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Difference between Single and Dual Channel RAM?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 79192
  • Start date
Huge in Intel systems. 5% if lucky in AMD systems...
 
Originally posted by Matt Welke
Whats that mean??? :confused:
Click to expand...

It means when having dual channel vs. single channel in Intel based systems, dual channel is a huge improvement. And when having dual channel vs. single channel in AMD based systems, you'd be lucky to see a 5% difference in speed.
 
Currently A64s are single channel only. Once they go to 939, lord only knows.
 
Ahh, I understand now. I wonder why dual channel doesn't improve AMD systems much. Does this have to do with LOSING performance when the memory is clocked higher than the FSB in AMD systems?
 
Originally posted by Matt Welke
Ahh, I understand now. I wonder why dual channel doesn't improve AMD systems much. Does this have to do with LOSING performance when the memory is clocked higher than the FSB in AMD systems?
Click to expand...

It has to do with a poor implementation of dual channel memory. That's just the way the chip makers (Nvidia) chose to implement it. I don't intend to turn this into a war, but Intel definitely makes a better motherboard chipset than Nvidia/Via, etc and all those AMD compatible ones (talking XPs here...no A64s). I say this to all my AMD friends, that they should start complaining to their respective chip makers to start coming up with some better chipsets.
 
Originally posted by Matt Welke
Ahh, I understand now. I wonder why dual channel doesn't improve AMD systems much. Does this have to do with LOSING performance when the memory is clocked higher than the FSB in AMD systems?
Click to expand...
Dual vs. single channel memory has to do with memory input bandwidth for the CPU. AMD doesn't have enough to take full advantage of the potential of dual channel. Asynch memory/FSB problems arise from latency problems as the faster memory is cached for the CPU, similar to the latency problems intel had with RD RAM (higher theoretical bandwidth killed by high transfer latencies).
 
Physically the RAM is not different. Dual channel is a mode that the RAM controller uses to address the memory. The only real different when you buy dual channel memory is that memory has been further tested to work in a dual channel mode.

I know that Corsair takes a pair of normal modules, and will test together in a dual channel motherboard at 400MHz, and if the modules pass the test, they are sold as a TWINX pair.
 
yeah read the memory faq sticky man. if you have an AMD then you DON'T want your bus and ram speeds running out of sync.
 
For myself I didn't really notice much of a difference in performance going to dual channel myself on an i865PE board.

Forget the exact % but it was something like <5%.

Just some more info, if you do Dual Channel make sure you get matched pairs of memory for all that is holy. Otherwise you'll just cause yourself a lot of headaches.
 
The reason alot of people dont notice a difference in going to a dual channel enabled setup is because of the fact they never needed more bandwidth to start with. Enabling dual channel on the motherboard doubles the effective bandwidth of the RAM. If you are running PC3200 then its practically running at PC6400 speeds. Games and the like are not bandwidth intensive. They use very little bandwidth and can only make use of around 250Mhz (DDR500) speeds. Anything faster and your not really benefitting any. Intel processors are bandwidth hungry but dual channel has eliminated the need to run high speed memory in overclocking. All you have to do is set the divider to 5:4 or 3:2 and achieve the same and better performance then the 1:1 with high speed memory. The only area the added bandwidth would be better is extremely bandwidth intensive applications just as CAD.
 
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