Putting one memory stick on a Dual Channel Memory Architecture Motherboard

[RobertX]

Update!!! My motherboard just died and am shopping for a new one.

This one, called a "Dual Channel Memory Architecture," has a curious question.

If I put one stick of RAM on this architecture, can the system run?

EDIT: I'm just aiming for functionality and not performance. One stick of 4GB of DDR4 is what I need for now; I plan to upgrade later.

[RodneyYouPlonker]

Just put whatever you want in Robert, as long as it is compatible with your motherboard then it's fine.  If it's no good then you'll get a bad POST and it will give you beeps.  When you boot up the machine if you get a single beep then you're all good otherwise you'll have to think again.  I've seen people before running their PC on just one module and that's fine but not good in the long run.  I usually do prefer to make sure that I always run on 2 modules at least.  You should also pay close attention to the motherboard manual which you should be able to download as a PDF and look at and make sure you install the RAM into the correct slot.  Like with the sort of motherboards I've been in the habit of buying for many years now you should watch out because they prefer you to install in a certain slot depending on how many modules you are going to use.

Don't just guess which slot you should use check the motherboard manual first to make sure that running on a single stick of ram you get it in the slot they intended you to install in.

It might say Dual Channel memory or Quad Channel or whatever you can still install as many or as little as you want I'm more in the thinking that it depends on the kind of RAM you have and also more to do with the exact design of each memory stick.

It's just very simple really if the hardware doesn't agree with your single module your POST will give you various beeps which means your setup is wrong.

[RobertX]

Well, I know what kinds of RAM I have to put in.

I'm just asking if I am able to get away with putting one stick of a specified RAM into a Dual Channel as a general case.

But thanks for the reply.

[dueda]

Suggestion: Buy a motherboard with RAM already installed (provided the set originally came with that mobo and all work perfectly as assembled, of course)
- or at least a RAM kit. For low-spec it's usually safe to mix-and-match, but don't count on luck.

I bought used RAM sticks once and didn't like the experience, they weren't of same brand and model, one was faulty and the other three didn't work well together.

As Rodney said, the manual is all, but to run with only one stick it's almost always ok if you buy RAM at the speed your mobo was made for. Later, you should care to buy RAM that works on the same speed, most systems can't run with different speeds or become unstable if the sticks don't fully support the configured speed.

The motherboard manual should specify how to buy, install, and configure RAM; some motherboards even give the Part# for major brands, so you can buy RAM assured it will work, or at least it should if all is in order. Besides shape and size, memory sticks depend on (Here comes the tech-detailed long version):

1. Speed: From 133, 150, 166, 200, ..., 1333, 1666, ... to 4800 MHz.
2. Latency (frequently mentioned only as "CAS" but it's more than that): From 1-2-3-3 for very old 386's to 19-19-19-36 or even more for high speed DDR4.
3. Voltage: That varies a lot according to make, type of electronics, speed and latency selected; this is where the crazy people do overclock.

Not all memory will be able to run on every possible parameters for their range; The 1333 DDR3 SODIMMs in my notebook seem to have just 5 different speeds, and if I would like to add more the new parts must match the speed the mobo is using. Notebooks leave near zero room for customization, so if my mobo auto-config feature picks a speed unsuitable for all the memory sticks, the system will become unstable or even refuse to boot.

Likewise, motherboards will take on -some- speeds, latencies, and voltages, but not all. And the population of memory slots will depend on those parameters; some mobos won't work with certain configurations, like all slots filled with the top theoretical performance RAM... Cheap mobos -can- support higher sticks only on half the slots, for example, because their memory channel can't talk to four or eight banks at max bandwidth.

Desktop mobos usually let you set speed and some let you set latency and/or voltage -but- within factory presets; mobos made for overclock-enthusiasts may leave room for linear adjustments on extended, out-of-specs ranges, but I suggest you don't try that at home.

Sorry for the long explanation and I hope that point you to some sound purchase.

---

Well, I know what kinds of RAM I have to put in.
I'm just asking if I am able to get away with putting one stick of a specified RAM into a Dual Channel as a general case.

Good, then the answer is: YES you can do it.

Never heard of a motherboard not working just because there's only one RAM slot populated.
Unless you're working a multi-processor Xeon, but that's not the case.

[Moe]

I'm just asking if I am able to get away with putting one stick of a specified RAM into a Dual Channel as a general case.

No one seems to want to actually answer the question.

The answer is yes, it will run with no problems. Performance won't be degraded. You just won't be taking advantage of all the available memory bandwidth.

[RobertX]

Thank you, Moe.