Using all four DIMM slots

[Zucarita9000]

I've been reading a few posts about the subject, and was wondering if it was true that when using all four DIMM slots in some motherboards, the speed was automatically set to a lower value (or was it higher latencies?).

I was planning on getting 4 512MB sticks, as the 1GB modules are still very expensive. The board I'll be using is an Asus P4P800-E Deluxe along with a 3.2GHz Nortwhood.

 

[Peter]

The official JEDEC specification limits 200 MHz DDR operation (PC3200, falsely "DDR400") to one DIMM - per channel, of course. YMMV, but plenty of people found that running two DIMMs actually doesn't work well, particularly when they're double sided. (It's an electrical thing, parasitic capacitance vs. signal integrity.)

Single-sided 512-MB DIMMs would reduce that capacitive load, but since these are using the exact same chips as the double-sided 1024-MB DIMMs use, they shouldn't be any cheaper in the total.

 

[Zucarita9000]

Sooo... what you're saying is.... what exactly?

 

[Peter]

I say you shouldn't bet your money on 2x2 double sided sticks working at 200 MHz - and going 2x2 single-sided is pointless since they're about as expensive as twin gigabyte DIMMs.

 

[Zucarita9000]

Got it. I'll guess I'll have to get two 1GB sticks then (damn it) :|