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Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: SteveH3671 on August 08, 2014, 06:48:07 pm

Title: 970A-DS3P Dual channel memory mode
Post by: SteveH3671 on August 08, 2014, 06:48:07 pm
I don't seem able to get Dual Channel mode on my system (at least according to CPU-Z) and there isn't even an option to set it in the UEFI bios.

I have 2x4Gb of 1600MHz Crucial Ballistix Sport which both work okay, and an old Athlon II X3 460.

I have tried the memory in different slot arrangements, no joy.  I am running the memory at 1333 MHz as I realise my CPU possibly won't manage dual channel at 1600 MHz.

But what is weird is that the BIOS appears to have no option to set the channel mode at all.  The bios is happy that both slots are on one channel, yet no option.  This bios doesn't seem to have the CTRL+F1 option I have had on older Gigabyte boards.

Am I really thick and missing something obvious? It's the end of a long week...
Title: Re: 970A-DS3P Dual channel memory mode
Post by: MisterEd on August 08, 2014, 09:16:31 pm
You don't have to set anything to get Dual Channel. The board has two slots connected to each of the CPUs 2 memory controllers. The slots are configured like this:
Channel A: DDR3_2, DDR3_4
Channel B: DDR3_1, DDR3_3

For example suppose you put one stick in DDR3_2 and the other stick in DDR3_1. That means that the first stick is connected to Channel A and the other to Channel B. When the computer boots you will see the message Dual Channel displayed. Of course if the CPU has only one memory controller then there is no way to get Dual Channel no matter what you do. In your case that won't be a problem since the Athlon II has two memory controllers.
Title: Re: 970A-DS3P Dual channel memory mode
Post by: SteveH3671 on August 12, 2014, 06:33:53 pm
Thanks MisterEd.  Wrong slots of course...

If anyone else wonders about ganged/unganged mode on this mobo, the bios only allows unganged, speaking to Gigabyte there is no bios option it turns out, ganged was dropped.
Title: Re: 970A-DS3P Dual channel memory mode
Post by: autotech on August 14, 2014, 11:51:21 pm
That is probably because ganged mode cause all kinds of problems with a amd chip.