Member Avatar for cbusen

okay, so my new motherboard has 4 slots. I have both 2GB and 1GB chips, 3 2GB and 1GB to use up. Will it matter which slots they go in?


Actually, I believe I'm looking at dual channel, two slots. Given that, Can I leave one channel empty and have that cause less problems than one channel be 1GB and the other 2GB

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Practical, low-risk plan for (DG45ID + mixed DIMMs)

Given three 2 GB Kingston DDR2-800 sticks and two 1 GB sticks, the best balance of bandwidth and stability is to populate four slots so each memory channel has the same total capacity: one 2 GB + one 1 GB per channel (total 6 GB). That arrangement keeps both channels matched (3 GB each) and gives predictable dual‑channel operation on most Intel G45 boards. Installing three 2 GB + one 1 GB (7 GB) gives more capacity but creates an unmatched channel portion that may run in single‑channel — useful only if absolute capacity is more important than peak memory throughput.

How to implement and verify

  • Identify the channel pairs by color or silkscreen on the board (the manual shows the exact labels) and place one 2 GB and one 1 GB into the two slots belonging to each channel so channel totals match.
  • After first boot, check BIOS for total RAM, per‑slot sizes and the reported memory mode. Run a memory tester (Memtest86+ or the Windows Memory Diagnostic) to confirm stability.
  • If the board fails to POST, test with a known good matched pair (two 2 GB) first, then add the second pair to isolate a bad module or slot.

Thermal interface and tall modules
Taller 1 GB sticks usually mean a different PCB or a heatspreader — normal but check clearance with large CPU coolers. Thermal compound can be pre‑applied (a visible pad or thin smear) or added manually; use a small pea‑size dab on the CPU IHS, seat the heatsink, and clean old paste off with isopropyl alcohol. Avoid excessive paste and be mindful of mechanical clearance around tall DIMMs.

Summary
Follow the manual for slot order (as advised), aim for equal capacity per channel for the cleanest dual‑channel result (2×2 GB + 2×1 GB), verify in BIOS, and run a memory test to confirm stability.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for Rik_

The best thing to do would be to consult the manual for your mobo.

Member Avatar for cbusen

any personal experience with this sort of situation? i'm leaning, unless i read otherwise with taking the two 1gbs and leaving a 2gb in the other machine. thanks alot for the help by the way. one last question? should the thermal gel be easy to see, or just know its there?

Member Avatar for Rik_

It is dependent on what mobo you have as they are all different. If it is an ASUS for example then mixing different brands of ram is a bad idea let alone different sizes. The main thing is, if you want to use dual channel then they have to be all the same size and density. Density refers to them being either single sided or double sided.
I have known machines not boot with 512meg single sided and 512meg double sided of the same brand. Yet others with 4 different speeds, sizes, brands, and densities have worked perfectly well.

Member Avatar for cbusen

for this little project i've got three 2gb kingston 800mhz ddr2. there are two 1gb chips, they are taller than the 2gb chips, and i don't know why, but it could tell me something about them i suppose

Member Avatar for Rik_

If you tell me what mobo you have......

commented: he was a big help to me on this, and i think cause he knew it meant a lot +1
Member Avatar for cbusen

oh jeez, i'm sorry, i'm a little slow at this. first time building one up. got a smoking bundle deal at compusa:
Intel DG45ID Motherboard - Intel G45 Express, Socket 775, DDR2 800/667 MHz, 7.1 Audio, PCI Express 2.0 x16, HDMI, DVI, S/PDIF, SATA RAID, eSATA, USB 2.0, Firewire, Gigabit LAN, manuf part num: BOXDG45ID, it'll be run by this bundled CPU: Intel Pentium D 965 Extreme Edition Processor HH80553PH1094M - 3.73 Ghz, Socket 775, 1066MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache, Dual-Core, Presler, OEM. If you notice anything right away that i didn't let me know, like conflicts or limitations. thanks so much bud

Member Avatar for cbusen

is there a notable different in the heat dissipation gel?

Member Avatar for Rik_

page 13.

Member Avatar for cbusen

i gave you as much good karma as they'd let me. thanks again. closed

Member Avatar for Rik_

No problem, I am happy to help! :)

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