Nforce4 + 4GB RAM = DDR333 memory speed

[Knavish]

I've looked in a few manuals for Nforce4 boards (basic and SLI, including MSI and DFI). They all have a little table / paragraph that describes how the memory runs at DDR400 when using Single sided ram or just a pair of Double sided DIMMs, but if you use 2 double sided Dimms in the same channel or 4 double sided Dimms in all 4 slots, you run at DDR333.

Maybe they exist, but I've never seen a 1GB dimm that was single sided. What this seems to say is that if you pimp out your nf4 system with 4GB of ram, you get slow ram.

Does it really work like this?
-Knavish

 

[xtknight]

That's true with any A64 chipset since the mem controller is integrated on A64s. You need to run 2T/DDR333 to have 4 sticks of RAM. I can't remember if this was alleviated in a later core or not.

 

[Knavish]

According to the manuals, you can run DDR400 with 4 1-sided sticks. That's 2GB tho (I think).

 

[BlacKJesuS]

Originally posted by: Knavish
I've looked in a few manuals for Nforce4 boards (basic and SLI, including MSI and DFI). They all have a little table / paragraph that describes how the memory runs at DDR400 when using Single sided ram or just a pair of Double sided DIMMs, but if you use 2 double sided Dimms in the same channel or 4 double sided Dimms in all 4 slots, you run at DDR333.

Maybe they exist, but I've never seen a 1GB dimm that was single sided. What this seems to say is that if you pimp out your nf4 system with 4GB of ram, you get slow ram.

Does it really work like this?
-Knavish

yes they do....but look at it like this....you can overclock easier

 

[sonoma1993]

i thought they fixed the double sided issue at 400mhz when using 4 sticks with the san diego and venice cores and the x2?

 

[WraithETC]

^^I'm pretty sure of that also. I remember asking on dfi street.

 

[MrX8503]

so is using 4gb worth it? 4x1gb

 

[Knavish]

Originally posted by: MrX8503
so is using 4gb worth it? 4x1gb

I'd say only if you could get 1-sided 1GB dimms. I dont think Nforce4 boards see more than 3.25 GB anyway due to the way the BIOS does memory mapped addressing. If you want to go up to 4GB you need a server / workstation class board or an Intel system

-knavish

 

[MrX8503]

When windows vista comes out and i upgrade the OS, will lets say an AMD 64 with 4gb NF4 mobo be recogonized then?

 

[Knavish]

Originally posted by: MrX8503
When windows vista comes out and i upgrade the OS, will lets say an AMD 64 with 4gb NF4 mobo be recogonized then?

That's a good question. I'd bet if you're running the 32 bit version of Vista then it still won't see 4GB. If you switch to the 64 bit version maybe the system will behave differently -- I don't know. Someone running 64 bit linux with 4GB might be able to tell us...

-Knavish

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: Knavish
According to the manuals, you can run DDR400 with 4 1-sided sticks. That's 2GB tho (I think).

why can't it be 4 1-sided 1GB sticks ?

isn't one sided just plain SDRAM?

why do you need 4 gigs OP? what do u do with your ram that 2 gigs won't suffice?