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Why do motherboards have twice the amount of memory slots than dimms accepted?

cadabri
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Quad channel doesn't mean that it can only use 4 sticks of RAM.

It'll simply use 2 slots for each channel.

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I have been wondering this for a while (and is probably a stupid question), but why do motherboards have twice the amount of ram slots, then the amount that is supposedly accepted? For example, for an upcoming build that I was planning, I am going to use the Rampage V Extreme motherboard, and it has 8 slots, but it is supposedly only quad channel! Why is this? What would happen if I used 8 sticks of ram inside of it, would it just not work, or would it register them? Again, this is probably a really stupid question but I would like to know. Thanks!

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Quad channel doesn't mean that it can only use 4 sticks of RAM.

It'll simply use 2 slots for each channel.

 

 

 

 

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When you see single/dual/triple/quad channel, it means there are two sticks per channel. You'd be fine with slapping eight DIMMs in there, no problem.

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Sometimes there are multiple slots per channel to allow usage of smaller capacity RAM modules.  A MoBo may support 4 Gigs per channel but if you only have 2 gig RAM modules then you could use two sticks per channel.  Number of slots ≠ number of channels

 Two motoes to live by   "Sometimes there are no shortcuts"

                                           "This too shall pass"

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Quad channel doesn't mean that it can only use 4 sticks of RAM.

It'll simply use 2 slots for each channel.

So, it would be 8x4gb =4x8gb? it just uses up the empty space?

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So, it would be 8x4gb =4x8gb? it just uses up the empty space?

 

Yes, but if you are not populating all the ram slots, you want to make sure that you use all the ones on the same channel, usually there are 2 different colors for the ram slots and of them on one quad channel are the same color and the others are a different channel. 

:)xD9_9:D:PB|

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a quad channel motherboard with 8 slots (X99 i take it) means that it requires its memory to be used in sets of 4, since you have 8 slots on the motherboard you can put 2 sets of 4 sticks in there. and 1 set of 8 will also work.

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Yes, but if you are not populating all the ram slots, you want to make sure that you use all the ones on the same channel, usually there are 2 different colors for the ram slots and of them on one quad channel are the same color and the others are a different channel. 

Okay, this really helps me because the 8x4gb ram is a lot cheaper than the 4x8gb equivalent 

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So, it would be 8x4gb =4x8gb? it just uses up the empty space?

channels1.png

I hope that picture helps you.

That is why you should populate only one color with RAM sticks first and if they're full start with the next color.

So in this case first the black RAM slots and then the red ones, to get all channels filled up.

 

 

 

 

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So much fail in this thread...

 

Single Channel = 1 channel's per bank

Dual Channel = 2 channel's per bank

Triple Channel = 3 channel's per bank

Quad Channel = 4 channel's per bank

 

If you have 8 open DIMM slots on your MOBO, and your MOBO supports quad channel memory, and you populate all 8 slots, you are running 2 banks of quad channel memory.

 

*edited for clarity*

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Okay, this really helps me because the 8x4gb ram is a lot cheaper than the 4x8gb equivalent 

Correction, about same price, but faster

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Okay, this really helps me because the 8x4gb ram is a lot cheaper than the 4x8gb equivalent 

True, but if you wanted to upgrade to more ram in the future, you might want to buy the 4 8gb sticks, because you will then have 4 available memory slots.

:)xD9_9:D:PB|

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True, but if you wanted to upgrade to more ram in the future, you might want to buy the 4 8gb sticks, because you will then have 4 available memory slots.

Is it safe to do that? I have heard its always to upgrade all of your ram whenever you do

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Is it safe to do that? I have heard its always to upgrade all of your ram whenever you do

It is best, but if you can find the exact same model in the future, then you can add additional memory. It is much easier to make sure you are getting the same stuff if you order all of it at once and you are less likely to end up with the wrong modules, but you won't see much performance difference between your 2 suggested configurations.

:)xD9_9:D:PB|

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It is best, but if you can find the exact same model in the future, then you can add additional memory. It is much easier to make sure you are getting the same stuff if you order all of it at once and you are less likely to end up with the wrong modules, but you won't see much performance difference between your 2 suggested configurations.

Ah, well I will probably stick with the 36gb (8x4gb) and if the day ever comes that I need to have 64gb of ram, hopefully it will be a lot cheaper and I will have more money

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Ah, well I will probably stick with the 36gb (8x4gb) and if the day ever comes that I need to have 64gb of ram, hopefully it will be a lot cheaper and I will have more money

 

Yeah you should be fine with 32GB of ram for sure.

:)xD9_9:D:PB|

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Yeah you should be fine with 32GB of ram for sure.

Yeah, also how accurate is runit3 with -

"So much fail in this thread...

Single Channel = 1 DIMM per channel

Dual Channel = 2 DIMM's per channel

Triple Channel = 3 DIMM's per channel

Quad Channel = 4 DIMM's per channel

If you have 8 open DIMM slots on your MOBO, and your MOBO supports quad channel memory, and you populate all 8 slots, you are running 2 banks of quad channel memory."

Im not sure how much I trust that xD I mean, quad channel means "FOUR CHANNELS"

 

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Yeah, also how accurate is runit3 with -

"So much fail in this thread...

Single Channel = 1 DIMM per channel

Dual Channel = 2 DIMM's per channel

Triple Channel = 3 DIMM's per channel

Quad Channel = 4 DIMM's per channel

If you have 8 open DIMM slots on your MOBO, and your MOBO supports quad channel memory, and you populate all 8 slots, you are running 2 banks of quad channel memory."

Im not sure how much I trust that xD I mean, quad channel means "FOUR CHANNELS"

 

No he's right quad channel means 4 dimm's per channel so if you populate all 8 dimm slots then you are running 2 sets of quad channel.

:)xD9_9:D:PB|

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No he's right quad channel means 4 dimm's per channel so if you populate all 8 dimm slots then you are running 2 sets of quad channel.

What it sounds like he is saying is that you are only running two channels, with each having 4 dimms

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What would happen if I used 8 sticks of ram inside of it, would it just not work, or would it register them?

 

I'm sure it's been said by now, but if you did this you'd simply have two sets of memory installed in a quad-channel configuration. Works perfectly fine.

 

You can use as many DIMMs as you have slots, as long as they're installed in matching sets of four (or two for dual-channel), and in the slots your motherboard tells you to for each channel (usually every other slot).

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What it sounds like he is saying is that you are only running two channels, with each having 4 dimms

That's exactly what I'm saying. Two, quad channels, 4 DIMM's each. The explanations above mine made no sense.

 

Channels divide banks of memory configurations, either single, dual, triple, or quad. The labeling of channel A,B,C,D refers to each respective DIMM channel of the same bank. It's easier to recognize by the coloring of the slots on the MOBO. Like colored DIMM slots all belong to the same bank. The picture that was above was of 2 triple channel banks.

 

*edit* Here's a pretty thorough explanation: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-dual-triple-and-quad-channel-memory-architectures/

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Plz delete can't even be bothered.

 Two motoes to live by   "Sometimes there are no shortcuts"

                                           "This too shall pass"

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Plz delete can't even be bothered.

There is no reason to be rude

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There is no reason to be rude

In what way was I rude?

 

The 'couldn't be bothered' was I was going to try and clear up the difference between banks, lanes and slots, but after posting my ideas I was re-reading and trying to get oyhers explanations into what I was saying but I decided life was too short and would just let my initial post stand.

 Two motoes to live by   "Sometimes there are no shortcuts"

                                           "This too shall pass"

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In what way was I rude?

 

The 'couldn't be bothered' was I was going to try and clear up the difference between banks, lanes and slots, but after posting my ideas I was re-reading and trying to get oyhers explanations into what I was saying but I decided life was too short and would just let my initial post stand.

Okay, sorry, I thought you were talking about the post in a hole

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