Just want to clear something up......

OK this isnt hp/Compaq specific question... but what is the amount of RAM Windows 32bit uses when it has 4GB of RAM?

I know it doesnt use all 4GB, I know you need 64bit OS to use all 4GB, etc. etc.

I thought it was 3.2GB of RAM max... but my dad's computer has 4GB of RAM and Vista 32bit and its has around 2.8GB available.

Oh btw my dad's computer which is like 1.6GHz and 4GB (2.8GB) RAM is MUCH faster than my 2.0GHz 2GB RAM laptop.... is the extra 800 or so MB really making a difference? (Both running Vista Home Prem)

My processor is not only around 400MHz faster but it is also superior when it comes to L2 Cache and Dual-Core and etc.

BTW I know I made XP thread but temporarily I installed Vista so I can send my computer to hp without them freaking out
Under XP my computer is fast, but Vista is a different story.

Oh yeah and I should add that I deleted all junk from my Vista installation and my dad still left his crap on... and actually bought Norton when the license expired....

(I know my post is a bit disorganized but I just spent all brain power writing a 25-page paper. Thanks for understanding )

 

1) 32-bit OSs usually see between 3-3.5GBs of ram if you have 4GBs installed

2) Your father probably has 2.8GB because he has integrated graphics

3) Clock speed isnt everything, and it may not even the your processor thats the problem; there could be also sorts of issues from power settings, to systems settings, to background programs to a laundry list of reasons why your computer is slower.

4) Are you sure when you removed the "junk" you didnt mess up or remove the wrong things?

 

1.8 Pentium Dual Core> 2.0 Celeron.

 

Yeah except I dont have Celeron... C2D T7300.

Yeah I'm positive I removed the right things...

He has a desktop with integrated graphics, and I'm comparing his performance to my laptop with dedicated graphics if it makes a difference.
I also feel the need to restart once in a while because it bogs down.
I never saw him restart before... well I dont live with my parents so I cant be positive on that, but knowing him he never shuts down/restart.
Under XP I used to leave it on for 1 month before actually restarting lol.
I will try disabling themes and see what happens... and disabling services I wont use. Like tablet PC support and sidebar.

 

If I were you I would try to upgrade to 3 GB of RAM of 4 GB if you have the extra couple of bucks to spend...

RAM is the cheapest upgrade there is, so it really wouldn't hurt your pocketbook, and only help your performance.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks. Yeah I'm definitely upgrading the RAM.
Actually I'll upgrade to 4GB right now (even though I know I'll need 64bit OS for it) in case I move to a 64bit OS in the future.

I dont have Vista SP1.... but then I'm not sure if he has Vista SP1.
It never showed up under Windows Updates....

 

Define what you mean when you say his computer is "much faster" pls

Do you man his load times are faster?

Do you mean he multitasks better without signs of lag?

Do you mean your computer slows down when his doesn't?

What specific scenarios are we talking about here when comparing the computer "speeds"?

I ask because many things affect different things in computer "speeds"

CPU doesn't really come into play for every day activities so whether you have a higher or stronger processor will not yield any noticeable change if you're both surfing the web or doing MS office.

RAM really only affects multitasking speed so if you're running mostly one or two things at a time, the extra RAM will not yield a significant change(unless those 1 or 2 things are really heavy).

HDD is what usually affects loading times since it is where the data is stored generally. If he has a faster spinning HDD(ex: he had 7200RPM and you had 5400RPM), then his loading times on gathering save files or such will be shorter and his computer could be qualified as "faster".

So yeah, just to say that many things could come into play so more info on the scenario would help ^_^

 

It honestly is a combination of the above....

 

but what specifically? you need to do a step by step comparison, doing the same exact tasks. does photoshop open quicker on yours or his? does a specific game have faster fps? ....etc

 

One simple thing to check: is your laptop in power saver/"hp recommended" mode?

To check just click once on the battery icon in the task bar.

I usually have my laptop set to high performance.

 

Yes... my laptop is on HP Recommended.
Thats changing now.

But what if I unplug my laptop?

 

Then you should set it to power saver, or hp recommended. What I did was delete the HP recommended profile, and was left with Power Saver, High Performance, and Balanced.

 

Some updates:

Hope everyone is having a fun Thanksgiving!!!

I am at my parents house for Thanksgiving break.
I checked my dad's computer and he has this:
* 2.8GB of RAM avail to Vista (from 4GB)
* 256MB of shared memory

I was curious and I went into his BIOS... there was an interesting setting.....
Basically it allowed me to change the amount of RAM avail to Vista.
There were settings in steps of 0.25GB (256MB) from 1GB to 3.25GB
It was set at 3GB from the factory so obviously I changed it the highest avail (3.25GB).
So after booting into Vista, I checked Taskmgr.exe and indeed it said 3070MB avail to windows (~3GB).
3.25GB - 256MB = 3GB

But I wonder what would happen if it were a 64bit OS.... will it still have 3.25GB of RAM avail?
I will test it out using a 64bit version of Linux (since its free and Vista 64bit is not)

 

I'm pretty sure all 4 GB will be available with 64 bit...