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

Why is Quad-channel not supported by AM4 (or by LGA1151)?

Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
702 (0.15/day)
Location
Where the hand of man has never set foot
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 2x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4-3200MHz CL16 1.35V
Video Card(s) MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G
Storage Crucial MX100 512GB + Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG24C
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS GX-550
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Corsair K60
After seeing reviews of Ryzen APUs (which are limited by memory bandwith (IGP wise)), I asked myself why isn't quad-channel standard? Only X399 and LGA2011 supports it.
Quad-channel supports triple and dual-channel so wouldn't everybody benefits from it?
With current memory prices, people could buy 4 sticks of 2400MHz instead of 2 of 3200MHz and save some money.
Even at 3200MHz the IGP is still bottlenecked by RAM speed so when RAM prices go down (if they do) people could get 4 sticks of 3200MHz and net some gains.
TechSpot compared dual-channel and single channel and the benefits are humongous (as expected).
Would the implementation of quad-channel be too expensive? What are your thoughts?


TechSpot link: https://www.techspot.com/review/1574-amd-ryzen-5-2400g-and-ryzen-3-2200g/page8.html
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
8,185 (1.36/day)
Processor Intel i9 9900K @5GHz w/ Corsair H150i Pro CPU AiO w/Corsair HD120 RBG fan
Motherboard Asus Z390 Maximus XI Code
Cooling 6x120mm Corsair HD120 RBG fans
Memory Corsair Vengeance RBG 2x8GB 3600MHz
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 3080Ti STRIX OC
Storage Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB , 970 EVO 1TB, Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD, 10TB Synology DS1621+ RAID5
Display(s) Corsair Xeneon 32" 32UHD144 4K
Case Corsair 570x RBG Tempered Glass
Audio Device(s) Onboard / Corsair Virtuoso XT Wireless RGB
Power Supply Corsair HX850w Platinum Series
Mouse Logitech G604s
Keyboard Corsair K70 Rapidfire
Software Windows 11 x64 Professional
Benchmark Scores Firestrike - 23520 Heaven - 3670
Quad channel is typically more expensive and is an enthusiast level technology.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
11,878 (2.31/day)
Location
Manchester uk
System Name RyzenGtEvo/ Asus strix scar II
Processor Amd R5 5900X/ Intel 8750H
Motherboard Crosshair hero8 impact/Asus
Cooling 360EK extreme rad+ 360$EK slim all push, cpu ek suprim Gpu full cover all EK
Memory Corsair Vengeance Rgb pro 3600cas14 16Gb in four sticks./16Gb/16GB
Video Card(s) Powercolour RX7900XT Reference/Rtx 2060
Storage Silicon power 2TB nvme/8Tb external/1Tb samsung Evo nvme 2Tb sata ssd/1Tb nvme
Display(s) Samsung UAE28"850R 4k freesync.dell shiter
Case Lianli 011 dynamic/strix scar2
Audio Device(s) Xfi creative 7.1 on board ,Yamaha dts av setup, corsair void pro headset
Power Supply corsair 1200Hxi/Asus stock
Mouse Roccat Kova/ Logitech G wireless
Keyboard Roccat Aimo 120
VR HMD Oculus rift
Software Win 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores 8726 vega 3dmark timespy/ laptop Timespy 6506
Why would someone spend so much on ram for an Apu or any lower to mainstream pc.

In general either company could have put more memory channels in but Amd see no need since they make do with two to three cpu designs per generation and use such things to differentiate between spec and price, Intel make more designs but use far more cutting techniques to differentiate even further hence their massive Sku list.

Would be nice but it's impractical at low to mid range due to pricing imho.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
667 (0.25/day)
System Name Unimatrix
Processor Intel i9-9900K @ 5.0GHz
Motherboard ASRock x390 Taichi Ultimate
Cooling Custom Loop
Memory 32GB GSkill TridentZ RGB DDR4 @ 3400MHz 14-14-14-32
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 with Heatkiller Water Block
Storage 2x Samsung 960 Pro 512GB M.2 SSD in RAID 0, 1x WD Blue 1TB M.2 SSD
Display(s) Alienware 34" Ultrawide 3440x1440
Case CoolerMaster P500M Mesh
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Keyboard Corsair K75
Benchmark Scores Really Really High
Umm, doesn't work that way.

1. They don't build chipsets for the benefit of mankind.
2. Quad-Channel 2400 is not faster than Dual-Channel 3200.
3. Your chart is comparing single vs. dual channel. It doesn't scale to quad-channel. When you have a single lane road and you make it double lane, you can get to your destination faster. Making the road four lanes is not going to make it much faster than 2 lanes. (unless you have A LOT of cars ie. data going through)
 
Last edited:

peche

Thermaltake fanboy
Joined
Nov 7, 2014
Messages
6,709 (1.96/day)
Location
San Jose, Costa Rica
System Name Athenna
Processor intel i7 3770 *Dellided*
Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Rev. 1.1
Cooling Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro + Tt Riing12 x2 / Tt ThunderBlade / Gelid Slim 120UV fans
Memory 16GB DRR3 Kingoston with Custom Tt spreaders + HyperX Fan
Video Card(s) GeForce GTX 980 4GB Nvidia Sample
Storage Crucial M4 SSD 64GB's / Seagate Barracuda 2TB / Seagate Barracuda 320GB's
Display(s) 22" LG FLATRON 1920 x 1280p
Case Thermaltake Commander G42 Window
Audio Device(s) On-board Dolby 5.1+ Kingston HyperX Cloud 1
Power Supply Themaltake TR2 700W 80plus bronce & APC Pro backup 1000Va
Mouse Tt eSports Level 10M Rev 1.0 Diamond Black & Tt Conkor "L" mouse pad
Keyboard Tt eSports KNUCKER
Software windows 10x64Pro
Benchmark Scores well I've fried a 775' P4 12 years ago, that counts?
Joined
Apr 7, 2011
Messages
1,380 (0.29/day)
System Name Desktop
Processor Intel Xeon E5-1680v2
Motherboard ASUS Sabertooth X79
Cooling Intel AIO
Memory 8x4GB DDR3 1866MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 970 SC
Storage Crucial MX500 1TB + 2x WD RE 4TB HDD
Display(s) HP ZR24w
Case Fractal Define XL Black
Audio Device(s) Schiit Modi Uber/Sony CDP-XA20ES/Pioneer CT-656>Sony TA-F630ESD>Sennheiser HD600
Power Supply Corsair HX850
Mouse Logitech G603
Keyboard Logitech G613
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Why would someone spend so much on ram for an Apu or any lower to mainstream pc.

In general either company could have put more memory channels in but Amd see no need since they make do with two to three cpu designs per generation and use such things to differentiate between spec and price, Intel make more designs but use far more cutting techniques to differentiate even further hence their massive Sku list.

Would be nice but it's impractical at low to mid range due to pricing imho.

Yet in the past we saw big improvements of IGP performance with faster/overclocked RAM so there actually is some performance to gain. If it would actually benefit from quad channel we cannot prove for now.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2017
Messages
2,722 (1.19/day)
Location
Buenos Aires, Argentina
System Name System V
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Prime X570-P
Cooling Cooler Master Hyper 212 // a bunch of 120 mm Xigmatek 1500 RPM fans (2 ins, 3 outs)
Memory 2x8GB Ballistix Sport LT 3200 MHz (BLS8G4D32AESCK.M8FE) (CL16-18-18-36)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8 GB
Storage SHFS37A240G / DT01ACA200 / WD20EZRX / MKNSSDTR256GB-3DL / LG BH16NS40 / ST10000VN0008
Display(s) LG 22MP55 IPS Display
Case NZXT Source 210
Audio Device(s) Logitech G430 Headset
Power Supply Corsair CX650M
Mouse Microsoft Trackball Optical 1.0
Keyboard HP Vectra VE keyboard (Part # D4950-63004)
Software Whatever build of Windows 11 is being served in Dev channel at the time.
Benchmark Scores Corona 1.3: 3120620 r/s Cinebench R20: 3355 FireStrike: 12490 TimeSpy: 4624
Don't you need at least 4 memory sticks for quad channel? Consider that not everyone fills their motherboards to the brim regarding RAM. Only enthusiasts install 32 or 64 GB of RAM (is there any sense in installing 4x4GB of RAM? Honest question here, since I don't really know...), and only if they can pay for it without sacrificing anything else (16 GB tends to be more than enough unless you go hardcore or have any app/game that needs a lot of RAM, though these days may not last for long). Heck, the only reason I went from 16 to 24 GB of RAM was that I wanted no pagefile (saving myself some space on a 240 GB SSD and avoiding any performance loss that I could have incurred in because of said pagefile). So, the market most mainstream mobos are targeted at don't really show much interest in quad channel.

Also, quad channel memory doesn't have as much of a benefit as going from single to dual channel. Even with the increased memory bandwidth, you don't really notice much of a difference, unless whatever you do is really dependent on memory bandwidth (like WinRAR or 7-Zip).
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
702 (0.15/day)
Location
Where the hand of man has never set foot
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 2x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4-3200MHz CL16 1.35V
Video Card(s) MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G
Storage Crucial MX100 512GB + Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG24C
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS GX-550
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Corsair K60
Quad channel is typically more expensive and is an enthusiast level technology.
Why would someone spend so much on ram for an Apu or any lower to mainstream pc.
That's the thing, people could actually save money by buying cheaper RAM and still have decent memory bandwidth for the IGP.

In general either company could have put more memory channels in but Amd see no need since they make do with two to three cpu designs per generation and use such things to differentiate between spec and price, Intel make more designs but use far more cutting techniques to differentiate even further hence their massive Sku list.
I understand what you're saying but I don't think quad-channel would've stolen sales from Threadripper or any higher CPU designs since most people who buy Threadripper is for it's cores and memory capacity not specifically it's memory bandwidth.

Would be nice but it's impractical at low to mid range due to pricing imho.
Quad channel is typically more expensive and is an enthusiast level technology.
Yeah, but that's the main question in my head, how much more would it actually cost? If it means motherboards and CPUs would cost $5 more, I wouldn't care.

Umm, doesn't work that way.

1. They don't build chipsets for the benefit of mankind.
2. Quad-Channel 2400 is not faster than Dual-Channel 3200.
3. Your chart is comparing single vs. dual channel. It doesn't scale to quad-channel. When you have a single lane road and you make it double lane, you can get to your destination faster. Making the road four lanes is not going to make it much faster than 2 lanes. (unless you have A LOT of cars ie. data going through)
Not faster, but offers more bandwidth and current APUs are bandwidth limited.

Don't you need at least 4 memory sticks for quad channel? Consider that not everyone fills their motherboards to the brim regarding RAM. Only enthusiasts install 32 or 64 GB of RAM (is there any sense in installing 4x4GB of RAM? Honest question here, since I don't really know...), and only if they can pay for it without sacrificing anything else (16 GB tends to be more than enough unless you go hardcore or have any app/game that needs a lot of RAM, though these days may not last for long). Heck, the only reason I went from 16 to 24 GB of RAM was that I wanted no pagefile (saving myself some space on a 240 GB SSD and avoiding any performance loss that I could have incurred in because of said pagefile). So, the market most mainstream mobos are targeted at don't really show much interest in quad channel.

Also, quad channel memory doesn't have as much of a benefit as going from single to dual channel. Even with the increased memory bandwidth, you don't really notice much of a difference, unless whatever you do is really dependent on memory bandwidth (like WinRAR or 7-Zip).
I'm talking IGP wise not CPU wise. The benefit of quad-channel could be pretty good for the IGP.

And like I said quad-channel supports dual and triple channel so people could still only use 2 sticks if they wanted. My question should be read more in the sense of "Why not"?
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
40,435 (6.61/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
Because AM4/1150 are MSDT and TR4/2066 are HEDT
 
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
1,735 (0.60/day)
System Name BOX
Processor Core i7 6950X @ 4,26GHz (1,28V)
Motherboard X99 SOC Champion (BIOS F23c + bifurcation mod)
Cooling Thermalright Venomous-X + 2x Delta 38mm PWM (Push-Pull)
Memory Patriot Viper Steel 4000MHz CL16 4x8GB (@3240MHz CL12.12.12.24 CR2T @ 1,48V)
Video Card(s) Titan V (~1650MHz @ 0.77V, HBM2 1GHz, Forced P2 state [OFF])
Storage WD SN850X 2TB + Samsung EVO 2TB (SATA) + Seagate Exos X20 20TB (4Kn mode)
Display(s) LG 27GP950-B
Case Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
Audio Device(s) Motu M4 (audio interface) + ATH-A900Z + Behringer C-1
Power Supply Seasonic X-760 (760W)
Mouse Logitech RX-250
Keyboard HP KB-9970
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
I guess Quad Channel would require around 1500-2000 pins in socket (depending on PCI-e lanes).
There are no technical limitations to do this (and limit max. DIMM slot number to 4 to keep server guys apart), however if it can be done cheaply is doubtful...
Also, HBM 2.0 can make over Dual-channel memory support iGPU pointless in the long run.
Last thing : It would "kill" HEDT platform as we know it (which at that point the only big selling point would be more PCI-e lanes/Cores).

Last thing is iGPU performance :
You simply may not have transistor budget for iGPU for 256/192-bit memory bus to be worth it.
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
40,435 (6.61/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
I guess Quad Channel would require around 1500-2000 pins in socket (depending on PCI-e lanes).
There are no technical limitations to do this (and limit max. DIMM slot number to 4 to keep server guys apart), however if it can be done cheaply is doubtful...
Also, HBM 2.0 can make over Dual-channel memory support iGPU pointless in the long run.
Last thing : It would "kill" HEDT platform as we know it (which at that point the only big selling point would be more PCI-e lanes/Cores).

Last thing is iGPU performance :
You simply may not have transistor budget for iGPU for 256/192-bit memory bus to be worth it.

We had HEDT with MSDT during the SktA days
 
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
1,735 (0.60/day)
System Name BOX
Processor Core i7 6950X @ 4,26GHz (1,28V)
Motherboard X99 SOC Champion (BIOS F23c + bifurcation mod)
Cooling Thermalright Venomous-X + 2x Delta 38mm PWM (Push-Pull)
Memory Patriot Viper Steel 4000MHz CL16 4x8GB (@3240MHz CL12.12.12.24 CR2T @ 1,48V)
Video Card(s) Titan V (~1650MHz @ 0.77V, HBM2 1GHz, Forced P2 state [OFF])
Storage WD SN850X 2TB + Samsung EVO 2TB (SATA) + Seagate Exos X20 20TB (4Kn mode)
Display(s) LG 27GP950-B
Case Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
Audio Device(s) Motu M4 (audio interface) + ATH-A900Z + Behringer C-1
Power Supply Seasonic X-760 (760W)
Mouse Logitech RX-250
Keyboard HP KB-9970
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
We had HEDT with MSDT during the SktA days
True :)
However, after that point both AMD and Intel discovered how to make even more money/profit.
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2006
Messages
43,585 (6.74/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory 32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 4090
Storage WD m.2
Display(s) LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s) Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard Tester84
Software Windows 11
Products are separated into segments where they are needed for various tasks. Gaming/mainstream platforms don't need quad channel and actually in many cases benefit from not having it.
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
40,435 (6.61/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
True :) and LGA 775 days as well.
However, after that point both AMD and Intel discovered how to make even more money/profit.

Skt A the chips were same exact socket, with minor mod you could run 2 Athlon XPs in a DP board or a DP based cpu in a SP skt lol.

FAB51 has all that info.

Now with 775, 771 had to be reoriented, the keytabs broken and a cpu mod to make 771s work in 775
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
702 (0.15/day)
Location
Where the hand of man has never set foot
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 2x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4-3200MHz CL16 1.35V
Video Card(s) MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G
Storage Crucial MX100 512GB + Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG24C
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS GX-550
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Corsair K60
Last thing : It would "kill" HEDT platform as we know it (which at that point the only big selling point would be more PCI-e lanes/Cores).
And way more memory capacity. I mean they would still have quad-channel, they don't lose anything. Is the memory bandwidth really that much of a selling point for HEDT? I taught HEDT guys looked at capacity way before bandwidth.
Products are separated into segments where they are needed for various tasks. Gaming/mainstream platforms don't need quad channel and actually in many cases benefit from not having it.
Back with the first AM3 APUs, we already knew they were bandwidth limited so while they were still working on AM4 knowing they would release new APUs that would still be bandwith limited, adding quad-channel support wouldn't have been a good solution? Unless they taught DDR4 was gonna be enough. I understand that 99% of the time quad-channel brings nothing to the mainstream user, but again I'm talking IGP wise not CPU.
 
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
1,735 (0.60/day)
System Name BOX
Processor Core i7 6950X @ 4,26GHz (1,28V)
Motherboard X99 SOC Champion (BIOS F23c + bifurcation mod)
Cooling Thermalright Venomous-X + 2x Delta 38mm PWM (Push-Pull)
Memory Patriot Viper Steel 4000MHz CL16 4x8GB (@3240MHz CL12.12.12.24 CR2T @ 1,48V)
Video Card(s) Titan V (~1650MHz @ 0.77V, HBM2 1GHz, Forced P2 state [OFF])
Storage WD SN850X 2TB + Samsung EVO 2TB (SATA) + Seagate Exos X20 20TB (4Kn mode)
Display(s) LG 27GP950-B
Case Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
Audio Device(s) Motu M4 (audio interface) + ATH-A900Z + Behringer C-1
Power Supply Seasonic X-760 (760W)
Mouse Logitech RX-250
Keyboard HP KB-9970
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
And way more memory capacity. I mean they would still have quad-channel, they don't lose anything. Is the memory bandwidth really that much of a selling point for HEDT? I taught HEDT guys looked at capacity way before bandwidth.
You don't buy something you don't need. HEDT is by definition more expensive than mainstream and at this point (mainstream Quad Channel), for simple "more capacity" you simply should go Xeon, not HEDT.
Unless you really want/need Overclocking capability, and all that RGB stuff.
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
702 (0.15/day)
Location
Where the hand of man has never set foot
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 2x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4-3200MHz CL16 1.35V
Video Card(s) MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G
Storage Crucial MX100 512GB + Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG24C
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS GX-550
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Corsair K60
You don't buy something you don't need. HEDT is by definition more expensive than mainstream and at this point (mainstream Quad Channel), for simple "more capacity" you simply should go Xeon, not HEDT.
Unless you really want/need Overclocking capability, and all that RGB stuff.
Exactly, so is quad-channel a real selling point to have (by making it not available on lower ends)?
 

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
It comes down to the memory controller being bigger, that makes the CPU die larger, and die space is definitely something to consider in the cost of production.

Look at some of the die shots with the parts labeled, the memory controller takes up quite a bit of space, something like almost 10% of the die on a dual-channel Kabylake die. Now, if they had to double that to make a quad-channel controller, you're talking almost 20% of the die taken up just for the memory controller. That's too much die space for a sub-$500 processor.
 
Joined
May 8, 2016
Messages
1,735 (0.60/day)
System Name BOX
Processor Core i7 6950X @ 4,26GHz (1,28V)
Motherboard X99 SOC Champion (BIOS F23c + bifurcation mod)
Cooling Thermalright Venomous-X + 2x Delta 38mm PWM (Push-Pull)
Memory Patriot Viper Steel 4000MHz CL16 4x8GB (@3240MHz CL12.12.12.24 CR2T @ 1,48V)
Video Card(s) Titan V (~1650MHz @ 0.77V, HBM2 1GHz, Forced P2 state [OFF])
Storage WD SN850X 2TB + Samsung EVO 2TB (SATA) + Seagate Exos X20 20TB (4Kn mode)
Display(s) LG 27GP950-B
Case Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL
Audio Device(s) Motu M4 (audio interface) + ATH-A900Z + Behringer C-1
Power Supply Seasonic X-760 (760W)
Mouse Logitech RX-250
Keyboard HP KB-9970
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
Now with 775, 771 had to be reoriented, the keytabs broken and a cpu mod to make 771s work in 775
Mod kits for LGA 771 are cheap as chips, and you don't have to breake tabs on MB - simply drill new holes for them on CPUs PCB (or buy CPU with pre-done holes and LGA 771 mod).
Also, you don't need all that for LGA 775 Xeons to work on LGA 775 board.

@m&m's I think, yes it is.
You have a pretty good reason to jack-up prices even more if you implement it.
Quad Channel support (for now), is not about "Why ?" - but about "How much ?".
 

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
40,435 (6.61/day)
Location
Republic of Texas (True Patriot)
System Name PCGOD
Processor AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory 16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s) AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s) NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s) Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software Windows 7 Pro 64
Mod kits for LGA 771 are cheap as chips, and you don't have to breake tabs on MB - simply drill new holes for them on CPUs PCB (or buy CPU with pre-done holes and LGA 771 mod).
Also, you don't need all that for LGA 775 Xeons to work on LGA 775 board.

@m&m's I think, yes it is.
You have a pretty good reason to jack-up prices even more if you implement it.
Quad Channel support (for now), is not about "Why ?" - but about "How much ?".

I was going by an old procedure, its socket tabs lol
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
8,863 (3.36/day)
System Name Good enough
Processor AMD Ryzen R9 7900 - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora Edge
Motherboard ASRock B650 Pro RS
Cooling 2x 360mm NexXxoS ST30 X-Flow, 1x 360mm NexXxoS ST30, 1x 240mm NexXxoS ST30
Memory 32GB - FURY Beast RGB 5600 Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire RX 7900 XT - Alphacool Eisblock Aurora
Storage 1x Kingston KC3000 1TB 1x Kingston A2000 1TB, 1x Samsung 850 EVO 250GB , 1x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB
Display(s) LG UltraGear 32GN650-B + 4K Samsung TV
Case Phanteks NV7
Power Supply GPS-750C
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Messages
2,304 (0.52/day)
System Name msdos
Processor 8086
Motherboard mainboard
Cooling passive
Memory 640KB + 384KB extended
Video Card(s) EGA
Storage 5.25"
Display(s) 80x25
Case plastic
Audio Device(s) modchip
Power Supply 45 watts
Mouse serial
Keyboard yes
Software disk commander
Benchmark Scores still running
It would raise the cost (# of pins, motherboard size and trace routing) for everyone, and OEMs would still sell systems with one stick of RAM (or order up custom motherboards with just one channel).
 
Joined
Jul 19, 2006
Messages
43,585 (6.74/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory 32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 4090
Storage WD m.2
Display(s) LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s) Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard Tester84
Software Windows 11
And way more memory capacity. I mean they would still have quad-channel, they don't lose anything. Is the memory bandwidth really that much of a selling point for HEDT? I taught HEDT guys looked at capacity way before bandwidth.

Back with the first AM3 APUs, we already knew they were bandwidth limited so while they were still working on AM4 knowing they would release new APUs that would still be bandwith limited, adding quad-channel support wouldn't have been a good solution? Unless they taught DDR4 was gonna be enough. I understand that 99% of the time quad-channel brings nothing to the mainstream user, but again I'm talking IGP wise not CPU.
I don't think it would be cost effective for the platform. They already have Threadripper.
 

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
It would raise the cost (# of pins, motherboard size and trace routing) for everyone, and OEMs would still sell systems with one stick of RAM (or order up custom motherboards with just one channel).

In reality, it wouldn't need any extra pins and likely very minor trace re-working on motherboards.
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
702 (0.15/day)
Location
Where the hand of man has never set foot
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory 2x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4-3200MHz CL16 1.35V
Video Card(s) MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X 8G
Storage Crucial MX100 512GB + Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MAG24C
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS GX-550
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate
Keyboard Corsair K60
I don't think it would be cost effective for the platform. They already have Threadripper.
But they don't plan on releasing APUs on Threadripper don't they? Also Threadripper CPUs are all $500+ and the motherboards are all $300+. Not really the kind of consumers AMD is trying to attract with APUs.

I just think that quad-channel would make the APUs much more interesting. RX560 perfomance could be achievable instead of RX550 (2x faster).
 
Top