Re: 4GB memory

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:35:41 -0500, "JBrown" <jbrown15@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Is it true that to use 4GB memory you need 64 bit Vista?



Yes. Two points:

1. All 32-bit client versions of Windows (not just Vista/XP) have a
4GB address space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you
can not go.

But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you
have a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM.
That's because some of that space is used by hardware and is not
available to the operating system and applications. The amount you can
use varies, depending on what hardware you have installed, but can
range from as little as 2GB to as much as 3.5GB. It's usually around
3.1GB.

Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
RAM itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no
address space to map it too.

2. For most users of Vista, that average value of 3.1GB is as much RAM
or even more RAM than most people can make effective use of. Unless
you run particularly memory-hungry programs, installing more RAM than
that does next to nothing for you and is a waste of money.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
.

Relevant Pages

  • Strange write errors on FAT32 partition (maybe an FAT32 bug?!)
    ... As one could easily suppose that issue results from hardware problems ... So I've installed Windows XP and created on additional FAT32 ... When extracting: ... that my RAM is defect but the writing to the FAT32 disc. ...
    (Linux-Kernel)
  • Strange write errors on FAT32 partition (maybe an FAT32 bug?!)
    ... As one could easily suppose that issue results from hardware problems ... So I've installed Windows XP and created on additional FAT32 ... When extracting: ... that my RAM is defect but the writing to the FAT32 disc. ...
    (Debian-User)
  • Re: setup windows xp pro
    ... My problem is everytime I start to setup xo on the computer is that I get to a blue screen that tells me "Setup is starting Windows" and then it seems to freeze and won't go any farther. ... The Compaq Armada 1700 is an exceedingly old computer, and, even if purchased with the maximum CPU speed and amount of RAM available at the time it was manufactured, would just barely meet WinXP's absolute minimum system requirements. ... Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent hardware quality requirements. ... WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will still support Win9x. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: system freezes at log on
    ... I've test the Mother Board, RAM, etc. & all are OK. ... What hardware are you running? ... >Here are standard Windows troubleshooting steps for both ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • RE: Crash & boot issues-Please read.
    ... Thanks for the responses everyone-Will try out whatw as suggested and ... and then corruption in either user profiles or windows files it self ... hd,etc..Then it sounds like ram issue,thats fairly easy to test + ... You definitely are having hardware issues since at ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)