I realize this is a very basic question, but I'm asking it hoping that you'll have questions for me. According to a friend, x86 OS can't read more than 3 GB. He said for it to read 4 GB, I had to get x64. According to this site, the RAM I can hold depends on the operating system. So who's right?
First you should verify how much and what type of RAM that your PC motherboard supports. To find out details on your RAM limit, number of RAM slots and RAM speeds go to the following website and click on "Scan My System" and follow the instructions. http://www.crucial.com/ Windows 32 bit will only recognize slightly over 3 GB of RAM. However, more RAM does not matter as long as your PC's motherboard supports that amount of RAM. More RAM is just RAM that will not be utilized. Typically, budget PC's have only 2 RAM slots and both slots are usually filled. I think that most motherboards in the past few years have Dual Channel memory. So for the best PC performance, it is recommended to install RAM sticks that each have the same amount of RAM (Matching Pair of RAM). Recently I upgraded a budget Compaq PC (Windows VISTA 32 bit) with 2 X 2 GB sticks of RAM. The PC came with 2 X 512 MB sticks of RAM. The motherboard only had two RAM slots so the 2 X 512 MB RAM sticks were removed.
I've got the speed at 333 MHz, and I ran the scan and it said my computer can handle 4 GB and has two slots. So you're saying if I get 4 GB, I have to install x64?
No. Your 32 bit Windows just will not use all of the 4 GB of RAM. 32 bit Windows should work fine with 4 GB of RAM installed. You should get a matching pair of RAM memory sticks (2 X 2 GB).
I have a Dell E510 running XP Home (32 bit). The motherboard has 4 DIMMs (memory slots), each having a 1gb memory stick. Total of 4gb of RAM installed, my OS reads 3.62gb. I don't worry about the 0.38gb not being read and utilized; the upgrade from factory installed 4 X 256mb was one of the highest impact and least expensive upgrades I could have made.
What they are telling you is correct. Keep it Simple please. You can buy 2 sticks of memory that are each 2 gigabytes and put them in your memory slots. Remove the memory that is there now and save it for emergencies. This stuff used to drive me crazy. Don't let it. If your system can only use 3 of the 4G's that you install, that's fine. Enjoy. Hugger
Sorry but both of the above statements are incorrect. All 32-bit operating systems can handle 4Gb of RAM as 2^32 = ~4G (that is, 2 to the 32nd power equals 4,294,967,296). However, the amount of RAM that will be "available" to your system for your programs may be less (typically 3.2 - 3.6Gb) due to the way hardware memory addressing is mapped. So to suggest the only way to take advantage of more than 3Gb of RAM is to get a 64-bit OS is simply wrong. You did not tell us what motherboard you have but I note many (if not most these days) motherboards support Dual-Channel memory architecture. This means they have an even number of memory slots - typically 2 or 4 slots. And to take full advantage of Dual Channel, you want matched pairs. There's no such thing as 3Gb sticks or 1.5Gb sticks. So to get 3Gb you would have to buy 1 x 2Gb and 1 x 1Gb and that would not be a matched pair. If your board supports 4 slots, you could buy 2 x 1Gb and 2 x 512Mb but that's not an efficient use of your money - especially if you do decide to switch to 64-bit later on. It would be much better to get 2 x 2Gb. Even if your system does not take full advantage of the full 4Gb, it is likely to take advantage of at least 200Mb over 3Gb, and that's a good thing. And you may even get more, like wtsinnc, and have 620Mb extra to work with - a very good thing.
I thought it was pretty clear when I said, Making us guess and poke and prod for information does nothing but waste time and cause delays in getting your problems fixed.
I certainly could be wrong here, but based on the OPs supplied info in post #3 of this thread, a speed of 333MHZ indicates PC2700 RAM which is not available in dual-channel format as far as I can tell.
Ummm, no. That's still a guess. But in any case, I think there's some misunderstanding. Dual channel architecture is a function of the motherboard, not the RAM. RAM does not come in single, dual or triple channel formats. It may be "packaged", "marketed" and sold in pairs or triples for convenience, but the RAM modules are the same, regardless how sold. It is important to note that Dual-Channel memory architecture has been around since 2003. So the fact it may be PC2700 is immaterial.
It's more like 3.24GB actually on XP SP3, that's why it's recommend to go for 4GB. To be honest 4GB ram in general is fine anyway, the only reason why you'd want more ram is if you're involved with heavy graphics gaming or video editing or something. You can get marginal benefits on a 64bit machine if your harware supports it, but you'd need to do a clean install onto 64bit and IMO it's not worth the small performance increase
Well, "converting" legacy hardware to run in 64-bit mode may not be worth the performance boost for some. But if building new with current CPUs and graphics solutions, or if you have to reinstall anyway, I see no reason to stay in the dark ages with 32-bit. And for the record with at least 4Gb of RAM, 64-bit drivers for all your hardware, and 64-bit applications including browsers, Office, games, anti-malware solutions, the benefits are significantly more than "marginal" and you will definitely experience more than a "little performance increase". Just remember is it easy to be deceived by bottlenecks that have nothing to do with 64-bit. I speak specifically of small amounts of RAM, lackluster graphics solutions, and slow Internet connections.
Here's what I know: Manufacturer Quanta Model 30CC Version Rev 1 Chipset Vendor Intel Chipset Model GM965 Chipset Revision C0 Southbridge Vendor Intel Southbridge Model 82801HBM (ICH8-ME) Southbridge Revision B1
I guess after all I was not very clear. This is an HP notebook? What is the make and model of your computer?
I think we've come full circle back to what TheKid7 said on Christmas Day. And according to Crucial your system only supports up to 2 x 1 Gb for a maximum of 2Gb anyway. This is confirmed on the bottom of page 1-2 in the HP Pavilioin dv6000 Maintenance and Service Guide and by the C|Net Review. So it would seem the issue of 3 or 4 Gb for your notebook is moot.
It will depend on how much RAM your motherboard will support, from there you'll have to see what bit version your Operating System is. 32-bit will only support up to 4GB of RAM; the 64-bit is able to support up to over 128GB of RAM. This will depend on the OS you use and what version it is (home, basic, ultimate, etc). From there you will be able to see how much ram your fully allowed to use on your computer.
