What is the difference between single channel Ram and double channel Ram? Please give it in details?

Answer 1

visit :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel

Answer 2

Theoretically, Double channel RAM is twice as fast as single channel. For Double Channel to activate, you need two RAM sticks, which should be the same capacity.

By using two 64bit channels (2 sticks), theory says that it is twice as fast. For complex reasons, it's not twice as fast, but the gain is great.

Bottom line? Most sticks nowadays are DDR (Dual Data Rate) and are Double Channel. Y ou can install 1 stick, but it will not be in dual channel mode. Ideally, you want two sticks of RAM so it does.

Answer 3

Yeah, I had the same question not a few days ago and from what I gathered, Single channel means one module in one slot hence operating on one channel. Double Channel (or dual channel) means installing modules of like size and speed in pairs of two which equates to better performance than having say a single 1GB module as opposed to two 512MB modules which would give you better performance.

(People who say it doesn't make a difference, don't have it). I have four 512MB modules running at PC3200 for a total of 2GB of memory. Doesn't everyone have 2GB of memory?

Answer 4

Running memory in single channel vs double channel makes little to no difference at all! And it requires you to have virtually identical memory DIMMS! (to function correctly).

Answer 5

I am sure others can explain it better, but dual channel memory means that you can have two matched sticks of ram, that will work together in such a way, that they will increase the memory bandwidth and lower the latency, compared to the same two sticks of memory used on a motherboard that supports only single channel memory. In short, it increases the performance of your ram.

You do not need any special memory modules. But you do need to have matched modules for the dual channel to work correctly, and stable. That's why you often see memory sold in "dual packs", to insure compatibility. But don't worry if you have only one stick of ram, I believe as long as the voltage and latency match on a stick of ram you might buy later, it should work fine. Someone else may need to confirm that.

Also make sure you check the motherboards manual to put the memory in the correct slots. They usually need to be put in the first and third slots, instead of first and second slots. Again, check your manual for the proper setup for your mobo.

Note that you must have an even number of modules(2 or 4) for dual channel to work. If you have only one stick of ram, it will function as, well, one stick or one channel.

Here is a good white paper from Kingston on dual channel memory. Just in case you are interested. :) http://www.kingston.com/newtech/MKF...Rwhitepaper.pdf


Dual channel refers to how many memory channels you have designed into your motherboard that connect the memory banks to the northbridge of the chipset. This implies that the chipset also has two independant memory controllers designed into it, each managing one of the channels. Here's a pic from Intel's 865PE chipset to illustrate: http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets..._schematic.gif - notice two memory groupings, each with its own data transfer line to the chipset. This essentially gives you double the bandwidth over a single channel design. It happens to be using DDR type memory because that's what's currently available today, but this is not a requirement. And a motherboard claiming to support one does NOT automatically imply that it supports the other, and vice-versa.

Here's a pic of Intel's 848 chipset. http://www.intel.com/design/chipsets..._schematic.gif - it has full support for DDR memory but is only single channel. And you'll notice a spec of half the bandwidth (3.2 GB/s) compared to that of the dual channel version (which is rated at 6.4 GB/s).

Dual Channel Mode is not actually a specific feature of DDR RAM, but rather a feature of your motherboard, and gives a (small) boost in speed/performance. In order to take advantage of Dual Channel Mode, you need two things: First, a motherboard that supports it. Second, two (2) sticks of (DDR) RAM, that are identical - they must be the same size, speed, timings, etc. In theory, they don't need to be the same brand, but YMMV on that. Most manufacturers sell DDR in "Dual Channel Kits," which simply contain two identical sticks of RAM. You must install the 2 sticks in certain slots (check your mobo manual for which ones - they are usually color coded as well). Dual Channel will also work if you have 4 sticks of RAM - again, they must be identical (some people have also reported that if they are pairwise identical, dual channel also kicks in).

Answer 6

It's how many RAM cards you have at once. A bit like a dual processor.