For proper system operation, the DDR3-SDRAM DIMMs must be:

industry-standard 240-pin

unbuffered non-ECC PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 MHz-compliant

1.5 volt DDR3-SDRAM DIMMs

The DDR3-SDRAM DIMMs must also:

support CAS latency 11 DDR3 1600 MHz (11-11-11 timing)

contain the mandatory JEDEC SPD information

In addition, the computer supports:

512-Mbit, 1-Gbit, and 2-Gbit non-ECC memory technologies

single-sided and double-sided DIMMs

DIMMs constructed with x8 and x16 DDR devices; DIMMs constructed with x4 SDRAM are not supported

NOTE: The system will not operate properly if you install unsupported DIMMs.

Populating DIMM Sockets

There are four DIMM sockets on the system board, with two sockets per channel. The sockets are labeled DIMM1, DIMM2, DIMM3, and DIMM4. Sockets DIMM1 and DIMM2 operate in memory channel B. Sockets DIMM3 and DIMM4 operate in memory channel A.

The system will automatically operate in single channel mode, dual channel mode, or flex mode, depending on how the DIMMs are installed.

The system will operate in single channel mode if the DIMM sockets are populated in one channel only.

The system will operate in a higher-performing dual channel mode if the total memory capacity of the DIMMs in Channel A is equal to the total memory capacity of the DIMMs in Channel B. The technology and device width can vary between the channels. For example, if Channel A is populated with two 1-GB DIMMs and Channel B is populated with one 2-GB DIMM, the system will operate in dual channel mode.

The system will operate in flex mode if the total memory capacity of the DIMMs in Channel A is not equal to the total memory capacity of the DIMMs in Channel B. In flex mode, the channel populated with the least amount of memory describes the total amount of memory assigned to dual channel and the remainder is assigned to single channel. For optimal speed, the channels should be balanced so that the largest amount of memory is spread between the two channels. If one channel will have more memory than the other, the larger amount should be assigned to Channel A. For example, if you are populating the sockets with one 2-GB DIMM, and three 1-GB DIMMs, Channel A should be populated with the 2-GB DIMM and one 1-GB DIMM, and Channel B should be populated with the other two 1-GB DIMMs. With this configuration, 4-GB will run as dual channel and 1-GB will run as single channel.

In any mode, the maximum operational speed is determined by the slowest DIMM in the system.

Memory 83