i.e., showed me performance of 2 separate CPU's.. BUT...

i installed another 1G of Crucial/Micron DDR PC3200, only this time, it was CL2.5 and now my system is not in dual channel mode anymore.. ??

how do i get it to run in dual channel mode again?? i tried swapping up memory sticks into different slots, went into BIOS, etc.. but to no avail.. is it possibly b/c i'm running 2 different CL speeds??

please advise.. thanks.

[--juggernaut--]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you need to install your memory in pairs in order for dual channel mode to work. You will not be able to run dual channel mode with an odd number of sticks of ram.

EDIT:
I just noticed that you added another 1GB of ram, which most likely means that you added another TWO sticks...sorry about that.

The differing CL is something I'd have to look into further to see if that is the culprit.

You probably already know this, but if you really want to take full advantage of dual channel mode, memory manufacturers sell matched pairs of ram that are optimized for performance as a pair. Not sure how much 'better' the performance is, and I'm sure you pay a premium for it

[--juggernaut--]

You need to install memory in pairs and the ram must have identical specs for dual channel mode to work.

[jbenj01]

Thanks, juggernaut..

oh well.. anyone looking for a pair of Crucial 1G of CL3/PC3200/DDR400 memory (2 @ 512M)??

[g_shocker182]

Ebays your answer, my friend.