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  1. Can I mix-assemble these 2 modules to get dual channel performance?

  2. How can I check, if they’re working totally & actually correct OR not?

Giacomo1968
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Bratt
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2 Answers2

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Generally, it is not recommended to mix sticks. Even if the sticks come from the same manufacturer, the memory chips themselves could different makes. Asymmetric channel configuration only supports one set of timing, so the RAM will operate at the lowest timing s available. It's still not recommended, but it should work. If you're running at least Windows 7, I'd recommend running the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool to verify that everything is running correctly. Either that, or download and run Memtest86. Either tool should point out any issues with the sticks or the configuration.

Sauromir
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Assuming your hardware is compatible with both and can fit two sticks of RAM, yes, you can use both.

But you probably will NOT get dual channel performance at all and you definitely will not get dual channel performance on the second gigabyte of the two gigabyte stick. According to Wikipedia:

A matching pair needs to match in:

  • Capacity (e.g. 1024 MiB). Certain Intel chipsets support different capacity chips in what they call Flex Mode: the capacity that can be matched is run in dual-channel, while the remainder runs in single-channel.
  • Speed (e.g. PC5300). If speed is not the same, the lower speed of the two modules will be used. Likewise, the higher latency of the two modules will be used.
  • Same CAS Latency (CL) or Column Address Strobe.
  • Number of chips and sides (e.g. two sides with four chips on each side).
  • Matching size of rows and columns.

So you'll need to check if your chipset supports Flex Mode, and if those RAM sticks have a matching number of chips per side and matching size of rows and columns.

Do note that you will probably see better performance with 3 GB of single channel RAM than 2GB of double channel RAM.

Community
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8bittree
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