Balderdash

Distinguished
Jun 26, 2003
35
0
18,530
Does anyone actually 'understand' non-overclocked nforce2 chipsets and Mobo archetecture enough to maximize cofiguration?

This is a multi-part question.

Features: TwinBANK DIMM Archetecture, AND DuelDDR controllers.

-TwinBANK requires 2 RAM chips, in slots 1 and 2.

-DuelDDR requires 2 RAM chips in slots 3 and either 1 or 2.

So why do most of the setups that I've read about on various forums and websites (including 'tomsardware reviews' use only one or two RAM chips when they are running their nForce Mobo's through their paces?

In order to use BOTH the TwinBank access for non-cpu RAM usages AND utilize the DuelDDR RAM controllers, wouldn't you need to have all 3 slots filled with RAM chips?

Plus, apparently, all the RAM needs to be the same speed OR they will all work at the speed of the slowest chip. AND the nvidia site says that the chip-set works best if the RAM fsb is set at the same setting as the CPU fsb so why do people overclock their RAM's fsb without also doing the CPU fsb?

Is it possible to meet all of these configuration requirements and make all the features work simultaneously?!?

Would it then be better to have 3x256 chips instead of 2x512 DDR memory chips?

Who can answer these questions? I wish nvidia or someone would publish a nforce configuration guide for idiots like me. : )


p.s., it doesn't seem fair to publish test results when you don't configure a piece of hardware to use all of it's features before a test.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Balderdash on 06/26/03 10:04 PM.</EM></FONT></P>
 

PCcashCow

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2002
1,091
0
19,280
Im looking for the same answers and wonder if what i've been told is ture or not. But what i;ve been told is yes you need three identical sticks of ram in order to run at max (ram that would meet your fsb)

tim

It seems that every time I reboot my wallet gets smaller. I append: No longer interested in speed, just the mere idea that everything should perform at its full potential.
 

CaveInfiltrator

Distinguished
May 2, 2003
29
0
18,530
hmmmm didnt think about that i have an nforce2 chipset. least A7N8x has it i think. i have 2 3200 512 in banks 3 and 4. maybe i could add a third eventually and increase performance? i was under the impression that if i added a third it wasnt a good idea with my dual channel cause i needed sets of two. i never thought about actually. but good point. i was just happy with what i had. in either case i think they need a new book....

"NForce2 for dummies"

lol

OSI, ISO, ITU-T, IETF, IEEE, WEP, 802.1X IPSec, ISAKMP, ATM, FR, 802.3, X.25, 802.11, 802.5, MPLS, RIP, OSPF...
Welcome to the acronym industry.
 

endyen

Splendid
It's simple and a thing of beauty at the same time. You buy 2 X 256 and put them in slot 1 or 2 and 3. You have dualies. You decide " I need more ram " so you go buy 1 512. You "twin" the 256s in slots 1 + 2 and you dualie them up with the 512 in slot 3. Cant do this with the intel board, It's only the nforce chipset can do.