RAM Questions: Does ASUS K8V SE Deluxe support Dual Channel Mode RAM?

Namie · December 11th, 2005, 01:55 AM

I was wondering if the ASUS K8V SE Deluxe supports dual channel mode RAM? (See attachment picture). It only has 3 slots. Now, I have 2x512MB PC3200 in the first two slots (blue & the 2nd yellow slot); however, it seems to only be in single channel mode. Do I need to put both 512MB rams in the yellow slots?

Also, a program called CPU-Z is saying the frequency is 200 MHZ. Isn't that low? Aren't PC3200s supposed to be 400 MHZ?

Finally, would adding ram to all 3 slots lower the speed? There is this table on the ASUS manual under "Recommended Memory Configurations" showing when all three (either Single or Double sided ram) is inserted on the slots, the DDR max speed range is either 200 or 333 - not DDR400. Why is that?

ArcticFox · December 11th, 2005, 02:05 AM

If the board is socket 939, it is dual channel. If it is socket 754, it is single channel. Since yours is 939, it's dual channel - you have to install matched sticks in the two yellow slots for it to work that way though. And yes, installing all three slots with RAM will drop the speed a hair.

And about DDR400 being 200Mhz...... for every sweep of the system clock, the RAM is "double-pumped" 200Mhz x2 for an effective 400Mhz. It's mainly marketing, but all that matters is your RAM is running at the correct speed. DDR333 runs at 166Mhz, DDR266 runs at 133Mhz, etc. Just divide the DDR speed in half.

Namie · December 11th, 2005, 02:18 AM

Actually, I just checked my motherboard specs and it said socket 754! =( Darn. I never knew what those sockets meant; so it's always best to buy the 939 socket motherboards for dual channel mode... got it! Are there other types of sockets and is there more meaning to it than supporting dual ram?

I have two of the same kind of ram: they're both Kingston PC3200

So, would it be better for me to buy another Kingston PC3200 - but a 1 GB version - then take one 512 MB out (that's currently on the motherboard) and have a total of 1.5 GB ram? (so it'll just be 2 slots and stay as DDR400)
versus, just buying another Kingston 512 MB and adding it on the 3rd slot for a total of 1.5 GB. Or how about adding the 1 GB to the third slot to have a total of 2 GB - but the last two choices would end up making it a DDR 200 or 333. What would be the best route to go?

Thanks for the clear up about the DDR400 being 200 MHZ.

ArcticFox · December 11th, 2005, 03:56 AM

Oh...my bad. I didn't check the board's socket but had some memory that it was 939 - guess it's not.

Then yeah, you will get the most performance if you have one 1GB DDR400 stick and one 512MB DDR400 stick versus two 512's and a 1GB.

Namie · December 11th, 2005, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticFox

Oh...my bad. I didn't check the board's socket but had some memory that it was 939 - guess it's not.

Then yeah, you will get the most performance if you have one 1GB DDR400 stick and one 512MB DDR400 stick versus two 512's and a 1GB.

Wait, isn't having two 1 GB stick still good? Since it'll only take up 2 slots; according to my motherboard manual, if it doesn't take up 3 slots, it'll still seem to run as DDR400. So how about I buy a 1 GB ram and then replace it with one of the 512 MB, so I'll have 1.5 GB but still be able to run it in DDR400. Is the amount of mhz speed more important than the ram size itself? I'm just worried I'd lose performance and not see any difference by adding in the 3rd stick.

ArcticFox · December 11th, 2005, 02:44 PM

Err...sorry Namie I was half asleep when I wrote that. Yes, I mean to say you should get another 1GB stick and use that in place of on of the 512's. Or you could go for broke and get two 1GB sticks.

Bigbonedoc · August 17th, 2007, 02:48 PM

If I followed the post correctly this should be correct..................... ...... THE K8v se deluxe MoBo has 3 ram slots and can run 200 and 333 speeds for any memory configuration up to 3gigs. But to run 400mhz memory you must leave one slot open which limits the board to a maximum of 2gig memory if you want to run at 400mhz. .............??????? Glad the prices have dropped to $62 (delivered) for 1g pc3200 400mHz

Namie · August 17th, 2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigbonedoc

If I followed the post correctly this should be correct..................... ...... THE K8v se deluxe MoBo has 3 ram slots and can run 200 and 333 speeds for any memory configuration up to 3gigs. But to run 400mhz memory you must leave one slot open which limits the board to a maximum of 2gig memory if you want to run at 400mhz. .............??????? Glad the prices have dropped to $62 (delivered) for 1g pc3200 400mHz

OMG, did you know you replied to my post that was from 2 years ago!?

Bigbonedoc · August 17th, 2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Namie

OMG, did you know you replied to my post that was from 2 years ago!?

Yeah I was aware but I thought the logic flow was a bit confusing the first 5 times I read thread. The fact that you were notified of my reply this long in coming gets me. Beware the Internet never forgets... LOL

Peter M · August 18th, 2007, 04:55 PM

... and to round it all off, here's the solution to the speed mystery: Laws of physics. Feasible signal frequency on a bus decreases with load - and every socket, DIMM, and memory chip adds to the load.

Hence, as you add sockets and DIMMs, speed must degrade to keep things working. The DDR standard limits 200 MHz operation to one (!) DIMM, 166 MHz allows two, 133 MHz allows three DIMMs. (This is per available channel, of course.)

And of course, since larger numbers look better on the box, one must keep in mind that PC3200 DIMMs use DDR400 memory chips which run at up to 200 MHz.