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    I can only see 3.3Gb RAM of 4GB RAM of my X64

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by chukwe, Dec 21, 2007.

  1. chukwe

    chukwe Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi All,

    I installed Vista X64 Ultimate on my inspiron 9400.

    I added 4GB Ram, but my system says it can see only 3.3GB RAM.

    Can someone help?

    Chukwe
     
    chukwe, Dec 21, 2007
    #1
  2. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

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    How old are 9400's? could be Bios/chipset/mobo/hardware limitation.
     
    powerpack, Dec 21, 2007
    #2
  3. imzomnia

    imzomnia Notebook Evangelist

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    Did your BIOS see 4GB under the setup?
     
    imzomnia, Dec 21, 2007
    #3
  4. PhoenixFx

    PhoenixFx Notebook Virtuoso

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    I think it is a hardware limitation of GM945 chipset. You need a chipset/processor ?? with PAE (Physical Address Extensions), or a newer chipset like 965.
    MS KB Article.
     
    PhoenixFx, Dec 21, 2007
    #4
  5. chukwe

    chukwe Notebook Evangelist

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    I ordered this laptop on 21st June 2007.

    Where can I check the hardware information?
    Thanks
     
    chukwe, Dec 22, 2007
    #5
  6. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    It is a chipset limitation. The 9400/E1705's use the 945PM chipset, which support only 2gb RAM. The M1710 however (Dell's flagship laptop then), uses the 945GM which supports up to 4gb.
    Unfortunately, there is no way around it without getting a more up-to-date laptop.
    The fact that it registers 3.3gb is beyond me, it's supposed to max out on 2. :rolleyes:
     
    talin, Dec 22, 2007
    #6
  7. a75user

    a75user Notebook Geek

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    a75user, Dec 22, 2007
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  8. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    Wow that is awesome! I just checked, and so mine supports 4GB (GM according to the intel chipset id utility). :cool:
     
    talin, Dec 22, 2007
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  9. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    Just wanted to update chukwe, I was reading an article online, and apparently it's a BIOS limitation that prevents use of the full 4GB. The article goes on to say, using PAE *can* free up the address block to allow for all 4GB.
     
    talin, Dec 22, 2007
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  10. chukwe

    chukwe Notebook Evangelist

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    How can I use PAE? And what is PAE?
     
    chukwe, Dec 23, 2007
    #10