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    Can I use 4 GB RAM with Windows Vista Business 32 bit

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by MaXimus, Jan 1, 2008.

  1. MaXimus

    MaXimus Notebook Deity

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    my laptop comes with Vista Business, can I add 4 GB? or will it only beneit from 2 GB Max?
     
    MaXimus, Jan 1, 2008
    #1
  2. JM

    JM Mr. Misanthrope NBR Reviewer

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    32 bit OSes will only be able to see about 3.2GB of the RAM you install.

    So, more than 2GB, but less than 4GB.

    If you don't care about dual channel, you can install 2GB+1GB sticks, so save some money. You loose dual channel, however, that doesn't really offer a huge boost in performance, over all.
     
    JM, Jan 1, 2008
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  3. MaXimus

    MaXimus Notebook Deity

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    ah ok thanks
     
    MaXimus, Jan 1, 2008
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  4. Drvec

    Drvec Notebook Evangelist

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    Here's what my SZ6 says, it's Vista 32 bit Business with 4GB RAM.

    ram1.jpg

    ram2.jpg
     
    Drvec, Jan 1, 2008
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  5. MaXimus

    MaXimus Notebook Deity

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    I'm confused now........so this means Yes I can use 4 GB with Vista 32 bit or what?
     
    MaXimus, Jan 1, 2008
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  6. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Those screen dumps show that the hardware supports 4GB but 32-bit Vista can use a little over 3GB.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jan 1, 2008
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  7. |SONY|

    |SONY| Notebook Evangelist

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    you can install 4. The machine will see 3.35Gb, while a 32 bit OS will allocate only 3GB with /PAE /3G switches
     
    |SONY|, Jan 1, 2008
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  8. dmorris68

    dmorris68 Notebook Consultant

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    Vista SP RC1 changed the System Properties to display 4GB as installed, but that doesn't change the fact that no 32-bit OS can use all 4GB. It's been explained in other posts here so I won't go into detail, but to summarize, 4GB is the max addressable memory range for a 32-bit OS, and parts of that memory space have to be reserved for memory mapped I/O for hardware. Which makes the available RAM dependent upon your specific PC model and how it's equipped.

    My AR670 only has 3.0GB available. The amount usually ranges from 3GB to 3.4GB or so, depending on configuration. It's NOT the same for everyone.
     
    dmorris68, Jan 1, 2008
    #8