4gb of RAM 32bit XP

smckay · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:07

Ok I know about the ram limitations when running 32bit OS.

My question is if my pc will see between 2.75-3.5gb of ram is it worth paying for 2 x 2x1gb sticks or just getting 2x 1gb sticks?

I will be paying for a 2nd stick but will only see .75-1.5gb of it???

Any comments would be great

therealnerd2 · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:22

well mine says it sees 3.5gb, so i'd say worth it.

2.75gb though, not so much

Shrapnel · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:29

I'll remind you that the larger your gfc card memory the smaller amount of ram you will see. @therealnerd2 have you got a 256mb gfx card?

Metallifux · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:30

What makes you think it will see between 2.75 and 3.5GB. It sees exactly as much as it can address with 32bit which is around the 3.5GB mark.

nydryl · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:40

With a 512MB graphics card mine can see 2.93, but i felt it to be worth it due to the low price I paid for the ram, and an impending upgrade to vista to see what it is like.

Fire Wizard · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:40

Metallifux said:
What makes you think it will see between 2.75 and 3.5GB. It sees exactly as much as it can address with 32bit which is around the 3.5GB mark.

That's not exactly true. Their is no set amount of memory you will be able to see if you have 4GB of memory installed and are using a 32-bit operating system. It's all dependent on your hardware setup. This is as opposed to a 32-bit Operating System which will only be able to address around 3GB of memory.

therealnerd2 · 16 Jan 2008 at 14:49

Shrapnel said:
I'll remind you that the larger your gfc card memory the smaller amount of ram you will see. @Therealnerd2 have you got a 256mb gfx card?

It should be 512mb - so would that make 3.5 correct?

Dingleberry88 · 16 Jan 2008 at 15:03

With the price of RAM at the moment there's no reason not to get 4GB.

Biohazard · 16 Jan 2008 at 15:14

I get 3.25gb under XP with a 8800 GTS 512 with 2 x 2Gb :confused:

Fire Wizard · 16 Jan 2008 at 15:39

Hello Biohazard, that's absolutely fine. Remember, it's not just your graphics card that gets mapped into the same address range as your physical memory, it's all of the other devices in your system as well. It's all dependent on your hardware.

Biohazard · 16 Jan 2008 at 16:30

Only other thing is an Audigy 2 ZS.

OzZie · 16 Jan 2008 at 18:06

Cousin has a 8800GTS 512mb and 4gb and it sees 3.5gb. I don't understand where the extra 256mb is getting lost for some people.

Biohazard · 16 Jan 2008 at 18:20

Trust me System Properties only reports 3.25gb.

I can take screenies, and it is 2 x 2 Gb Dimms.

OzZie · 16 Jan 2008 at 18:36

He has 4x1GB stick, but whether or not that would make any difference i don't know.

smsmasters · 16 Jan 2008 at 19:47

Why is it when I had my 7800GT with 256MB RAM, 2.93GB is detected and then when I changed to a 8800GT 512MB 2.93GB is still detected?

V|per · 16 Jan 2008 at 19:51

When i had my gtx, my xp 32bit only detected 2.5gig... go figure...

Ram is soo cheap these days anyway mate, if you can afford 4gig, get it, may come in handy when you upgrade your os

allllec · 16 Jan 2008 at 19:57

As above

Also it has re-sale value so your not loosing too much money. Also you may end up installing x64 at some stage so why not?

Since your considering 4gb i'd guess you can afford it. So yeah go for it

Biohazard · 16 Jan 2008 at 22:20

Can the same argument be said for going up to 8Gb?

allllec · 16 Jan 2008 at 22:23

Not in my eyes, that is actually pointless unless you need it (which not very many people do. Although many claim to on this forum :rolleyes:

)

Darren555 · 16 Jan 2008 at 22:27

Mine only sees 3.25Gb too.