Dell recommends 8GB over 6GB on i7 platform - WTF??

[davidstone]

I just checked Dells website for XPS 9000 system, based on i7 9xx and they actually recommend 8GB of DDR3 over 6GB:


4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs [Included in Price]
6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs [add $90 or $3/month1]
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs [add $150 or $4/month1]
Dell Recommended
9GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs [add $210 or $6/month1]
12GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs [add $310 or $9/month1]
24GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs [add $2,960 or $89/month1]

Here is the link: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dxdwpp2&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktop-studio-xps-9000

I thought with DDR3 triple-channel it was either 6, 12 or 24... so FTW is this now...?

 

[dpaul8]

I suspect that Dell is offering this system with a motherboard with 4 DIMM slots (4GB or 8GB RAM) or 6 DIMM slots (6, 9, 12, or 24GB RAM).

 

[davidstone]

That might be, but I am puzzled at the fact that they actually recommend 8GB dual-channel over 6GB tri-channel.

I thought the tri-channel would easily beat the extra 2GBs of only 2-channel… am I wrong…?

 

[outlw6669]

Sounds like Dell is just trying to gouge the unwitting consumer out of another buck.
Just another reason I build my own systems...

 

[tarquinbiscuitbarrel]

it's one of those:
"oh my god what a bargain, an 8Tb HDD only 50% more expensive than a 1TB HDD!!!!!"

 

[dpaul8]

On paper it sounds like triple channel RAM should be significantly faster than dual channel RAM, but there are so many other limitations in a system that in most appliacations it makes almost no difference in performance.

 

[dpaul8]

Just because Dell recommends something doesn't mean that it is the best option for YOU. It could be recommended because it is the best option for DELL! Maybe Dell gets the motherboards with 4 DIMM slots cheaper than the motherboards with 6 DIMM slots, then their profit margin is higher with the 4 DIMM board.

Whenever a salesman trys to steer you away from what you want, red flags should be going up. In most cases, the recommendation is the best option for the salesman (higher commission item, higher profit margin, etc.).

 

[davidstone]

haha... i love your comment, indeed higher% for salesman...

Just because Dell recommends something doesn't mean that it is the best option for YOU. It could be recommended because it is the best option for DELL! Maybe Dell gets the motherboards with 4 DIMM slots cheaper than the motherboards with 6 DIMM slots, then their profit margin is higher with the 4 DIMM board.

Whenever a salesman trys to steer you away from what you want, red flags should be going up. In most cases, the recommendation is the best option for the salesman (higher commission item, higher profit margin, etc.).

 

[Guest]

Go to this web site and it will explain the performance differance between dual channel and tripple channel. Duall is still actually a little faster.
http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Memory/Intel-Core-i7-Dual-Channel-vs.-Triple-Channel-Memory-Mode.html