What exactly is "Dual Channel" RAM?

Twisted4000

Twisted4000

Geek Trainee
Hey, this has always bugged me.

Single Channel is when you have like 2 RAM slots of the same color, right? And then Dual Channel has 2 different colors for the slots. What's the difference? I mean, yeah, you have more slots, but what's the difference between the colors? What do the colors signify?

It will usually be marked as A1, A2, B1, B2. Are the 2's slower, or?
 
your motherboard manual will have a section explaining where you should install the ram to activate dual channel. It varies between manufactures and models. If your inquiring about the ECS MCP73VT-PM motherboard listed in your sig, it is 2 slot single channel.
 
M_Kincy said:
your motherboard manual will have a section explaining where you should install the ram to activate dual channel. It varies between manufactures and models. If your inquiring about the ECS MCP73VT-PM motherboard listed in your sig, it is 2 slot single channel.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

And no, it's not about the ECS board, I know that one is a single channel, I'm getting a new one.
 
Dual Channel is a memory configuration which double data throughput when you install 2 ram modules in the first ram slot and usually, the 3rd ram slot. You're motherboard does not support Dual Channel.
 
cube_ said:
Dual Channel is a memory configuration which double data throughput when you install 2 ram modules in the first ram slot and usually, the 3rd ram slot. You're motherboard does not support Dual Channel.
Click to expand...
Again, I wasn't talking about MY motherboard, I'm getting a new one.
 
Hi,

Single channel is when you have ram operating independantly of one another. With a dual channel setup, pairs of ram are running together so that there can be an increase in performance. This was created to help prevent bottle necking of cpu's, where the cpu has run out of things to calculate because the rest of the computer's components are too slow to keep up with it. By using dual channel for memory, it increases the memory bandwidth available. Essentially, 2 memory channels are allowed to run at the same time which reduces bottlenecking, whereas with single channel configurations they do not run at the sametime. The amount of performance can vary, with some setups it only increases performance 5-10% and in others can be much more, but it depends on if you are gaming or using some other memory intensive application. In order to activate it on a system board that supports dual channel, you need to install ram in the configuration specified by the manual for the board (most of the time if you have 4 ram slots that are 2 different colors, you would install the ram in say, both blue ram slots or whatever color it is to activate; in the case of A1, A2, B1, B2, those are a way of distinguishing the slots, most likely dual channel on such a board would be done by installing ram in both A slots or both B slots).
 
Dual channeling is definitely something to shoot for if at all possible! The performance gain is quite remarkable. It increases processor speed and performance requires other, less prominent components to keep pace. In the case of dual channel design, the intended target is the memory controller, which regulates data flow between the CPU and system memory (RAM).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top