Memory Ranks on a HP XW6200 workstation

[cutthroatjake]

Hello,
I have an HP XW6200 currently running 4x512Mb memory for a total of 2Gb.
I want to upgrade to the stated maximum of 8Gb (4x2Gb DIMMS)
However I'm abit stuck when it comes to understanding memory ranks. at Crucial I can buy 4 "Single Ranked" 2Gb chips for about £450.
On ebay I can get 4 dual rank DIMMS for about £52
So does a HP XW6200 have enough memory ranks to recognise 4 dual rank DIMMS? or only 1 memory rank per memory module socket?
As i understand it if I install 4 dual rank DIMMS and the machine only has 4 addressable memory ranks then only the first 2 DIMMS will be recognised, giving me 4Gb, not 8Gb.

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition

thanks,

 

[lysinger]

Hello,
I have an HP XW6200 currently running 4x512Mb memory for a total of 2Gb.
I want to upgrade to the stated maximum of 8Gb (4x2Gb DIMMS)
However I'm abit stuck when it comes to understanding memory ranks. at Crucial I can buy 4 "Single Ranked" 2Gb chips for about £450.
On ebay I can get 4 dual rank DIMMS for about £52
So does a HP XW6200 have enough memory ranks to recognise 4 dual rank DIMMS? or only 1 memory rank per memory module socket?
As i understand it if I install 4 dual rank DIMMS and the machine only has 4 addressable memory ranks then only the first 2 DIMMS will be recognised, giving me 4Gb, not 8Gb.

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition

thanks,

You can run 4, 2gb single ranked ddr2 ECC registerd dimms. The HP documentation does not spell this out clearly.

I just bought a sizable lot of ram for my 3 xw6200s on ebay. All was ECC registered memory. The chips with 2rx4 on the sticker don't work. 1rx4 chips work fine. I think it is safe to assume that the 1 and 2 are for single and dual rank and that your PC needs single ranked dimms.

Here's a doc with a diagram explaining the difference between single rank and dual rank DIMMs (it's about DDR3, but the concept is the same)
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEUQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fh20000.www2.hp.com%2Fbc%2Fdocs%2Fsupport%2FSupportManual%2Fc02878598%2Fc02878598.pdf&ei=1-IjUcHjKpLO8wSI5IGYDw&usg=AFQjCNGG3VBu_nAhpEcmhqP3TRdvTmNfcg&bvm=bv.42553238,d.eWU

 

[Legohouse]

Hello,

Hello,
I have an HP XW6200 currently running 4x512Mb memory for a total of 2Gb.
I want to upgrade to the stated maximum of 8Gb (4x2Gb DIMMS)
However I'm abit stuck when it comes to understanding memory ranks. at Crucial I can buy 4 "Single Ranked" 2Gb chips for about £450.
On ebay I can get 4 dual rank DIMMS for about £52
So does a HP XW6200 have enough memory ranks to recognise 4 dual rank DIMMS? or only 1 memory rank per memory module socket?
As i understand it if I install 4 dual rank DIMMS and the machine only has 4 addressable memory ranks then only the first 2 DIMMS will be recognised, giving me 4Gb, not 8Gb.

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition

thanks,

Your system supports both Single and Dual Ranked memory modules. But the HP does say that whether all the slots support the Dual rank memory. But when mixing single and Dual rank the the last two slots use the dual rank memory (Slot 3 & 4). I think all the slots will run with dual rank maybe a BIOS update should enable this. If you are intending to play it safe then stick with the single rank memory.

Note acc to the manual: In DDR2 mode, dual-rank DIMMs are placed farther from the Memory Controller Hub (MCH) than single-rank DIMMs.

Whatever memory you choose make sure the memory is compatible with your system that is "DDR2 ECC registered memory". The crucial memory is compatible while i'm not sure if the memory found in eBay is.

There is a difference b/w PC-3200R and PC2-3200R. The former is DDR memory while the latter is DDR2 which you system supports. You can find both single and dual rank memory in the link below, also the price is relatively low compared to Crucial. http://www.memorystock.com/orderitem.asp?it=678ms-678&MnfId=&MdlId=47409

Cheers!!

HP Manual - http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00213035/c00213035.pdf