The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    4GB of RAM and 3GB after clean install

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by Destiny, May 4, 2008.

  1. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hello!

    I did a clean install of Vista 32bit just 20 min ago. First thing I noticed was that system only sees 3GB of RAM!
    It all would be fine, I know of the 32 bit limitations, but I put the 2nd 2GB stick before doing it and system showed 4GB before. Would it be that my HD2600 now eats more RAM as it doesnt have drivers yet? or the SolidWorks software did something?

    Any explanation will help.
    Thanks!
     
    Destiny, May 4, 2008
    #1
  2. Syusuke

    Syusuke Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    42
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    You probably had Vista SP1 installed before, which allows you to see 4GB of RAM but not use all of it, while SP0 only allows you to see 3GB RAM.
     
    Syusuke, May 4, 2008
    #2
  3. R4000

    R4000 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    736
    Messages:
    2,762
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    ^ That would be my guess as well.
     
    R4000, May 4, 2008
    #3
  4. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Ai! :) That explains everything :)
    Ok, so with the 3GB switch for Solidworks would I actually use those 4GB??
     
    Destiny, May 4, 2008
    #4
  5. Rodster

    Rodster Merica

    Reputations:
    1,805
    Messages:
    5,043
    Likes Received:
    396
    Trophy Points:
    251
    Actually Vista 32bit only uses 3.582 GB to be exact. With SP1 you'll see it recognize the full 4GB but it will only use 3.5 GB out of the 4GB of ram.

    Vista 64 sees and uses the full 4GB. :)
     
    Rodster, May 4, 2008
    #5
  6. R4000

    R4000 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    736
    Messages:
    2,762
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    SP1 only reports up to 4GB of ram, 32-bit Windows can't use it anyway...
     
    R4000, May 4, 2008
    #6
  7. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Ok. Thanks! BTW. How compatibile is XP 64bit with current software and games?
     
    Destiny, May 4, 2008
    #7
  8. R4000

    R4000 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    736
    Messages:
    2,762
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    XP 64-bit driver support is not that good......
     
    R4000, May 4, 2008
    #8
  9. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    2,557
    Messages:
    6,682
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Actually this is a myth. It is actually really good now.
     
    nizzy1115, May 4, 2008
    #9
  10. R4000

    R4000 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    736
    Messages:
    2,762
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    For XP? HP driver support for it does not even seem to exist.........
     
    R4000, May 4, 2008
    #10
  11. Jalf

    Jalf Comrade Santa

    Reputations:
    2,883
    Messages:
    3,468
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    3.582 GB isn't "the exact value". It varies, depending on your hardware and your drivers. "Somewhere between 3 and 4 GB" is the most exact value you're going to get.
     
    Jalf, May 4, 2008
    #11
  12. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Im being shown 3070mb... I guess HD2600 has eaten the missing mb...
     
    Destiny, May 4, 2008
    #12
  13. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

    Reputations:
    4,429
    Messages:
    4,401
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    3,070MB is what I had shown before I install SP1, now it displays 4GB installed, not available.
     
    Wirelessman, May 4, 2008
    #13
  14. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Yep, youre right :)
     
    Destiny, May 4, 2008
    #14
  15. Rodster

    Rodster Merica

    Reputations:
    1,805
    Messages:
    5,043
    Likes Received:
    396
    Trophy Points:
    251
    That's really weird then because I have to separate systems one is a desktop and the other is a laptop both with 4GB and 3.582GB is the number I get on both machines.

    I'll be installing 4GB in another one of my laptops so i'll be sure to check that out. If it's the same number i'll post it here.
     
    Rodster, May 4, 2008
    #15
  16. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

    Reputations:
    6,156
    Messages:
    11,214
    Likes Received:
    68
    Trophy Points:
    466
    SP1 now shows the physical RAM installed, so people who buy 4gb dont wonder where the last gb went

    but in reality only 3gb can be utilized
     
    flipfire, May 4, 2008
    #16
  17. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

    Reputations:
    4,429
    Messages:
    4,401
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    So ground zero again, is like having an icon telling us we have a screen. We know we have th 4G, what we need is an application helping us to use the full 4G, may be an application that schedule the use of the common addresses. For exampple, it sends an interrupt so we use the video card memory, then it pass the control to the RAM (same address) then it goes back to the video card and so on.
     
    Wirelessman, May 4, 2008
    #17
  18. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

    Reputations:
    6,156
    Messages:
    11,214
    Likes Received:
    68
    Trophy Points:
    466
    yup its called 64bit windows lol

    thats the only way..
     
    flipfire, May 4, 2008
    #18
  19. powerpack

    powerpack Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    7,101
    Messages:
    5,757
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yes it is for the idiots!

    See below! No it does not do what you say!

    Yes you have said it! :)
     
    powerpack, May 4, 2008
    #19
  20. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

    Reputations:
    3,047
    Messages:
    8,636
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    206
    a convoluted interrupt system would (if even possible) be uncannily difficult to create. everyone has different hardware making calls and taking up registry space. and after you consider the performance cost of something like that, the net gain would probably be negative. you would be making everything wait so that you can address an extra .5 GB of ram, which isn't even that much of a help in the first place.

    obviously the solution is to use a 64 bit OS.
     
    masterchef341, May 4, 2008
    #20
  21. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

    Reputations:
    4,429
    Messages:
    4,401
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I'll think about this a little..............ok, I'm tire I'm going to bed and I'll comment on your thought tomorrow.
     
    Wirelessman, May 5, 2008
    #21
  22. Destiny

    Destiny Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    211
    Messages:
    845
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I still cant understand why the integrated cards (hypermemory etc.) cant benefit from the parts of RAM that are not in use and have to take it from system resources, making less avaiable for Windows again...
     
    Destiny, May 5, 2008
    #22
  23. flipfire

    flipfire Moderately Boss

    Reputations:
    6,156
    Messages:
    11,214
    Likes Received:
    68
    Trophy Points:
    466
    Windows manages and maps the RAM, due to 32bit limitations, it wont see it all
     
    flipfire, May 5, 2008
    #23
  24. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

    Reputations:
    2,674
    Messages:
    6,039
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205

    Actually, at one time that sort of memory system WAS available. It was, as I remember, called paged memory. It was available back in the days of the 8086 processors. It was a nightmare and thankfully abandoned.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, May 5, 2008
    #24
  25. ScuderiaConchiglia

    ScuderiaConchiglia NBR Vaio Team Curmudgeon

    Reputations:
    2,674
    Messages:
    6,039
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205

    How would you control which card takes what portion of memory? And even if you did this, how would the applications ever interact with that memory?

    Do the math, there are only so many UNIQUE memory locations you can address when the addresses are limited to 32 bits.

    Gary
     
    ScuderiaConchiglia, May 5, 2008
    #25
  26. Wirelessman

    Wirelessman Monkeymod

    Reputations:
    4,429
    Messages:
    4,401
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Actually windows does see the full RAM, but it decides to ignore some of it for a good reason, the extra RAM addresses overlap some of the other components RAM addresses, and these devices like the video card, its RAM will "fortunately" predominate if you want to see anything on your screen. Now because the maximum addressable memory is 4GB in a 32bits architecture , then we cannot put the rest of the devices RAM's above 4GB.
     
    Wirelessman, May 5, 2008
    #26