Triple Channel Ram Question

[yp49]

Hi I bought a new mobo AsRock x58 extreme, the one that supports triple channel memory. Can I buy two dual channel kits and put them in my motherboard and will it register the three ram modules at triple channel and the 4th at single? Or do I have to buy a triple channel kit for me to take advantage of triple channel? Can someone explain my situation to me, Thank you.

 

[MARSOC_Operator]

1st thing: do you have a processor that supports triple channel RAM? 2nd thing: dual channel kits cannot work in triple channel mode. All 3 sticks have to be matched...

 

[yp49]

Yeah I am going to get a i7-930, can I use 2x dual channel kits? are they matched for triple or does it have to be triple channel kit specifically?

 

[Guest]

Dual- and triple-channel kits are just packaging. It is the same as if you bought 2 or 3 identical individual modules. Nothing fancy here.

Triple-channel architectures only work as triple-channel when all 3 channels are populated with DIMMs (at least one DIMM). Otherwise, they will "downgrade" to dual-channel if you only populate 2 DIMMs.

If you buy 2 x dual-channel kits, that is the same as 4 x individual modules. You populate 3 of them across all of the channels to enable triple-channel mode, then you have one leftover as a 2nd DIMM in the first channel. Should work.

 

[yp49]

Thank you

 

[yp49]

Best answer selected by yp49.