It’s easy to assume that the order in which you install RAM into your PC is of little importance. After all, isn’t RAM just RAM? It turns out that there are some very good reasons why the order of your RAM slots could matter a great deal.
Here’s a look at why and how you should install your RAM for the best possible performance.
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The Basic Principles
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of installing RAM, let’s review the basic principles of how it works. Your computer’s CPU accesses data from RAM extremely quickly – in fact, it’s often faster to access data from RAM than it is from your hard drive.
This is because hard drives are much slower than even the sLowest types of RAM.
When you install multiple modules of RAM into your computer, they work together in what’s called a dual-channel configuration. This means that data can be read from or written to both modules at the same time, effectively doubling the speed at which data can be accessed from RAM.
It’s important to note that not all motherboards support dual-channel configurations. If your motherboard only has two memory slots, it probably doesn’t support dual-channel configurations and installing RAM in any particular order won’t make a difference.
The Best Way to Install RAM
If your motherboard supports dual-channel configurations, you should install your RAM modules in matched pairs. This means installing two identical modules of the same size and speed in the same general location on your motherboard.
For example, if you have two 4 GB modules of DDR3-1600 RAM, you would install them both in slots 1 and 3, or slots 2 and 4 – but not one in slot 1 and the other in slot 4.
Installing matched pairs of RAM modules is the best way to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your memory upgrade. Not only will this give you the fastest possible access to data stored in RAM, but it will also allow you to take full advantage of any future upgrades you might make.
For example, if you later decide to add another 4 GB module of DDR3-1600 RAM to your system, you can install it in the empty slot and enjoy even faster performance.
Does It Matter What OrderRAM Slots You Use?
So does it really matter what order you installRAM into your slots? The short answer is yes – if you want to get the most out of a dual-channel configuration, you should installRAM modules in matched pairs. This will give you faster performance than if you installed them in mismatched pairs or left one slot empty.
