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    Does 3582 MB equal to 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm??

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Karolyn333, Jun 9, 2008.

  1. Karolyn333

    Karolyn333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just received my XPS M1530 and according to the Welcome Center on my new laptop it says that my memory is only 3582 mb. When I order should of included 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm for XPS.

    Is it me, or does that seem kinda low. I thought 1 gb equals 1024 mb.

    Also, has anyone heard any news regarding the AU Optronics AUO2077 1440x900 - WXGA+screens?? I didnt receive a Samsung or LG, I got this brand. The screen is great and I cant tell any problems but I was wondering if anyone has heard anything.

    Specs: Flamingo Pink XPS M1530/T8300/4GB/WXGA+/256MB NVIDIA/250GB HD/6-cell Ordered 5/16 Delivered 6/9 :)
     
    Karolyn333, Jun 9, 2008
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  2. Rhodan

    Rhodan NBR Expert of Nothing

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    32bit OS can only address 4GB total. That includes all other memory in your system. So there around 3.25GB to 3.5GB available after you factor in the videao card and other memory in the system
     
    Rhodan, Jun 9, 2008
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  3. Jlbrightbill

    Jlbrightbill Notebook Deity

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    AUO is usually considered the lowest quality, although some rival the Samsungs. But really, ignorance is bliss, if it looks great to you, why ruin your enjoyment by comparing it to an LG screen?
     
    Jlbrightbill, Jun 9, 2008
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  4. Karolyn333

    Karolyn333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Oh, ok.. SO I really didnt need to get 4Gb if its not recognized by my OS?? Oh well.. I just wanted to make sure they configured my NB correctly..

    Thanks
     
    Karolyn333, Jun 9, 2008
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  5. Karolyn333

    Karolyn333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    My HP has an LG screen and side by side, mine looks better and brighter than my HP. Could be from the higher definition screen though..
     
    Karolyn333, Jun 9, 2008
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  6. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    No....if u r using vista it wud recognise upto 4gig but will show only 3.12GB ram as the rest is used up by the os for memory-mapped I/O....check in the bios how much ram is shown

    http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/aa366778.aspx
     
    Andy, Jun 9, 2008
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  7. Rhodan

    Rhodan NBR Expert of Nothing

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    Actually getting 4Gb is good. That way you have the maximum ram available to Vista and that is a good thing. The RAM could have been cheaper if you bought it from a reseller but getting it from Dell is good since you do not have to install it.
     
    Rhodan, Jun 9, 2008
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  8. Jlbrightbill

    Jlbrightbill Notebook Deity

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    Could be -- either way, if you're happy with your screen that's all that matters.
     
    Jlbrightbill, Jun 9, 2008
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  9. Rhodan

    Rhodan NBR Expert of Nothing

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    That is incorrect, Vista on a M1530 will show 3.5GB. On other systems I have seen as low as 3.25.
     
    Rhodan, Jun 9, 2008
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  10. mattocs

    mattocs Notebook Deity

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    Plus, with the 4GB, your RAM will be dual channel. Some say the performance difference is very low...but as RAM is dirt cheap, you may as well go with 4GB.
     
    mattocs, Jun 9, 2008
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  11. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    No physically you did get 4gb, but the OS can only read 3.5gb of it due to software limitations
     
    flipfire, Jun 9, 2008
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  12. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    Karolyn333, you can request a Vista 64-bit disc from Dell, if you want to take advantage of all 4gb of your RAM. :)
    Look here. :)
     
    talin, Jun 9, 2008
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  13. Karolyn333

    Karolyn333 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Whats the difference of a 64-bit compared to the 32-bit??
     
    Karolyn333, Jun 9, 2008
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  14. Jlbrightbill

    Jlbrightbill Notebook Deity

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    Your OS will utilize all 4 GB of your RAM. Of course, there's a myriad of others reasons to switch (Or not switch), but that's the one that directly pertains to this topic.
     
    Jlbrightbill, Jun 9, 2008
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  15. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    I stand corrected, as high as 3.87GB and low as 3.12GB. Reason remains that the PCI memory addresses starting down from 4 GB are used for things like the bios, gpu, networking devices, PCI hubs, bus bridges, PCI-Express or mapped devices that require non-pageable space and hence will get a hold of the lower memory before Windows loads. This is why from one machine to another that number varies. This is only a problem on 32-bit XP and Vista, because Microsoft hasn't fix their kernel to properly use Intel Physical Address Extension (PAE). PAE is a 36-bit memory addressing mode that allows 32-bit operating systems to theoretically address memory up to 64GB. I would have thought they would have fixed it with the release of Vista. The PAE extension has been available since the Pentium Pro days.
     
    Andy, Jun 9, 2008
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  16. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    Mine showed up as 3070mb when i was still on 32bit 4gb. So it varies from 3-3.5gb
     
    flipfire, Jun 10, 2008
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  17. Forte

    Forte NBR's Supreme Angel

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    Weird, I wonder whats the cause for the variations, I got 3.5GB on mine...

    how can it vary? motherboard defects?
     
    Forte, Jun 10, 2008
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  18. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

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    memory mapped I/O devices.
     
    flipfire, Jun 10, 2008
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  19. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    yeah....cud be but those are the figures I got from the vista support site ages ago....cant find the link now :p

    it just depends upon the mothrboard's bios, gpu, and other mapped devices....

    my D630 used to show 3.38GB in vista....3.12GB in XP and 4gig in the bios.... :p

    phhew....tired of this old 'new thing' regarding memory....
     
    Andy, Jun 10, 2008
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  20. Forte

    Forte NBR's Supreme Angel

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    My Portege M700 showed 2.99 in vista with 4 gigs in.. :/
     
    Forte, Jun 10, 2008
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