Aaron Kulkis wrote: > > Especially since currently, memory modules are still > only 32 bits wide...motherboard manufacturers are at > liberty to make the external data bus either 32 bits > or 64 bits wide.
??? I thought memory was 64 bits wide these days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDR_SDRAM > > If your motherboard allows you to > > A) To install pairs of memory modules, of differing > size, (say 512 MB and 1 GB) and to use ALL of > the memory (1.5 GB instead of only 1 GB) > > or > > B) install odd numbers (1, 3, 5...) of memory modules, > > then your IA-64 or AMD-64motherboard's data bus is > only 32 bits wide, killing most of the speed advantage > of a 64-bit processor, and really only giving you > the benefit of an address space beyond 32 bits. > > Ever hear of interleaving memory? It allows more efficient use of the memory bus by starting a transfer on one memory module, while the other is completing the previous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interleaved_memory Incidentally, I was working with interleaved memory back in the late '70s, before the IBM PC was even created. Back in those days, I was a computer technician, maintaining several mini-computers. Those computers used interleaved core memory. -- Use OpenOffice.org <http://www.openoffice.org> -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
