[jch82]

This is my 2nd computer build and I have a question I have not been able to find an answer for. I am using an ASUS P5KC motherboard which says it supports dual channel RAM. I also purchased G.Skill 8gb x 4 quad channel ddr2 (pc2-6400) RAM not realizing at the time that the motherboard did not support the quad channel kit. I did not realize this after installation and kept coming up with error messages and the blue screen of death. Is there a way to make the RAM operate as dual channel so I do not have to RMA it with newegg and go without my new computer for a week. It would also be nice to not have to pay a 15% restock fee because of my error. Thanks for your help.

Josh

The setup:
ASUS P5KC motherboard
2.4ghz pentium quad core processor
8GB DDR2 RAM Quad channel
nVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS 512mb graphics card

[stettybet0]

A quad kit is nothing more than two matching pairs of dual channel memory. Therefore, if your motherboard supports dual channel RAM, it can run these in dual channel mode.

I think your problem may be of a different source. What operating system are you using and is it 32-bit or 64-bit? Also, when do you get the blue screens of death?

[jch82]

It is the 64 bit version. The reason I question the RAM is that I had first installed all four 2GB sticks and installed Vista and the computer wouldn't install any updates. It kept popping up with program not responding windows and the blue screen would come up at random times. I pulled 2 sticks out and ran with just 4GB of RAM and reformatted and installed Vista again. I have had zero problems since then with the blue screen or programs not responding. Another random though...I had previously tried installing Crysis with 8GB in and it said a bunch of the CAB files were corrupt. After reinstalling Vista with only 4GB, it installed perfectly and runs great. Thanks for the quick response.

Josh

[jch82]

Reading your post again, I see you say they should be able to run in dual channel mode...Is this a setting I need to change to make the RAM run in dual channel as opposed to quad channel?

Josh

[stettybet0]

There is no "quad channel" mode, per say. It is simply a term to describe two pairs of RAM running in dual channel mode. They should be running in dual channel mode automatically.

As for things not working right with 8GB, try installing this hotfix.

Installation Steps:

• Remove RAM so you only 2GB of RAM in your motherboard.
  
• Download 64-bit hotfix from link above.
  
• Install hotfix once it is done downloading.
  
• When it is done installing don't restart, shut down.
  
• Place all 8GB in your motherboard.
  
• Close your case, plug in, turn on, boot up... cross fingers.

[strikermed]

To clear up the issue on dual channel modes and what not. The motherboard and the configuration the ram is inserted into the individual slots is what decides what mode the ram runs in. Lets look at older motherboards... you could use 2 kinds of any size sticks, even if it were a 2 gig dual channel kit, they would only run in single channel if the motherboard is only capable of single channel. Dual channel, which is what i'm most familiar with is decided by the color slots on the board. Some are different, some configurations require that the same color be used or others use different colors. The only thing is that both the sticks have to be the same size, like 1 gig, 2 gig, etc. Quad channel, I'm sure is similar to dual core, I am just not familiar with it, and I'm pretty sure it is on the newest higher end boards... hence I don't know them very well, because I haven't built a machine with he budget required for it.