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RAM Stacking

V

vodouman

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 30, 2008
206
15
London
Evening ladies and gents,

I'm sure there are loads of posts on this but I don't really know what to search to return relevant results.

Anyway, I happen to know that my girlfriend has purchased me some additional RAM as a present. I currently have a 27" iMac from the latter half of 2010. It has the base amount of RAM in it... 4GB. I believe 2x2GB sticks. She has bought me 2x4GB sticks. Can I stick the 2x4GB in as well as the 2x2GB's to make 12GB or is it advisable to only stick in the 8GB...?

Cheers,

Vodouman
 
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it'll work, not keeping the same amount of ram in all slots will reduce your memory bandwidth but unless your rendering you wont even notice it.
oh and your gf is awesome
 
mulo said:
it'll work, not keeping the same amount of ram in all slots will reduce your memory bandwidth but unless your rendering you wont even notice it.
oh and your gf is awesome
Click to expand...

As long as the modules are installed in appropriate slots, it won't. OP will have 2x2GB running in dual-channel and 2x4GB in dual-channel, i.e. dual dual-channel setup :p
 
Quick question from a noob...

Would the "right slots" be configured like choice a or b?

a.
2---2
4---4

or

b.
4---2
4---2

And would it benefit to have the 4gb in the upper or lower or left or right (depending on which choice is correct?)

Thanks
 
I think it's a. In any case, just add the modules to the empty slots as Apple should have installed them in dual-channel already
 
Would it be more efficient to have the higher capacity ram in the original slots though?

Just curious--I'll probably go with 2x2 anyways.
 
TMRaven said:
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm

You'll want equal amounts of memory in either channel. 2x2 and 2x4 shouldn't work, it'd have to be 6x2.

Proprietary apple boards might be different, but considering that they're using intel cpus, sockets and the default P55 chipset, I highly doubt it.
Click to expand...

dual4.jpg


Isn't that the same as 2x2GB + 2x4GB?
 
can one 4gb chip be put in the 3rd slot ane nothing in the 4th, to give me 2+2+4? or does the 4th slot need ram too?
thanks.
 
TMRaven said:
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-011965.htm

You'll want equal amounts of memory in either channel. 2x2 and 2x4 shouldn't work, it'd have to be 6x2.
Click to expand...

Awww, man. And there I was thinking that this was gonna be nice and easy...!


My 2010 iMac shipped with 2x2GB. I have ordered 2x4GB, with the intention of adding these and bringing my iMac up to 12GB. Questions:

1). Is this going to work properly?

2). If so, how should I arrange the RAM?


If it's not going to work, it's not the end of the World. I can probably move the 2x2GB onto a friend and run 8GB in my iMac.

Cheers.
 
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You do it like the picture says. Have a 2 and 4 gig stick for bank 0 and a 2 and 4 gig stick for bank 1.

Your computer will work and recognize the ram no mater how you install it, and it will give some, but not all of your ram double channel bandwidth, if it sees same size memory modules on parallel dimms. According to intel, installing the ram according to the picture will give all of your memory the double channel bandwidth.
 
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