→Operation: Someone went crazy spelling out and linking each DDR specification; removed to reduce clutter and improve readability. Going to such extremes might make sense if there was a break in generational DDR spec (there isn't); they're all named 'DDR' because they are derived from it. I would need to see an extremely good reason to include such enumeration in an article.
Dual-channel architecture requires a dual-channel-capable motherboard and two or more [[DDR SDRAM|DDR]], [[DDR2 SDRAM|DDR2]], [[DDR3 SDRAM|DDR3]], [[DDR4 SDRAM|DDR4]], or [[DDR5 SDRAM|DDR5]] memory modules. The memory modules are installed into matching banks, each of which belongs to a different channel. The motherboard's manual will provide an explanation of how to install memory for that particular unit. A matched pair of memory modules may usually be placed in the first bank of each channel, and a different-capacity pair of modules in the second bank.<ref name= "Kingston520DDR">{{cite web | publisher = Infineon Technologies North America and Kingston Technology |date=September 2003 | url = http://www.kingston.com/newtech/MKF_520DDRwhitepaper.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110929024052/http://www.kingston.com/newtech/MKF_520DDRwhitepaper.pdf | title = Intel Dual-Channel DDR Memory Architecture White Paper | edition = Rev. 1.0 | format = PDF, 1021 [[kilobyte|KB]] | access-date = 2007-09-06 | archive-date = 2011-09-29}}</ref> Modules rated at different speeds can be run in dual-channel mode, although the motherboard will then run all memory modules at the speed of the slowest module. Some motherboards, however, have compatibility issues with certain brands or models of memory when attempting to use them in dual-channel mode. For this reason, it is generally advised to use identical pairs of memory modules, which is why most memory manufacturers now sell "kits" of matched-pair DIMMs. Several motherboard manufacturers only support configurations where a "matched pair" of modules are used. A matching pair needs to match in:
* Capacity (e.g. 1024 MB). Certain Intel chipsets support different capacity chips in what they call Flex Mode: the capacity that can be matched is run in dual-channel, while the remainder runs in single-channel.
* Speed (e.g. PC5300). If speed is not the same, the lower speed of the two modules will be used. Likewise, the higher latency of the two modules will be used.
