Posted: 10/4/2011 7:47:37 AM EDT
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I just upgraded my RAM to 4GB, but my computer is only seeing 3GB. Installed 2 pairs of 1GB Crucial PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM, installed correctly as pairs. Dell Dimension 8400 desktop Is there a setting in the setup/BIOS to change or should it recognize it immediately? ETA: OS is XP Home SP3 |
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read. Thank me later.
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/03/dude-wheres-my-4-gigabytes-of-ram.html |
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You spent money on DDR2? your computer is so frickin slow, It's not going to matter if you have another gig of memory. Sorry.
The reason you are only seeing 3 gigs is your crap 32 bit OS. You will need to upgrade your os to a 64 bit version in order to gain the speed (Bwhahahah) of 4 gigs. Honestly, I would take that computer to the shootin range, and start over. |
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778(v=vs.85).aspx Both of you can check out this page. OP, your hitting the limit on the 32bit OS. Your not going to get your full 4GB with a 32bit OS. Cole, Windows 7 64 bit will support up to 192GB. |
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You spent money on DDR2? your computer is so frickin slow, It's not going to matter if you have another gig of memory. Sorry. The reason you are only seeing 3 gigs is your crap 32 bit OS. You will need to upgrade your os to a 64 bit version in order to gain the speed (Bwhahahah) of 4 gigs. Honestly, I would take that computer to the shootin range, and start over. Harsh! I'm on a 64 bit dual core with 4gb of ddr2 ram and I can run Fallout 3 on high settings (probably mostly the video card though). Maybe he isn't a turbogamer that has to have the newest $2000 video card the week it comes out... 
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Where is it only seeing the 3 Gb? In the bios or OS? 32bit OS can only use 4Gb. That includes any videocard ram and and various other devices with memory space. Same here, I have 4GB of ram in my machine and my Windows XP (32bit) only recoganizes 3GB. 32 bit OS is only going to recognize 3.2 or 3.4. no matter how much you have installed. Its the OS's limitation |
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Where is it only seeing the 3 Gb? In the bios or OS? 32bit OS can only use 4Gb. That includes any videocard ram and and various other devices with memory space. Same here, I have 4GB of ram in my machine and my Windows XP (32bit) only recoganizes 3GB. When you stick 4GB in a machine, some of it will get allocated by the BIOS for PCI devices and what-not. Usually it's around half a gig, but in either event, 32-bit Windows says "You get 3 gigs." 32-bit Linux, IIRC, will give you everything except what the BIOS allocates, so you end up with around 3.5 gigs or so. With 64-bit OS, you're only limited by how much RAM your motherboard will accept. |
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You spent money on DDR2? your computer is so frickin slow, It's not going to matter if you have another gig of memory. Sorry. That depends on what you want to use it for. Here in the office, I have a bunch of old socket 939 systems which are still in use, a couple of years ago I bought a bunch of used dual-core CPUs for $25 each, and gave them all a couple gigs more memory - and that was just DDR, not DDR 2. Sure, they won't play modern games, but for our call center to view web pages, do email, take calls, and sit and enter orders... they're much more than sufficient. |