Can you Use Dual Channel Memory and a Single Stick?

chait99 · Sep 5, 2016

Hi!

So I bought the Kingston HyperX Fury 2x4gb DDR3-1600 RAM stick set, which I will use in dual channel, and a single Kingston HyperX Fury 1x8gb DDR3-1600 RAM stick. Will they work together properly?

If not, what will the problem be?

Here is my computer setup:

Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 5
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury 2x4gb DDR3-1600, Kingston HyperX Fury 1x8gb DDR3-1600

Thanks!

clutchc · Sep 5, 2016

Yes, they'll work fine. But all or some of the RAM will default to single channel mode. It will depend on the board. You might have the 2x4 running dual channel and the 1x8 running single channel. Or you might have all RAM may default to single channel. As I said, it will depend on the board's design.

Tradesman1 · Sep 5, 2016

They might play and might not....there is no guarantees when mixing DRAM (even of the same exact model)... If they will play, put the 8GB stick in slot one closest to the CPU and 4GB sticks in slots 3-4. That way all will run in dual channel mode. Any problems give a holler and we can try adjustments.

clutchc · Sep 6, 2016

@Tradesman1
How can that be? A single stick in A channel slot will somehow work in dual channel mode even though B channel slot is empty? I've never seen that. The board's owner's manual (page 1-15) shows the same population rule all other boards have. Am I missing something here?

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

It's part of Flex mode technology introduced by Intel quite some years ago. Flex looks at what is in the channel, the total amount so if you have 8GB in each channel - it runs dual regardless of 4+4, in A and 4+4 in B , or an 8GB in a and 2x4GB in B, if uneven say an 8GB in A and a 2 + 4 in B then effectively you have 12GB running in dual and the odd 2 in the 8GB stick runs in single. I cover this more in my FAQs and fiction articles, FACTs, item/page 7

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2741495/ddr3-faqs-fiction.html

Amd adopted a similiar tech quite a few years back also, but don't really call it Flex due to Intels marketing rights, but basically they just copied the technology

clutchc · Sep 6, 2016

Tradesman1 :

Very interesting. I guess I do remember Flex Mode, but hadn't had much reason to think about it since I always use matched sets of memory. But I am going to do a little experimenting with an older AMD platform and see how their version of Flex Mode works. I have an open-air bench rig, so it shouldn't take long to set it up.
Asus M4A89TD PRO/USB3 motherboard
Phenom II X4 965BE
4 x 8GB sticks of 1600 MHz.

clutchc · Sep 6, 2016

Tradesman1 :

You are right as rain. The Asus M4A89TD PRO/USB3 motherboard I experimented with ran 3 x 8GB sticks of RAM as dual channel. I guess I never knew flex mode was so prevalent. Even on an old AMD board. Thanks.

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

No worries, it comes up alot here, that was one of the main reasons I did the FAQ and Fiction articles, figured rather than typing everything out over and over could just reference the articles (sigh,,, but often have most of it typed before I remember to ref the articles

)

chait99 · Sep 6, 2016

Thanks so much guys. This really helped. Also, I had no clue what Flex Mode was until now, so now I feel smarter.

Tradesman1 · Sep 6, 2016

Drop us an update on how things go

chait99 · Sep 6, 2016

Yep it may be a little while because I am busy with school. Before you guys replied I stuck the dual channel sticks in slots 2 and 4, and the single stick in slot 3 but Ill try what you said soon.

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