You lost me - and Bob - how do you get 1+1+1+1 in a 3 channel config? 1+1, then 1 and then 1? I didn't think you could mix and match like that. If so, I could pull out a 2GB DIMM and put in a 4, and have 4+2 and 2+2 and 2+2? Never heard of that, but I've only built one i7 system so I'm certainly no expert. But there are several articles that explain my understanding better than I can.
The three possible answers would be to use a cooling solution other than Supermicro’s, low-profile DDR3 memory modules, or simply three memory slots rather than six to populate the board’s triple channel configuration. Naturally, that'd be a problem for anyone looking to go over 12 GB, and even then, we're told that the the ICs needed for 4 GB modules are prohibitively expensive right now. It'd be hard to justify a move to 12 GB across three slots or 24 GB across six.
From the Tom's Hardware review at:
SuperMicro X58 Review
