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Using UDIMM & RDIMM RAM in the same computer
Hello!
I am a video-editor - I have a Dell T3600 Precision Workstation. I've always liked this computer; however, I have recently been getting the error message 'low on memory' when rendering large files. So I thought I'd look into purchasing some more memory for my computer.
My computer has the capac ity to hold 64 GB of RAM memory. Currently, I only have 8GB of UDIMM memory (my receipt said I have 8GB, DDR3 UDIMM Memory, 1600MHz, Non-ECC). However, Dell will only let me upgrade my computer with RDIMM Ram (they were trying to sell me 8 GB Certified Replacement Memory Module, 2Rx4 RDIMM 1333MHz LV). According to the Dell customer service agent, there would be NO conflict if I upgraded my workstation to RDIMM RAM (meaning I could have UDIMM RAM as well as RDIMM Ram in my computer at the same time without any conflict). However, is this really true? Would it harm my computer at all? Or would it even make it any faster?
Any help you guys could provide would be much appreciated!
Thanks so much!
I am a video-editor - I have a Dell T3600 Precision Workstation. I've always liked this computer; however, I have recently been getting the error message 'low on memory' when rendering large files. So I thought I'd look into purchasing some more memory for my computer.
My computer has the capac ity to hold 64 GB of RAM memory. Currently, I only have 8GB of UDIMM memory (my receipt said I have 8GB, DDR3 UDIMM Memory, 1600MHz, Non-ECC). However, Dell will only let me upgrade my computer with RDIMM Ram (they were trying to sell me 8 GB Certified Replacement Memory Module, 2Rx4 RDIMM 1333MHz LV). According to the Dell customer service agent, there would be NO conflict if I upgraded my workstation to RDIMM RAM (meaning I could have UDIMM RAM as well as RDIMM Ram in my computer at the same time without any conflict). However, is this really true? Would it harm my computer at all? Or would it even make it any faster?
Any help you guys could provide would be much appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Tony
theflash1932
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January 25th, 2014 18:00
You can use either/or, but you cannot MIX UDIMMs and RDIMMs. It will not harm your PC to mix them - your PC is smart enough not to allow it and it will stop with an error. UDIMMs might give you a couple of points on a benchmark, but not much - you certainly wouldn't notice in day-to-day use.
CaptainCatholic
6 Posts
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January 26th, 2014 14:00
Got it! That is very helpful, thank you so much! I can't believe Dell told me I could just get more RDIMM, sounds like they were trying to rip me off. I'll just look for UDIMMs somewhere, as they're not available here on Dell's website. Any advice on where to find UDIMMs that would be compatible with my computer?
Thank you so much for your help, I sincerely appreciate it!!
theflash1932
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January 26th, 2014 14:00
No, if you mix UDIMM and RDIMM, the computer will not instinctively use one or the other ... it will stop during POST, unable to continue, telling you that the memory configuration is invalid. You will have to choose UDIMM or RDIMM and populate with one or the other, but not both. If you currently have UDIMMs, then you can EITHER add more UDIMMs or remove ALL UDIMMs and populate with RDIMMs.
CaptainCatholic
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January 26th, 2014 14:00
Thank you very much for the reply! That is interesting information. If you're not supposed to mix UDIMM and RDIMM, then would it even benefit me to buy 8 GB of RDIMM? From what I gather, it sounds like you're saying my computer would simply stop ceasing my 8 GB of UDIMM memory and just switch to the new 8 GB of RDIMM memory, hence not really making it faster but just making it the same speed (8 GB of UDIMM memory versus 8 GB of RDIMM). Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though. Thanks so much again for your help!!
theflash1932
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January 26th, 2014 15:00
They may have assumed you would replace existing DIMMs, or they simply may not have realized what RDIMM/UDIMM is - the newer T-series Precisions are the only desktops/laptops that can take RDIMMs ... it is a server technology.
Also note that you CANNOT use larger than 2GB UDIMMs. If you plan to use DIMMs larger than 2GB, they will have to be RDIMM:
http://partnerdirect.dell.com/sites/channel/Documents/Dell_Precision_T3600_Workstation_Technical_Guidebook.pdf
CaptainCatholic
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February 3rd, 2014 08:00
Thank you SO much for your help! I sincerely appreciate all the information you've given me. After reading your posts, it's clear what my options are; looks like I currently have 4x2GB of UDIMM. Since my T3600 only has 4 memory slots available right from the start, they're all full; if I want to upgrade, it looks like my only option is to get rid of all my current UDIMM and replace it with RDIMM (maybe 16 GB since that'd be all I could afford at most! haha). However, my only last concern is whether or not I can do that; I'm looking at the Dell website (here: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&category_id=4325&mfgpid=226604&chassisid=-1&stype=1&Tab=Parts ), and it states, "'N' configurations are built with non-ECC UDIMM memory. All others are built with ECC RDIMM." Hopefully, that doesn't mean that I have an 'N' configuration computer which is incompatible with ECC memory - do you think that's what it means? I'm hoping it's as easy as being able to scrap my UDIMMs and replace it with RDIMMs (I know little about computers, so I didn't know if the size of the UDIMM memory card was different from the size of the RDIMM memory card, thus making it incompatible with my computer).
In any case, thank you so much once again for your help! You have been much more helpful than Dell has been!