memory

[Stern]

I have 2 memory sticks, one has 4 blocks on either side ( 8 in total ) and the other has 8 blocks on either side ( 16 in total ). Does that mean they are 8x and 16x respectively? or 4x and 8x?

 

[Lonyo]

None of those.
Memory sticks don't have (X)x ratings.

 

[DemonicPenguin]

I think he's referring to the arrangement of memory banks on his RAM chip..for instance I just bought RAM with 32MBx8 configuration (this is for EACH side, not both combined). I have 8 banks on each side. Meaning on one side it's 256MB, and on the other it's another 256. In all, 512.

Your chip with 4 blocks on either side would be x4, and the other chip with 8 blocks would be x8.

 

[Stern]

so there are ones with 16 chips on BOTH sides?

 

[DemonicPenguin]

I don't think so..but I'm not too sure. :\

 

[MrAustin]

I haven't seen any with 16 on each side -- I've only seen up to eight.

 

[KillaKilla]

Correct me if I'm wrong... but does the configuration have any affect on performance? (assumming the same bit/interface, speed, and latency?)

 

[Gamingphreek]

Double Sided are better than Single Sided. Other than that no real difference IIRC.

-Kevin

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Double Sided are better than Single Sided. Other than that no real difference IIRC.

-Kevin

Actually, single sided modules tend to be somewhat more stable at high speeds with a lot of RAM installed. Many P4 systems can only use four DIMMs at DDR400 if they are all single sided. SS modules tend to cost a bit more, since they have to use 'bigger' DRAM chips to get the same amount of total memory (since there are only eight instead of sixteen chips on the module).

There is no performance difference at the same speed.

 

[Stern]

so, if there are no DIMMS with 16 blocks on BOTH sides, is the stick with 8 on BOTH sides a x16 one then? It's just that I bought a (4 on both sides) DDR stick a couple months ago from crucial. Then, i ordered exactly the same item again, but the one I got has 8 on both sides now. I am getting errors when using Dual channel, and noticed that Nforce 2 does not support x4 sticks. So i was wondering whether the one with 4 sticks on either side is x4 or x8, since 4 on either side, but 8 in total...

 

[DemonicPenguin]

...is the stick with 8 on BOTH sides a x16 one then?

If on one side you have 8 memory banks (16 in total), then it has a x8 configuration. If it's 512MB then it's considered 32x8 = 256. If it's 1024MB, then it's 64x8 (and again, this is for EACH side, not both).

*/Edit*/
Sorry, I misread what you asked. If on your memory module you have 8 total, then that'd be of x4 configuration. I'm assuming on one side you'd have 4. And on the other of an equal amount.

If you have 512MB, then it's of a 64MBx4 configuration.
If you have 1024MB, then it's of a 128MBx4 configuration.

Hope that helps.

 

[Stern]

well then crucial sucks. why would they recommend that stick for that mobo if it doesn't support Nforce 2. Would I be able to send back the 4x stick and get it replaced with an 8x stick?

 

[ribbon13]

Actually, DDR memory comes in up to 11 chips per side.. when they are registered.
http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/20-144-167-01.JPG

 

[batmanuel]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
Actually, DDR memory comes in up to 11 chips per side.. when they are registered.
http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/20-144-167-01.JPG

Only nine of those chips, the big square ones, are actually memory chips. The two smaller chips don't store data, but are used for some other purpose. One holds the SPD info about the module, I think. Not sure what the other one does.

 

[ribbon13]

They are shift registers! My god man! I just said that.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Double Sided are better than Single Sided. Other than that no real difference IIRC.

-Kevin

Actually, single sided modules tend to be somewhat more stable at high speeds with a lot of RAM installed. Many P4 systems can only use four DIMMs at DDR400 if they are all single sided. SS modules tend to cost a bit more, since they have to use 'bigger' DRAM chips to get the same amount of total memory (since there are only eight instead of sixteen chips on the module).
There is no performance difference at the same speed.

Wrong....

If you plan to run DDR400 as your base memory speed with an 800FSB processor, your best memory performance will clearly be with four matched double-sided DIMMs


Despite the slightly lower overclock possible with four DIMMs, the best 1:1 performance is still with four DIMMs. For example, DDR516 using four DIMMs out-performs DDR530 with two DIMMs ? since the four DIMMs are about 7% to 10% higher in UNBuffered memory performance.

Beyond this, we see that two double-sided DIMMs perform much better than two single-sided DIMMs

Anandtech article on Pentium 4 memory configurations
Although this not be true in all cases.

 

[Stern]

can anyone show me a pick of RAM that has 16 blockss on both sides? Because I do think the one with 8 blocks on both sides is 16x, and the other is 4x, but I still don't know for sure

 

[Stern]

bump

 

[ribbon13]

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...duct_Code=140827&Category_Code=REG_DDR

 

[fishmonger12]

i know the a64 can only run 4 dimms at 400mhz if they are single sided... if they are double sided they get bumped down to 333

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: KillaKilla
Correct me if I'm wrong... but does the configuration have any affect on performance? (assumming the same bit/interface, speed, and latency?)

Yes, less chips = less loading on the memory signal lines = ability to run at faster stable speeds. But by the same token, the internal configuration of the chips (which be dependent on their internal DRAM size), can also affect what latency/timing settings that those DRAM chips and thus similarly the DIMM can support. Different DRAM chips from different generations can also be a source of incompatibilities, if nothing else because of those same subtle timing differences just mentioned.