optimum 8 core RAM dimm configuration

[i8cookie]

Hi,

I've been looking around on the net all day and I've found a lot of info but nothing specific enough, so I thought I'd ask here.

I've got a 2.4 8-core 2010 mac pro with 8 dimm slots. It came with 6 x 1gb dimm chips. I just bought 4 x 4gb kingston chips.

At the moment I've put them in two sets of 2x4gb then 2x1gb for each socket to get 20gb.

Some sources say this is a good setup, another source says that the best would be four sets of 1x4gb then 1x1gb. My instinct says for the best performance I should just use two sets of 2x4gb and ditch the 1gb chips completely...

I'm using my computer for a lot of after effects and cinema 4d. Is it possible for me to have optimum performance and 20gb of ram with these chips or will putting the 1gb chips in always reduce performance?

thanks

 

[Zwhaler]

Your config sounds right to me, if you arranged them 4, 4, 4, 4, and 1, 1, 1, 1, there is a window popup that appears when you boot from Apple showing you the best way to arrange your DIMMs, and if that window didn't come up that means you have it arranged the right way. You will gain more performance by having the 16 + 4 rather than taking out the 1GB sticks to gain 2 x Dual channel, which only boosts performance of those sticks by a couple percent (triple channel is best with around a 5% boost by having them in matched sets of 3) I'm using 4x4 and 4x2 in my config and it trumps having less GB with a couple extra % from triple or quad channel.

 

[i8cookie]

thanks zwhaler. Makes sense, but what exactly do you mean by triple channel? Do you mean optimum would be 4x4x4 with one empty slot on each socket?

I was reading this pdf today:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...jYD4Dw&usg=AFQjCNHCUTpP-ET4gckv8bsFvjVirDb7tA

It doesn't have my motherboard architecture in there, but aren't the channels always in pairs? So on my motherboard each socket has two channels with two slots each. I'm only guessing though. It's so bloody confusing.