Single DIMM for dual channel motherboard?

Question

I mistakenly bought a set of three 4GB Corsair Vengeance DIMMs for my dual channel motherboard, so I have one DIMM left over. (When I had all three installed, at boot sometimes it would say 12GB and sometimes 8GB, so I took the third DIMM out.)

My girlfriend is now about to buy some components for her new system, which has an Asus P8P67 Deluxe motherboard. Is it possible for her to use my single spare DIMM in her dual channel motherboard to start with and to buy and install a second DIMM at a later date, or must she have two DIMMs in order for it to function?

Thanks.

Answer 1

If you use the correct slot (slot 0) you should be just fine. Most systems do not require paired DIMMs, although they will not benefit from dual channel unless the correct slots are populated with the same DIMM (i.e., they fall back to single channel mode).

The fact that your system board would not recognize three DIMMS consistently is a bit worrisome, however.