Ram question

[muppet]

Is it better for video games to use 2gb of ram in dual channel or 3gb in single channel.As i am now using only 2gb because my vista score is a 5.9 but when i put 3gb in it drops to a 4.3 and i dont know if the wei score will affect my performance?


Thanks guys.,Going Sailing.

[LukeFF]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/forumdisplay.php?f=202

[maerean_m]

3Gb of ram will only help you if you're running SH4 1.3 (since 1.4 has a big memory optimization) AND draw a wall size poster in Photoshop AND run a web server at the same time.

Now, back to the question, please ignore the Vista performance index. It takes 3D Mark 10 minutes to compute a score and, yet, Vista claims it can do it in a millisecond. Or a whole minute if you only have 512 mb of ram

[AkbarGulag]

Originally Posted by maerean_m

It takes 3D Mark 10 minutes to compute a score and, yet, Vista claims it can do it in a millisecond. Or a whole minute if you only have 512 mb of ram

Once everyone that bought vista has finished beta testing it in 2-3 years. It will be just as solid as XP :p

[Pirate_cat]

And I got all excited thinking this post would be about adding a submerged ramming spike to the front of your boat, oh well...

[maerean_m]

Yeah, I was thinking he's going to ram Yamato.

[jdkbph]

Vista's index only takes raw throughput into account. It is valid as far as it goes, but by itself it does't tell you much about real world performance.

OTOH, Sandra will also report a drop in performance under the same circumstances - if not quite to the same degree - which tells you Dual Channel does make a difference.

JD

[JSLTIGER]

2GB in dual channel is far superior to 3GB in single channel. However, 3GB in dual channel is better than 2GB in dual channel.

[Tango589]

Using a program called CPU-Z,I have found that my computer is using 2x1GB RAM in single channel. It there a way to change my computer to use the memory in dual channel, or is this fixed?

[Zantham]

Originally Posted by Tango589

Using a program called CPU-Z,I have found that my computer is using 2x1GB RAM in single channel. It there a way to change my computer to use the memory in dual channel, or is this fixed?

Really need to know the model numbers of the RAM and motherboard to answer this question properly.

Generally if your computer will support dual-channel RAM, it will automatically enable it at the appropriate speed. This depends on your board supporting it, the RAM being dual-channel compatible (best results from dual-channel kits, but mix-matched RAM can work sometimes but not recommended for best performance), and your motherboard and RAM being compatible with each other (not generally a problem, but there are cases of certain brands of RAM not working or working poorly in some boards).

Some motherboards have a setting in the BIOS where dual-channel can be enabled or disabled, you might want to see if yours has such a setting and that it is enabled. You do get better performance on dual channel than single channel.

[Tango589]

[qoute] Some motherboards have a setting in the BIOS where dual-channel can be enabled or disabled, you might want to see if yours has such a setting and that it is enabled. You do get better performance on dual channel than single channel. [qoute]

How do I access the BIOS? This is probably a really easy one to answer, but I don't know a lot about the workings of computers...most of it seems like witchcraft to me!

[antikristuseke]

This hasnt been mentined yet, but to have your ram runing in dual chanel (if your motherboard indeed suports it) you need to have your two sticks is specific two slots, on my motherboard its something like this:
It has 4 slots XX and YY if i have two sticks of ram which are is lots X1 and X2 i get dual channel mode, the same result comes from ahcing them in slots Y1 and Y2, but if they are in X1 and Y1 or X2 and Y1 or X1 and Y2 they will be in single channel mode.
Now about diferent memory sticks beig used and wanting to get dual chanel mode, in that case both ram sticks have to have the same number of memory chips on them and they have to be both either one sided or double sided, if that requirement is met and you set ram timings to correspond to the stick with looser timings generaly you will get dual channel operation without problems, but as it was said by a previous poster some ram sticks cause conflics with certain motherboards, be it because of the PCB design or chip incompatibilities so it is better to use identical sticks.

Hopefuly this is helpful.

Edit: Was writing my post wehn you posted the question on how to access the Bios. Anyway on most motherboards you just ahve to hit the Del key to get into the Bios menu, but if you do not confidently know what various functions do there its best to leave them alone, you might want to read this before poking arround there http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/bios/set/index.htm

[Zantham]

Originally Posted by Tango589

[qoute] Some motherboards have a setting in the BIOS where dual-channel can be enabled or disabled, you might want to see if yours has such a setting and that it is enabled. You do get better performance on dual channel than single channel. [qoute]

How do I access the BIOS? This is probably a really easy one to answer, but I don't know a lot about the workings of computers...most of it seems like witchcraft to me!

You have to shut down your computer, wait a few seconds and power it up (yeah I know you can just restart but some computers skip the BIOS message when you do this)

When you turn it on, watch carefully usually at the bottom of the screen for a message like:

Press DEL to enter Setup -or- Press F10 to enter CMOS

You're looking for words like Setup or BIOS or CMOS, and the key you press to enter it.

Most computers are DEL but some other possibilities are F1, F2, F10, F12, CTRL-S, ALT-S, CTRL-Alt-ESC, and so on.. hopefully your computer will tell you which one.

If your computer begins loading Windows then you've passed your opportunity and will have to reboot to try again. Some computers give you plenty of time, others speed past the initial boot (the POST) so fast you cant read it properly....

Sometimes you can trick your computer into allowing you into your CMOS by holding down a key on your keyboard before turning it back on, this can give a 'keyboard stuck' error and often will tell you to press F1 to continue or Del to enter setup. This trick doesnt always work tho.

[muppet]

Originally Posted by Pirate_cat

And I got all excited thinking this post would be about adding a submerged ramming spike to the front of your boat, oh well...

You crack me up i just about bust a gut when i read this lol.Good idea though.