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May 7th, 2012 16:00
dual channel functioning, how to effect
Optiplex 580 -- AMD hardware -- customer brochure states that dual channel operation is possible, but no one seems to know how to effect it.. the manual's sysbo diagram does not even label the dimm slots.
the two dimm slots nearest the cpu have black flaps, and the next two dimm slots (towards the top of the chassis) have white flaps.
as best as i can get from Dell, the modules are labeled, starting from the black-flapped DIMM nearest the cpu and proceeding away from the cpu:
channel A DIMM 1 [black] -- nearest to cpu
channel B DIMM 1 [black]
channel A DIMM 2 [white]
channel B DIMM 2 [white] -- furthest from cpu; nearest top of chassis
is this DIMM slot-labelling correct?
Dell also tells me that the two dual-channel kit modules should occupy channel A DIMM 1 & channel A DIMM 2 -- but this is different from what i (think i) heard elsewhere: dual-channel means that both channels -- channel A and channel B -- are in operation.
my questions are: which DIMM slots should be occupied for a dual-channel functioning; do i need to alter bios settings; what happens if i use two dual-channel kits -- say 2 x 2gb 1066MHz and 2 x 4gb 1066MHz -- each one being positioned for dual channel operation -- which dual-channel operation will function?
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RoHe
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May 7th, 2012 19:00
DDR2 RAM should be installed in matched pairs. Dell typically color codes the channels so a matched pair should be installed in the slots that have matching color.
As long as the modules are identical in a pair, they should function as DDR2 RAM. Each pair can be different capacity RAM, as long as they're all DDR2 of the right specs. ALL RAM will run at the speed of the slowest modules that are installed
Grab free copy of CPU-Z from from here <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>. Launch CPU-Z and look on Memory tab. It will tell you if RAM is running in single or dual channel mode.
EDIT: Look at the photos here for minitower or here for desktop version. The two modules that are installed are both in "white" slots. Not the same as what you're seeing (eg, black closed to CPU), but the key point is the modules in the photos are in slots with matching color, starting with the slot closest to the CPU. There's nothing else to do, no BIOS settings to change etc. The system should recognize dual channel function automatically as long as the slots are populated correctly.