Source: Tom's Hardware UK – Keywords: parallel, processing, RAM
Categories: Hardware
Dual Channel To The Rescue
If you want maximum memory performance, you should install two memory modules into two different memory channels to have it run in dual-channel mode. This doubles memory bandwidth by providing a 128-bit data bus.
At a time when memory clock speeds could not be increased much more, the industry decided to widen the memory bus from 64 bits to 128 bits. With the introduction of the AMD Athlon XP and Intel’s second generation Pentium 4 on Socket 478, dual channel memory controllers saw the light of day on contemporary chipsets: Intel’s 865/875, Nvidia’s nForce2, and the VIA KT266A. The technology behind it is rather simple: data is distributed across two separate memory channels to combine their total bandwidth. As a consequence, you need two memory modules, but the benefit is noticeably higher performance.
Dual channel memory controllers were deployed on all subsequent performance chipsets for Intel processors, such as Intel’s 915/925, the 955 and 975 chipsets (with DDR2) and the latest P35 and X38 models. Let’s not forget about Nvidia’s nForce 4 chipset family either. The only difference compared to past chipset families from a memory standpoint are the utilized technology and clock speeds, as well as slight memory tweaks on the enthusiast models (Intel 975X, X38, Nvidia nForce 680i) to further reduce latency. AMD has been integrating the memory controller with all AMD64 processors. Its single-channel versions died together with Socket 754; all other architectures on Socket 939 and Socket AM2 are based on dual-channel RAM today.
Is there still a performance advantage today? Both memory performance and cache efficiency on today’s processors has increased considerably - we’ll find out in the benchmark section. We picked a Core 2 Duo system with low-latency DDR2-800 memory, and benchmarked it in dual channel mode as well as with only a single memory channel. In both cases we used two 1 GB DIMMs by Corsair.
Installing two memory modules into the same channel of the memory controller will force it into single-channel mode.
Every fast Core 2 Duo processor comes with 4 MB of L2 cache, which has a balancing impact on memory performance. In other words: whether you use super-fast or pathetically slow memory still is important, but the impact is less than it was with older processors using less efficient caches.
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cock
for the raid zero test you really should have tried transferring files over a 1 Gbit network. This is where it rocks. Or even better, have a home network client stream video over the network from the test setups while the user on the raid 0 or single drive rig does other stuff, like play games, or also watches a different video.
You seem to have missed the point as to the practical advantages of a enthusiast raid 0 rig. some common situations are really helped out by better storage performance.
hmm
i respond to raid 0, 2 and 4 disks setup
Most built in raid seem to be stuck at max bandwith of 133 (basicly UDMA 133 IDE speeds spec and thats Total for all 6 ports combined in some caes) so when you add 1-2 more disk speed does not increase much or at all
Bulls**t article...
Visa a vie raid-0 on HD. Try chucking big data about - that won't be cached in RAM... I do this a lot and bless striping everytime (linear access flies)! Sharing over a network (especially gigabit) benefits as well of course...
Does the author actually understand how computers work? Using CPU bound applications to demonstrate that raiding drives is a waste of time... !! What have the THG authors been smoking these days?? Do you guys have any formal qualifications in Computer Science or anything??
Pointless article...
Now how about an article about the guy who has hit 6Ghz recently with the new 45nm Intel chips...
Or an article about striping 8 266x CF cards with SATA-CF(ide) converters and booting Windows of it?? That would be interesting...
What happened to THG of old with the videos of liquid nitrogen experiments...
A big yawn to the author...
Bob
I hate to be siding with the negative comments, but I have to agree with BobWya.
Where are all the EXCITING/INTERESTING articles nowadays? I can't remember the last time I saw a NEW video that was worth watching all the way through.
3dGameman is doing a cracking job of doing some h/w reviews. Nothing destructive, but worth checking out. Tom's seem to have gone on a green crusade of late, and while the solar panel pc is an interesting testbed, and pioneering, the majority of us would not build such a thing.
Enthusiast is a strong word, but I really thing that Tom's have gone completely mainstream, and with the diversification of the page layouts across the world wide sites, I'm finding myslef spending much more time in the madshrimps, hexus and ntcompatible sites as they still have something new to offer.
The next evolution in PC performance, imo, is the solid state drive. A week or so ago you wet our whiskers with an article that touched on the concept and basics. How about a more comprehensive breakout detailing the parts.
And please stop this childish blockade against raptor drives. They may well have some ideosynchracies, but there are so many of us out here that recognise them for what they are, surely you would be better off if you were to still include them and show the problem. If anything is going to get WD to fix the problem it'll be someone showing problems, rather than a site ignoring their product. New readers to your site, or people who missed your article wont have a clue as to why you dont use it, unless they actually look for the problem.
Just my pennies worth....
Sad but true THG is dieing a ferry slow and painfully boring death.
I think u guys need to recruit new talents with new ideas.
We all know u cant come up with good things forever.
Stop trying to be irrational.
As i noticed recently ur just making articles for the sake of making them. And seriously noone cares about articles showing nothing changes.
But everyone wants to see articles that show a difference.
I am an old fan of THG and i dont want to see u guys go down like this.
Best of Luck.