Question about Dual Channel, 4gb & 32bit OS

[idiotekniQues]

Hello good people.

I realize that in a 32bit OS there is a limitation on how much memory windows can address.

So if you run 4x1gb sticks you will effectively only get use of about 3.2gb or so, depending on how much other stuff windows is addressing memory wise (such as GC memory)

This is ok with me, as I enjoy having the extra 1.2gb of ram rather than not.

However, does this 3.2gb of ram still run dual channel?

or am I gaining the 1.2gb of ram but losing the dual channel.

 

[Quiksilver]

"However, does this 3.2gb of ram still run dual channel? "
Yes

"or am I gaining the 1.2gb of ram but losing the dual channel."
No

 

[idiotekniQues]

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
"However, does this 3.2gb of ram still run dual channel? "
Yes

"or am I gaining the 1.2gb of ram but losing the dual channel."
No

thanks.

is there documentation of this on the web?

my search string must be poor since I have found nothing but forum responses in regards to this.

 

[ryderOCZ]

Memory has nothing to do with Dual Channel, its all about the motherboard.

If you put 2 sticks of ram in the appropriate slots on a motherboard you have Dual Channel, no way to turn it off and the OS has no affect whether its there or not.

Dual Channel means there is a separate set of traces on the board to each "set or pair" or Dimm slots on the board. Many boards have the slots arranged in 2 pairs...so you can easily see this. Others have them all close together, the traces are just arranged differently.
Dual core is also dependant on the memory controller on the Northbridge (Intel chipsets) or the CPU (AMD). All current memory controllers have Dual Channel capability.

 

[idiotekniQues]

Originally posted by: ryderOCZ
Memory has nothing to do with Dual Channel, its all about the motherboard.

If you put 2 sticks of ram in the appropriate slots on a motherboard you have Dual Channel, no way to turn it off and the OS has no affect whether its there or not.

Dual Channel means there is a separate set of traces on the board to each "set or pair" or Dimm slots on the board. Many boards have the slots arranged in 2 pairs...so you can easily see this. Others have them all close together, the traces are just arranged differently.
Dual core is also dependant on the memory controller on the Northbridge (Intel chipsets) or the CPU (AMD). All current memory controllers have Dual Channel capability.

cool.

i know that the motherboard needed the same size sticks in each channel of a set of channels to work (two red slots, two yellow slots, etc)

so i thought maybe since the OS was addressing only some of the memory, now the dual channel was fubared since it coiuld be similar to uneven memory sticks being in there.

good to know it is hardware dependent not OS dependent