Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: ok heres a good question... finally... about ram
  • Subject: ok heres a good question... finally... about ram
Subject: ok heres a good question... finally... about ram
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

ok, so i have been perplexed about my ram for a while, and just now i finally remember to ask you computer gurus out here what it means.

i got my new mobo recently, and it supported dual channel ram, right? so i stuck what i could muster in there, which is 2 apparently compatible (it says dual channel enabled on the post screen) ddr266 dimms in. however another thing pops up, along with the dual channel mode enabled message. it says current ram frequency (not sure what words exactly, ill reboot and find out exactly and edit it in my post when i finish writing this) is 133 mhz. what confuses me is does that mean that when you use dual channel ram it halves the ram speed and splits it between 2 dimms? like it runs each dimm at 133 mhz dual channel, making it a theoretical 266 mhz. or does ddr (double data rate i believe) actually mean that it is double its clock speed, and my ram is running at a theoretical 133X2X2(for dual channel)=566 mhz. i really dont know what to say about it, so those of you out there who know how it works, enlighten me.

  • 05.06.2005 11:03 PM PDT
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Basically, yes, one stick of RAM runs like this:

DDR400: 200MHz
DDR333: 166MHz
DDR266: 133MHz


The number after 'ddr' can be halved to find the actual speed of one stick. However, DDR was designed with dual channel in mind. So, when you have two sticks, you effectively double the speed and bus width. So, instead of 133MHz you get 266MHz. So there is reasoning behind the naming and coding: dual channel speeds.

Hope that answers your question. And yes, the info and stuff the BIOS and POST gave you about your RAM is what it should be.

  • 05.06.2005 11:54 PM PDT
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so ddr400 isnt really 400 mhz?
wow. i didnt know that. thats really helpful and explains a lot.

and that would mean that my dual channel ddr266 would perform faster than my friends single channel ddr400?

while we are on the topic of mhz and stuff, why is it that my cpu's advertised fsb is 266 mhz, while in my bios it uses 133. is there something similar here?

also, the exact message i get in post is (i dont think it will change anything):

Memory frequency is 133 mhz
Dual channel mode enabled

the bold face type is in the message and i felt like including it just for the halibut

[Edited on 5/7/2005]

  • 05.07.2005 12:57 AM PDT