Can a Dell Optiplex GX270 Run on a Dual Channel Memory?
The Dell OptiPlex GX270 desktop computer is designed to use dual-channel memory. However, it's a misnomer to suggest the memory itself is dual-channel. It's actually the memory controller that uses the memory in dual channels. The GX270 can use non-ECC DDR SDRAM running at either 333 MHz or 400 Mhz in quantities up to 4GB.
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Dual-Channel
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Computers, like the OptiPlex GX270, that use a dual-channel memory control are designed to increase the memory performance. Instead of having one channel on the motherboard that can address data to the memory, the dual-channel system can read and write to two RAM sources simultaneously. This increases the speed of memory access, but it carries the requirement that both of the RAM modules in the dual-channel configuration be identical. The GX270 has two dual-channel RAM slots for a total of four RAM modules that can be installed.
Non-ECC
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Error checking and correcting can be built in to a RAM chip, increasing the performance of the RAM by preventing any errors in the RAM data. However, the computer must support the ECC feature, and the GX270 does not. If you install ECC RAM, the feature will be disabled and any ECC RAM will conflict with non-ECC RAM. Only use non-ECC RAM in the GX270.
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DDR SDRAM
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Computer memory is characterized by several different abbreviations. The memory needed by the GX270 runs at a double data-rate, which means that the data is read or written to the RAM at both the upward swing of the computer's clock cycle and the downward swing. You cannot use single data-rate RAM on the GX270, nor will the DDR2 or DDR3 upgrades to the DDR RAM provide any performance increase on your computer. The type of compatible RAM is synchronous dynamic RAM, meaning that it uses the same speeds as the computer's motherboard to dictate its own speeds.
RAM Speed
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The RAM you buy to upgrade your OptiPlex GX270 should be either 333 MHz or 400 MHz. Sometimes this is also called PC2700 for 333 MHz RAM and PC3200 for 400 MHz RAM. The speed of the RAM must be the same from one module to the next, or the dual-channel controller will not be able to address them correctly.
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