Ram

[Skud]

Hey, all.

Just a quick question on memory in XP. I installed four gigs of XMS and it is showing up on my computer info as 2.96 gigs of RAM. I've seen before that XP and/or MOBO only recognizes memory to a certain point. Do you think that might be the case or that one of the cards is dead. I've checked the footing of all four, and they are set. Thanks for any input!

[Trooper110]

32 bit operating systems do not recognize above 4 GB of RAM, and typically display less as memory gets addressed for other hardware. MS claims that although it is not displayed that Windows XP will use it however.

[Skud]

thanks

32 bit operating systems do not recognize above 4 GB of RAM, and typically display less as memory gets addressed for other hardware. MS claims that although it is not displayed that Windows XP will use it however.

Thanks, Trooper. That's kind of what I was thinking...but wanted input from someone more savvy than I. I built the machine, but my skills and knowledge end right about there.

[{CLR}geneSW]

trooper hit it right on the head...

IIRC, windows xp should reconize up to 3.5gb of ram.

[WalkinTarget]

Windows will not recognize more than 3gb of RAM unless you are running a 64 bit version of the OS, either XP or Vista. It sets aside a portion of RAM over 3gb for memory I/O allocation and, if that wasn't bad enough, the amount of RAM on your video card is also subtracted from the total system RAM. The most you can hope to address is about 3.15gb of the total of 4.

Here's a read if you want to get the details:
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3034

[Skud]

thanks again, all

Thanks for the input, fellows! The extra mem does seem to be improving fluidity of things, at any rate...and my mind is calmer, knowing that it's just another glitch that it's not being fully recognized.

[drunken_chef]

Windows will not recognize more than 3gb of RAM unless you are running a 64 bit version of the OS, either XP or Vista. It sets aside a portion of RAM over 3gb for memory I/O allocation and, if that wasn't bad enough, the amount of RAM on your video card is also subtracted from the total system RAM. The most you can hope to address is about 3.15gb of the total of 4.

Here's a read if you want to get the details:
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3034

hmm,4 gig of RAM in my system shows up as 3.5.

[WalkinTarget]

Chef, its really a crapshoot, and I guarantee you are in the minority when you report 3.5gb. Its boils down to your hardware, but what video card do you have in there ?

I have 4gb in my workbench rig (with a 7950GX2) and it reports 2.23gb !!! That's a whopping 223mb increase over the previous 2gb kit I had in there, so I've yanked the 4gb kit and put that in another build (a Vista 64bit box that addresses all 4gb ).

[Dead...Again]

Vista x64 FTW! Yeah if you have a video card that requests a lot of memory you are really screwed, as WT has seen. From what I've heard you don't really get any benefit having over 2GB in XP anyway...

[drunken_chef]

Chef, its really a crapshoot, and I guarantee you are in the minority when you report 3.5gb. Its boils down to your hardware, but what video card do you have in there ?

I have 4gb in my workbench rig (with a 7950GX2) and it reports 2.23gb !!! That's a whopping 223mb increase over the previous 2gb kit I had in there, so I've yanked the 4gb kit and put that in another build (a Vista 64bit box that addresses all 4gb ).

I have a 512mb geforce 7950gt