windows 8 ram problems

I have 8gb ram but my windows in sytem properties recognizes that i have 8Gb ram but its usable only 2.39gb??i read that i need to have 64bit windows to recognize all 8gb but why doesnt it recognize 4gb ram?any solution?Also i checked in just cause 2 benchmark and its also 2,3gb

 

Every system is different. Some also need to reserve for graphics and other hardware memory. If you are running 32 bit version of windows you will probably never see 4 GB used but more in the 3 to 3.3 GB range. Obvious solution here is to run 64 bit version of the OS............

 

because you actually need ~4.3 GB to have a 32-bit system recognize the maximum amount of memory. otherwise it'll only utilize the next lowest power-of-two (hex) amount, i.e. ~2.3 GB.

Sent from my PI39100 using Tapatalk

 

Correct. The OP really needs to install a 64-bit version of Windows. Using 32-bit Windows on a computer that has 8GB of memory makes no sense at all. For the reasons that you have pointed out, even if you only have 4GB of memory, it can be a good idea to use 64-bit Windows.

 

hm, i suppose i stand corrected. so why does my machine with 4 GB of RAM (and no page file) report the full 4 GB?

Spoiler

 

You have 64 Bit Windows.

Edit: If I recall correctly, the Bit versions track and report the installed memory differently. That (OP) system with all that extra RAM may be doing or displaying some weird calculations.

 

i think you've missed the scope of my question. i understand that 64-bit systems have a larger address space than 32-bit systems; that was part of my apparently misinformed first reply. but why is my system reporting its memory in full, i.e. why isn't any of my memory being reserved for other components or whatever else like you've suggested OP's system is doing?

is this the reason?

 

I was going to suggest that he take some of the RAM out, but before that check in the BIOS to see what it is reporting.

Certainly there has to be someone here with 32 Bit W8 that can tell us if that is indeed what is going on.

 

The memory is not "reserved" in the sense that RAM is "taken away" to accommodate address space for mapped memory (of the GPU, for example). The situation is such that the entire range of addresses that the system needs to operate, run programs, and talk to its hardware, needs to fit into the constraints of the available address space. On a 32-bit system, what happens is that a part of the address space needs to be remapped for talking to various devices (the GPU is the greatest hog here), and those addresses then are not available to address RAM anymore. As a consequence, that RAM, while technically present will simply remain empty and unused (because the OS cannot "talk" to it anymore). On the 64-bit system, any mapped memory can simply be mapped beyond the address space used for the RAM, so the full RAM is accessible. Hope this helps.

 

Vista reports total installed memory in system properties, not what is actually a available to the OS. Iwould bet it is the same for 7 and 8.

 

Guys, now this is going to sound stupid, because after all this heavy math, why can't the system just report the installed RAM like in mattcheau's picture minus the extra? Even if it was 32 Bit W8 with 4 GB RAM would it still display the same 2.39gb that the OP is showing?

Certainly if the computer was just purchased, a person would go to those properties to verify the installed RAM and then wonder if they got shortchanged. Seems all sorts of other programs can report the installed correct RAM just fine within Windows.

EDIT: I just reread - OP didn't say it wasn't showing the installed RAM correctly. Sorry, got confused there for a second. Oh and the math and explanations are great.

 

wow, this thread is my 'learned something new today.' very informative posts. thanks Indrek, Pirx, and rcb.to.ca. sorry to hijack, OP, but i think that about answers your question and some.

"because you need ~4.3 GB. . ." pssst.