dual ch memory question

[puffaSmoke]

if this is the wrong forum, I apologize.. no ice cream for me!

is the utilization of dual channel memory contingent upon use of only certain CPUs?
or is solely based upon support by the mainboard?

I just put together a P4 2.8GHZ Northwood on a ASUS P4S800D SiS 655FX Am I good to go dual ch?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[paparazi]

Good to go!
Yup, dual channel is reliant on motherboard support and a pair of similar (not necessarily matching but it does help) memory modules.
This will work fine.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[cdogg]

Well, the motherboard has to have dual-channel capability. So to answer your question, the motherboard is the main factor.

How successful or how much of a difference it's going to make depends on the CPU. If the CPU's frontside bus is rated at 800MHz, then dual-channel DDR400 (PC3200) is going to run in synch with that CPU. However, if you had an older Athlon XP Barton which uses a 400MHz frontside bus for example, then having dual-channel DDR400 isn't going to make much difference.

The key is for the frontside bus of the CPU to match the theoretical speed of the memory.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
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