If you want to upgrade your PC or notebook with additional memory and use the existing RAM modules, you should first determine which DDR3 modules etc. are in the computer at all. It is pointless to install additional faster and more costly memory modules because the processor is always oriented on the slowest modules during the save operation and the storage times.
The shareware program AIDA64 is very well suited for the read-out of the memory. For information about the memory modules used, see Motherboard - SPD.
Attention: Memory limit for Windows 7
Most AMD and Intel processors have two memory channels. Exceptions are the Core i7 processors with socket 2011 with four memory channels and their predecessors with socket 1366 and three channels. The advantage with multiple memory channels is that access to memory modules can take place at the same time, which increases data throughput.
For CPUs with dual-channel memory controllers, memory modules of the same type should be used in pairs. Modules of different sizes are also possible within a memory channel. In the case of the large Core i7 processors, the memories should be installed in triple or quad combinations.
Read Tip: PC upgrade for Windows 8.1 - how to
When the memory channels are different, the controller operates in dual-channel asymetric mode: only a portion of the memory is addressed in dual-channel mode, the rest in single-channel mode. Intel calls this also Flex-Mode. The accesses are here faster than in the pure single-channel mode, but more slowly than in the case of a uniform arrangement of the two memory channels. Especially for AMD processors with integrated graphics, one should pay attention to a dual-channel operation with the fastest possible memory. Otherwise, 3D performance may drop by up to 30 percent.
Which memory bases on the mainboard belong to which channel, is usually indicated by the different color of the slots. You should definitely read the mainboard manual.
If you regularly edit videos with 4K resolution or photos of its digital SLR camera in raw format, thinks about more than 16 GB of memory. But the right operating system is necessary. Windows 7 Home Premium can only address a maximum of 16 GB of RAM. In the case of the widescreen Home-Basic version of Windows 7, however, the limit is only 8 GB of RAM.
If you want to use more than 16 GB of memory with Windows 7, you need the more expensive Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate version with a maximum of 192 GB. In Windows 8.1, this artificial boundary does not exist, here the 64-bit version of the operating system's operating system already supports 128 GB, the Pro and Enterprise versions even 512 GB.
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