RAM upgrade question

T0BSTA · 19 Jul 2009 at 23:17

My system has 3GB RAM and want to upgrade to 4GB Im currently running 32bit vista home premium I was told I need 64bit to have 4GB RAM is this true ?

thanks

Teaf · 19 Jul 2009 at 23:41

Near enough yes, 32 bit only uses roughly 3.5GB of RAM.

Fahim · 21 Jul 2009 at 01:38

You can have 4GB physically installed, but 32-bit OS will only be able to work on more or less 3.5GB. I would suggest to install 64-bit vista.

Fire Wizard · 21 Jul 2009 at 05:20

T0BSTA said:
My system has 3GB RAM and want to upgrade to 4GB Im currently running 32bit vista home premium I was told I need 64bit to have 4GB RAM is this true ?

Yep, this is indeed correct. If you have 4GB or more of RAM, then you will need to be using a fully functional 64-bit system to be able to address it all. If you are only using a 32-bit system, then the system will only be able to address around 3GB give or take.

chronicfathead · 21 Jul 2009 at 07:11

Will the performance suffer, running 4GB in a 32bit system?

Are there any benchmarks to back the fact up?

Fire Wizard · 21 Jul 2009 at 07:15

chronicfathead said:
Will the performance suffer, running 4GB in a 32bit system?

Absolutely not. Whilst a 32-bit system may not be able to address 4GB of RAM, by having 4GB installed, you're still gaining an extra 1GB or so which can only increase performance.

chronicfathead · 21 Jul 2009 at 07:21

I always wondered about it, as I saw it as the system is altering what can and can't be used, therefore there would be a performance hit. I have seen something you can do to enable all 4GB, but again wondered if it would slow the system.

Fire Wizard · 21 Jul 2009 at 07:36

You're probably referring to something called phisical address extension which doesn't apply to consumer based operating system like Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

If you want to be able to use 4GB or more of RAM, then moving to a 64-bit operating system is your only option. If you're worried about compatibility then to put it simply, don't be. Unless you're running some obscure hardware, you won't have any problems. There really is no reason not to migrate over to 64-bit today.