Windows limits itself to a single memory channel.
Windows limits itself to a single memory channel.
Your x58 MSI Eclipse SLI is functioning well with all three RAM sticks detected by both motherboard and CPU-Z. Everything operates independently and together when using a single channel. After updating the BIOS and resetting CMOS, you might want to try enabling additional channels or checking for any hidden settings that could be affecting them.
Slots occupied by one of five… possibly a damaged slot? https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Eclipse_...cification This indicates triple-channel support. Likely you require three identical modules or a single-channel setup? Probably the slots were filled following the motherboard manual (https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/E7520v1.0.zip). Assuming your system can't handle more than two modules in dual-channel mode.
Review the manual to confirm dimmer placement in the proper slots. It outlines different detection methods, with triple channel support available only in specific sections. Pages 2-7 and 2-8 cover this information. https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Eclipse_...ort#manual
I reviewed the manual and confirmed everything is correct. The sticks are correctly positioned, there’s no flex mode, they support two dimmers per channel, and each stick is a separate unit—still functional when paired on the same channel. I’m also confident most slots remain intact since all sticks are recognized by the motherboard and visible in BIOS, CPU-Z, and Speccy.
If triple channel isn't functioning with the various module sizes, you might achieve dual channel performance by combining the two 4GB modules into a single channel.
I attempted various setups, 2x4 functions in dual channel but not in single; seems like the two options or the 8GB dimming doesn’t work across channels.
I attempted to use an 8GB stick alongside two 2x4GB sticks in another channel. Are you suggesting that you only used the smaller sticks and still couldn’t achieve multi-channel functionality? If this setup doesn’t work with perfectly matched sticks, it may indicate a hardware issue or incorrect RAM installation.
I didn't cover everything. I mentioned just one example. Windows shows 1 of 5 slots as taken when there should be 6. For dual channel setups with 8 and 2x4 you'd need to assign 8 to one channel and the 2x4 to another. Since the board has triple channel, I think double channel with more than two modules could cause issues because it might try to switch to triple channel. This wouldn't work with mixed modules. What frequency and latency do your individual modules use? If they differ, that could also be a reason they resist mixing them.
I made those changes; tried your advice too. Only the first channel displays correctly in Win10, though it still functions within the same channel. You can achieve 12GB on a single channel with 8+4 partitions.