m14x : 4gb DC or 6gb SC

I'm following the buying guide and I've got a decent deal brewing right now on a m14x, i7 [2720]/900p/3gb 555m, etc.

But the system has 6gb single channel ram instead of 4gb dual channel, what kind of a difference would it make to drop dual channel for a single channel set up?

I'm not concerned about the amount of ram, just the speed of 6 vs 4 and what kind of (if any) performance issues i might be looking at by taking the 6gb route?

thanks!

 

The 3GB 555m is a waste of money. You will never need even close to 1.5 GB of RAM on the 900p screen, and even if you hook it up to a large external monitor it isn't powerful enough to run high enough settings to require 3GB.

The RAM depends on what you are doing. 4GB is enough for most people. I would recommend 4gb with dual channel over 6gb with single channel for most. If you're doing something RAM intensive, you might need more than 4gb. In which case I might even recommend 8 instead, so as to keep the dual channel bandwidth.

 

My understanding of the current chipset is that it will utilize the first 4GB as dual channel, and the last 2 GB will be single channel bandwidth. So as far as I know, there is no downside, since you're getting all the benefit of 4GB DC plus some extra ram.

FWIW no one has shown that there is any advantage to the 3GB card vs the 1.5 as far as I know. If it's free or really cheap thanks to the deal you're getting, cool. but unless you're doing CAD modeling with a lot of parts (and I mean a lot) it's probably not worht the 100 bucks.

 

Thanks DarthPeirce, exactly the info i wanted!

The 3gb 555 is a "free" upgrade (my original config had the 1.5)

 

8GB from newegg or amazon is cheaper than Dell's 6GB upgrade. This is no brainer
It is either 4GB or 8GB aftermarket

 

I just double checked that with Intel, and I was correct...
From Intel:

Dual-Channel Mode – Intel®
Flex Memory Technology Mode
The IMC supports Intel Flex Memory Technology Mode. Memory is divided into a
symmetric and an asymmetric zone. The symmetric zone starts at the lowest address
in each channel and is contiguous until the asymmetric zone begins or until the top
address of the channel with the smaller capacity is reached. In this mode, the system
runs with one zone of dual-channel mode and one zone of single-channel mode,
simultaneously, across the whole memory array.

 

In an odd twist, the 6gb is the cheapest because I'm buying a "prefab" m14x.

 

Dell's website doesn't say dual-channel next to 6 GB, but if you look at page 74 of the manual (which is online), it says the only way you can have 6 GB in this system is to have 4 GB in one slot and 2 GB in the second. So not all of it is dual channel but some is, as the above poster stated.

 

Then go for it. Especially since you can upgrade to 8GB cheaper now (since you already have 4GB in one slot).

 

Yea but how much is it from 4gb to 6gb on Dell configuration? Because if it is $60 bucks then that would be stupid because you have to pay another $35-40 to buy a separate 4gb making it $100.

Might as well get the base 4gb ram then buy a 8gb 2x4gb kit for $80.

 

I think you should probably read the thread before posting.

 

like all have said: get the 4gb then buy 8gb in newegg Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model KHX1600C9S3K2/8GX

About the 3gb vs 1.5gb GPU
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ficial-alienware-m14x-benchmark-thread-3.html

If you get a deal with 2720 fine but it is not worth you pay $150 extras for it
Again look at this benchmarks http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ficial-alienware-m14x-benchmark-thread-3.html

 

Wow, did not know that. That's cool. But does Windows know to use the double channel portion first?