Asus Z87M-PLUS, User Manual

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1-10
Chapter 1: Product introduction
Chapter 1
Memory configurations
You may install 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB unbuffered and non-ECC DDR3 DIMMs into the
DIMM sockets.
• You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system maps
the total size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel configuration. Any excess
memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation.
• According to Intel CPU spec, DIMM voltage below 1.65V is recommended to protect
the CPU.
• Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum compatibility, we
recommend that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor.
• Due to the memory address limitation on 32-bit Windows
®
OS, when you install 4GB
or more memory on the motherboard, the actual usable memory for the OS can be
about 3GB or less. For effective use of memory, we recommend that you do any of the
following:
a) Use a maximum of 3GB system memory if you are using a 32-bit Windows
®
OS.
b) Install a 64-bit Windows
®
OS when you want to install 4GB or more on the
motherboard.
c) For more details, refer to the Microsoft
®
support site at http://support.microsoft.
com/kb/929605/en-us.
• This motherboard does not support DIMMs made up of 512Mb (64MB) chips or less
(Memory chip capacity counts in Megabit, 8 Megabit/Mb = 1 Megabyte/MB).
• The default memory operation frequency is dependent on its Serial Presence Detect
(SPD), which is the standard way of accessing information from a memory module.
Under the default state, some memory modules for overclocking may operate at a
lower frequency than the vendor-marked value. To operate at the vendor-marked
or at a higher frequency, refer to section 3.5 Ai Tweaker menu for manual memory
frequency adjustment.
• For system stability, use a more efficient memory cooling system to support a full
memory load (4 DIMMs) or overclocking condition.
• Memory modules with memory frequency higher than 2133MHz and their
corresponding timing or the loaded XMP profile is not the JEDEC memory standard.
The stability and compatibility of the memory modules depend on the CPU’s
capabilities and other installed devices.
• Always install the DIMMS with the same CAS Latency. For an optimum compatibility,
we recommend that you install memory modules of the same version or data code (D/
C) from the same vendor. Check with the vendor to get the correct memory modules.