Dual channel ram?

marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
edited November 16, 2006 in Digital Darkroom
I read about dual channel ram, then I read that my new laptop supports. Then, the people at crucial told me that for dual channel to work the ram has to be not just the same size but even the same brand...true?
http://davidson.smugmug.com

Comments

  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,245 moderator
    edited November 15, 2006
    marlinspike wrote:
    I read about dual channel ram, then I read that my new laptop supports. Then, the people at crucial told me that for dual channel to work the ram has to be not just the same size but even the same brand...true?

    Yes. Same everything. Fully matched up. Been that way for a while now.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited November 15, 2006
    Hmm...now I'm getting confused. The thinkpad forums said all it had to match was specs, but different manufacturers was fine.
    http://davidson.smugmug.com
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,245 moderator
    edited November 15, 2006
    marlinspike wrote:
    Hmm...now I'm getting confused. The thinkpad forums said all it had to match was specs, but different manufacturers was fine.

    Same speed and type for sure. The rest is probably marketing hype. Still, the samer(not a word) the better.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • DudeXDudeX Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited November 15, 2006
    Laptops from 2005 support mismatched memory and still get dual channel performance (as long you have two sticks).

    So it doesn't matter if the sticks aren't the same size.
    However for best performance, get the fastest speed, and the same size and brand of memory.

    Today, you can get two 1 GB 533 mhz, DDR-II SO-DIMM for about 300 dollars.
  • marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited November 15, 2006
    Ok well, does anybody know a piece of software that can tell me what ram is in there (I like to open things as little as possible, plus now that the HD is an easy swap the ram is a not so easy swap)? I used to use aida32 but they stopped making that long ago and the last version cannot ID my ram.
    http://davidson.smugmug.com
  • ExposeTheMomentExposeTheMoment Registered Users Posts: 271 Major grins
    edited November 16, 2006
    marlinspike wrote:
    Ok well, does anybody know a piece of software that can tell me what ram is in there (I like to open things as little as possible, plus now that the HD is an easy swap the ram is a not so easy swap)? I used to use aida32 but they stopped making that long ago and the last version cannot ID my ram.

    If you run this http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

    It will tell you how many slots, what ram you have etc....

    Gary
    Gary Harfield
    Owner/Photographer
    Expose The Moment

    Had a list of gear, now its to long, so lets say I have 2 bags and 15,000 worth of stuff.
  • DudeXDudeX Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited November 16, 2006
    www.cpuid.com

    This is a good program that tells you technical info about your CPU and Memory, and even if dual channel is enabled.

    It's small and easy to run.
  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,245 moderator
    edited November 16, 2006
    DudeX and Expose... super info. Those links will provide crucial (pun) information to lots of people who read this thread. Thanks! thumb.gif
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited November 16, 2006
    Well, neither of those could ID my ram, so I just opened it up. Looks like I'll have to get my ram off ebay since my particular thinkpad has Hyinx in it.
    http://davidson.smugmug.com
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