• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

2GB out of 6GB available?

RandelA

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2012
Messages
66 (0.02/day)
Location
Pateros, PH
System Name P55-NZXT
Processor Core i5 760 - 3.5Ghz
Motherboard MSI P55-GD55
Cooling CoolerMaster Vortex+
Memory Kingston DDR3 3x2GB 1333MHz (dumb setup)
Video Card(s) Powercolor HD5770 OD 910/1395
Storage Seagate 500GB - OS/WD 160GB - Backup
Display(s) Samsung 21.5"
Case NZXT Apollo
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Thermaltake 650w
Software Windows 8 Pro x64
Hello guys I have a problem.



as you can see, it says I have 6GB installed, but windows is only using 2GB and the 4GB goes to hardware. Which is what I do not get.. I need those 6GB because I will be running 3D applications such as Maya, and I will be working with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
could someone explain?

Specs:
Win 8 Pro x64
3x2GB 1336Mhz DDR3 (kingston)
i5 760
My mobo has a dual channel, so there are 4 slots but I only used 3. The 1 slot I didn't use is nearest to the CPU.
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
2,074 (0.49/day)
Location
Jacksonhole Florida
System Name DEVIL'S ABYSS
Processor i7-4790K@4.6 GHz
Motherboard Asus Z97-Deluxe
Cooling Corsair H110 (2 x 140mm)(3 x 140mm case fans)
Memory 16GB Adata XPG V2 2400MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA 780 Ti Classified
Storage Intel 750 Series 400GB (AIC), Plextor M6e 256GB (M.2), 13 TB storage
Display(s) Crossover 27QW (27"@ 2560x1440)
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC1150
Power Supply Cooler Master V1000
Mouse Ttsports Talon Blu
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 10 Pro x64 version 1803
Benchmark Scores Passmark CPU score = 13080
1. Check BIOS setting for onboard graphics, set to lowest amount of memory use.
2. In msconfig, boot tab, advanced options, uncheck or configure maximum memory box.
3. Check your DIMM configuration, your modules may be incompatible or misconfigured (try in different slots or just 2 modules). Also make sure they are seated all the way - I've sometimes had to reseat modules 2 or 3 times to get them all working.
4. If your modules are suspect, memory is dirt cheap these days, get a dual channel kit, 2 x 4 GB for $45 Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-P...
 

lyndonguitar

I play games
Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
1,877 (0.37/day)
Location
Philippines
System Name X6 | Lyndon-ROG
Processor Intel Core i7-8700k | Intel Core i7 6700HQ
Motherboard Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5 | Asus ROG-GL552VX
Cooling Deepcool Captain 240EX
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LED | 8 GB
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GTX 1080 8 GB GDDR5X | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 4GB
Storage SSDs: 500GB, HDDs: 2TB, 2TB, 3TB | SSD: 250GB, HDD: 1TB
Display(s) Samsung 49" CHG90 3840x1080@144Hz, Panasonic 32" HDTV, | 15.6"1080p
Case Cougar Panzer Max
Audio Device(s) HyperX Cloud II | Corsair Gaming H1500 7.1 | ROCCAT Kave 5.1 | Edifier M3200
Power Supply EVGA 750GQ
Mouse Logitech G403 | Razer Deathadder Chroma | Logitech G302 | Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 5
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Red
Software Windows 10
does your pc detect all 3 sticks?
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
430 (0.09/day)
Processor Intel i9-9900k @ 5GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro Wifi
Cooling ThermalTake Riing 240
Memory 2x8GB G-Skill 3600 CL19 @ 16-19-19-20
Video Card(s) Zotac RTX 2060 Amp!
Storage 2x Samsung 860 Evo 512GB, 4x Seagate 8TB
Display(s) 2x Dell U2713H
Case CoolerMaster M500P
Power Supply ThermalTake Toughpower 730W
Software Windows 10 Pro
^ from the screenshot it does. It clearly says "3 of 4" slots, but like he said there is the little matter of "4GB reserved".
Is there an option in the BIOS to re-allocate memory above 4GB?

I blame general Windows 8 suckiness.
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,756 (1.74/day)
Location
Stuck in a PC. halp.
System Name Monke | Work Thinkpad| Old Monke
Processor Ryzen 5600X | Ryzen 5500U | FX8320
Motherboard ASRock B550 Extreme4 | ? | Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling 240mm Rad | Not needed | hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB | 16 GB DDR4 3600 | 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB | Vega 8 | Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) | some samsung SSD
Display(s) Dell 2723DS | Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS | Dell 2240L
Case Ant Esports Tempered case | Thinkpad | Antec
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z333 | Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply Corsair RM750e | not needed | Corsair GS 600
Mouse Logitech G400 | nipple
Keyboard Logitech G213 | stock kb is awesome | Logitech K230
VR HMD ;_;
Software Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores There are no marks on my bench
looks like your sticks are incompatible. also yours is a dual channel config. why use 3 sticks?
 

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
18,914 (2.86/day)
Location
Piteå
System Name Black MC in Tokyo
Processor Ryzen 5 5600
Motherboard Asrock B450M-HDV
Cooling Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory 2 x 16GB Kingston Fury 3400mhz
Video Card(s) XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage Kingston A400 240GB | WD Black SN750 2TB |WD Blue 1TB x 2 | Toshiba P300 2TB | Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s) Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) Line6 UX1 + some headphones, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse Logitech G602
Keyboard Cherry MX Board 1.0 TKL Brown
VR HMD Acer Mixed Reality Headset
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Rimworld 4K ready!

MxPhenom 216

ASIC Engineer
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
12,944 (2.61/day)
Location
Loveland, CO
System Name Ryzen Reflection
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling 2x EK PE360 | TechN AM4 AMD Block Black | EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G | 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage WD SN850 500GB (OS) | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s) Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS | Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS | Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case Lian Li PC-011D XL | Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s) FiiO K7 | Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
Mouse Razer Viper v2 Pro
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
looks like your sticks are incompatible. also yours is a dual channel config. why use 3 sticks?

Yes, that's my question too. Why are you using a triple channel designed kit for systems on X58 for example and not dual channel, you are significantly hampering memory bandwidth with your current setup.

It also doesn't look like your running a integrated GPU, so there's no memory being allocated to the IGP. Is this a clean windows 8 install?
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,756 (1.74/day)
Location
Stuck in a PC. halp.
System Name Monke | Work Thinkpad| Old Monke
Processor Ryzen 5600X | Ryzen 5500U | FX8320
Motherboard ASRock B550 Extreme4 | ? | Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling 240mm Rad | Not needed | hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB | 16 GB DDR4 3600 | 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB | Vega 8 | Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) | some samsung SSD
Display(s) Dell 2723DS | Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS | Dell 2240L
Case Ant Esports Tempered case | Thinkpad | Antec
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z333 | Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply Corsair RM750e | not needed | Corsair GS 600
Mouse Logitech G400 | nipple
Keyboard Logitech G213 | stock kb is awesome | Logitech K230
VR HMD ;_;
Software Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores There are no marks on my bench
try and test with each memory stick. like put one stick at a time.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
827 (0.15/day)
Location
Bannock County
Processor AMD FX-8320 4.1Ghz
Motherboard Asus Aura
Cooling Corsair H60
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 32GB
Video Card(s) EVGA 1060 SC
Storage Intel 535 Series SSD + Seagate FireCuda 2TB
Case NZXT
Power Supply EVGA 650 Watt
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
Did you remove the memory and re-set it? Test your memory ...
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
Test each stick by themselves. Sounds like a bad contact between the CPU and the socket or the DIMM slot or a DIMM is being over-worked. Make sure that if you're running different DIMMs that you're running the slowest memory and the loosest timings out of all the DIMMs.
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
I'd try pulling the extra stick out and see about running in Dual-channel.
 
Last edited:

RandelA

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2012
Messages
66 (0.02/day)
Location
Pateros, PH
System Name P55-NZXT
Processor Core i5 760 - 3.5Ghz
Motherboard MSI P55-GD55
Cooling CoolerMaster Vortex+
Memory Kingston DDR3 3x2GB 1333MHz (dumb setup)
Video Card(s) Powercolor HD5770 OD 910/1395
Storage Seagate 500GB - OS/WD 160GB - Backup
Display(s) Samsung 21.5"
Case NZXT Apollo
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Thermaltake 650w
Software Windows 8 Pro x64
1. Check BIOS setting for onboard graphics, set to lowest amount of memory use.
2. In msconfig, boot tab, advanced options, uncheck or configure maximum memory box.
3. Check your DIMM configuration, your modules may be incompatible or misconfigured (try in different slots or just 2 modules). Also make sure they are seated all the way - I've sometimes had to reseat modules 2 or 3 times to get them all working.
4. If your modules are suspect, memory is dirt cheap these days, get a dual channel kit, 2 x 4 GB for $45 Kingston HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-P...

I searched my BIOS for onboard graphics.. but I could not find it? I have cell menu, but that's for the CPU I guess. (I have P55 Chipset)


looks like your sticks are incompatible. also yours is a dual channel config. why use 3 sticks?

because back when I started building this machine, I had little knowledge about N-channel configurations. I only knew that "hey, 6GB is more than 4GB, let's go with that one!" :laugh:

and then after realizing that I had the wrong config, I might buy another stick. But I am also thinking of upgrading to higher memory clocks? Would it make a difference? My target is atleast 8GB and 1600MHz

Yes, that's my question too. Why are you using a triple channel designed kit for systems on X58 for example and not dual channel, you are significantly hampering memory bandwidth with your current setup.

It also doesn't look like your running a integrated GPU, so there's no memory being allocated to the IGP. Is this a clean windows 8 install?

Yes it's a clean install. Then I installed my graphics card drivers. But the memory allocation is still the same.

try and test with each memory stick. like put one stick at a time.

I'll do it

EDIT----

I tried relocating the memory sticks.. I now have 4.9GB available, and 1.1GB for hardware.. seems I am making progress.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
3,351 (0.64/day)
System Name Dark Stealth
Processor Ryzen 5 5600x
Motherboard Gigabyte B450M Gaming rev 1.0
Cooling Snowman, arctic p12 x2 fans
Memory 16x2 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Pro
Video Card(s) 3080 10gb
Storage 2TB NVME PCIE 4.0 Crucial P3 Plus, 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD, 4TB WD RED HDD
Display(s) HP Omen 34c (34" monitor 3440x1440 165Hz VA panel)
Case Zalman S2
Power Supply Corsair 750TX
Mouse Logitech pro superlight, mx mouse s3, Razer Basiliskx with battery
Keyboard Custom mechanical keyboard tm680
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores 70-80 fps 3440x1440 on cyberpunk 2077 max settings

RandelA

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2012
Messages
66 (0.02/day)
Location
Pateros, PH
System Name P55-NZXT
Processor Core i5 760 - 3.5Ghz
Motherboard MSI P55-GD55
Cooling CoolerMaster Vortex+
Memory Kingston DDR3 3x2GB 1333MHz (dumb setup)
Video Card(s) Powercolor HD5770 OD 910/1395
Storage Seagate 500GB - OS/WD 160GB - Backup
Display(s) Samsung 21.5"
Case NZXT Apollo
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Thermaltake 650w
Software Windows 8 Pro x64
HEy guys.. I tried everything but I'm now stuck on 4.9GB available, and 1.1GB for hardware.
Also, if I may add, I have my system overclocked to 3.5GHz with Vortex + (which is doing a fairly good job) could that be one of the causes?
or could the cause be that I have only 3 sticks on a dual channel?

smth similar has happened to me but with 1x4gb and 1x2gb
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177365

yeah,, I'll try reinstalling my inf drivers :)
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
HEy guys.. I tried everything but I'm now stuck on 4.9GB available, and 1.1GB for hardware.
Also, if I may add, I have my system overclocked to 3.5GHz with Vortex (which is doing a fairly good job) could that be one of the causes?
or could the cause be that I have only 3 sticks on a dual channel?

That's still a little odd but less odd than it used to be. I would ditch the overclock while your trying to get your memory working right. Start overclocking once you're certain your machine is stable and good to go.

3 sticks can run in dual-channel mode, it has something to do with at least both channels being populated. It won't give more performance since its running asynchronous dual-channel mode but that shouldn't impact stability.
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,756 (1.74/day)
Location
Stuck in a PC. halp.
System Name Monke | Work Thinkpad| Old Monke
Processor Ryzen 5600X | Ryzen 5500U | FX8320
Motherboard ASRock B550 Extreme4 | ? | Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling 240mm Rad | Not needed | hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB | 16 GB DDR4 3600 | 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB | Vega 8 | Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) | some samsung SSD
Display(s) Dell 2723DS | Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS | Dell 2240L
Case Ant Esports Tempered case | Thinkpad | Antec
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z333 | Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply Corsair RM750e | not needed | Corsair GS 600
Mouse Logitech G400 | nipple
Keyboard Logitech G213 | stock kb is awesome | Logitech K230
VR HMD ;_;
Software Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores There are no marks on my bench
i think the recommended dual channe lconfig doesnt allow 3 sticks.

he can have 6gb but only with 2x2gand 2x1GB
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
i think the recommended dual channe lconfig doesnt allow 3 sticks.

he can have 6gb but only with 2x2gand 2x1GB

That's synchronous dual-channel. You can run different sized dims or none on the second DIMM slot to run dual-channel. You only get the performance benefits if you put them in pairs where each channel has the same amount of memory. When it differs then you start running asynchronous dual-channel that lets you use the memory but it doesn't prevent you from using the memory in the first place.

Keep in mind that dual-channel only means that you're using both channels. It doesn't imply that they're working together, even though in most cases they are.
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
That's synchronous dual-channel. You can run different sized dims or none on the second DIMM slot to run dual-channel. You only get the performance benefits if you put them in pairs where each channel has the same amount of memory. When it differs then you start running asynchronous dual-channel that lets you use the memory but it doesn't prevent you from using the memory in the first place.

Keep in mind that dual-channel only means that you're using both channels. It doesn't imply that they're working together, even though in most cases they are.

Not exactly. Dual-Channel specifically means that two separate channels have been combined to work together. That is what the term signifies. Single-Channel means each channel is working and accessed independently.

Synchronous Dual-Channel is when both channels have matching memory, this give the best performance obviously. Asynchronous means both channels have different amounts of memory. The parts that match will give the performance of Dual-Channel, while the part that doesn't match will only give the performance of a single channel. Every platform handles this situation differently. Older platforms simply drop everything down to single-channel operation when both channels don't match. Newer platforms go into asynchronous dual-channel which is slower than synchronous but much faster than single-channel, some platforms I believe are even smart enough to use the dual-channel part of the memory system first before starting to use the single-channel.
 

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
19,542 (3.67/day)
At this point you may need to break down and get a 2x4GB Kit or 2x8GB kit to rule out that odd 3 stick issue.
 
Joined
Jul 23, 2010
Messages
304 (0.06/day)
System Name i5 Raket Meer -S
Processor i5 11600KF @ 5.3ghz (all cores active) 5.5ghz (3 cores active) Idle: 1.4615v load: 1.4850v
Motherboard Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX
Cooling Enermax Liqmax III 360 ARGB
Memory Crucial Ballistix DDR4 2x8GB | Stock: 2667mhz 19-19-19-43 1.2v |@ 19-19-19-43 3733mhz 1.45v
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 3060TI
Storage Crucial P5 Plus 1Tb Gen4 || Samsung EVO 850 1 TB
Case Fractal Design S2
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750 V2, 80 Plus Platinum
Mouse Logitech G305
Keyboard Logitech MX keys
Software Win 11 pro
Benchmark Scores Data not available.
Your board is dual channel, and you say you don't use the slot nearest to the cpu.
try to install the first 2 sticks in dim 1 and 3 or dimm a1 & a2 dimm, 1 beeing the closest to the cpu, and the last one in Dimm 3 for single channel use. if that does not work reset your bios to default and then boot.
 

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
13,147 (2.96/day)
Location
Concord, NH, USA
System Name Apollo
Processor Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory 64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage 1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s) Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s) AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply 96w Power Adapter
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software MacOS 12.1
Not exactly. Dual-Channel specifically means that two separate channels have been combined to work together. That is what the term signifies. Single-Channel means each channel is working and accessed independently.

Then explain why you can populate a machine with 3 DIMMs and CPU-Z reports dual-channel? Two channels in operation but not in tandem is not single channel mode, that's asynchronous dual-channel, which uses the second channel to really just expand the memory space, rather than ganging the two channels together. Dual-channel means two channels, but does not imply two ganged channels.
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Then explain why you can populate a machine with 3 DIMMs and CPU-Z reports dual-channel? Two channels in operation but not in tandem is not single channel mode, that's asynchronous dual-channel, which uses the second channel to really just expand the memory space, rather than ganging the two channels together. Dual-channel means two channels, but does not imply two ganged channels.

I already explained that in the second half of my post. The platform is still able to combine the two channels and access them at the same time for the part of the memory space that is matched, asynchronous dual-channel is a hybrid type setup.

If you take an older platform that doesn't support asynchronous dual-channel, like a Socket 478 system for example and some 775 systems, and put in unmatched memory in the two channels CPU-Z will report single-channel.

Edit:

Both channels in use with 4 sticks arranged so each channel matches results in dual-channel operation:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/dualchannel.png:original

Both channels still in use, but this time with 3 sticks arranged so each channel doesn't match results in single-channel operation because this platform doesn't support asynchronous dual-channel:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/newtekie1/singlechannel.png:original
 
Last edited:

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
17,866 (3.00/day)
Location
Quantum Well UK
System Name Quantumville™
Processor Intel Core i7-2700K @ 4GHz
Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 16GB (2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance Black DDR3 PC3-12800 C9 1600MHz)
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB | WD Black 4TB | WD Blue 6TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQR (4K, 144Hz, G-SYNC compatible) | Asus MG28UQ (4K, 60Hz, FreeSync compatible)
Case Cooler Master HAF 922
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty PCIe
Power Supply Corsair AX1600i
Mouse Microsoft Intellimouse Pro - Black Shadow
Keyboard Yes
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Looks like having a lopsided memory configuration is causing this. Beg, borrow, steal or even buy, 8GB of RAM and I bet the problem goes away.
 
Joined
May 14, 2009
Messages
2,132 (0.39/day)
Location
Chicago burbs
System Name Halloween Boo!
Processor Intel Core i7 3770K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z77-Up7
Cooling Custom Water/ Thermalchill TA 120.3/ Swiftech Apogeee XT/ MCP655/ Swiftech M icrores/ XSPC RX 240
Memory 16G G.Skill trident 2400MHz
Video Card(s) 3 x Radeon 7970
Storage OCZ Revo Drive 240G
Display(s) 24 inch Viewsonic
Case Phobia WayCoolIt Test Bench
Power Supply Nexus 1100 watt
Check for bent pins in socket or you have cooler too tight.
 

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
28,472 (4.25/day)
Location
Indiana, USA
Processor Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory 32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super
Storage 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Looks like having a lopsided memory configuration is causing this. Beg, borrow, steal or even buy, 8GB of RAM and I bet the problem goes away.

I agree, I'd start by confirming this by removing the odd stick and just running with 4GB. I'd also remove the overclock.
 
Top