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#1 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
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What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Hi All
I'm in the process of ordering up parts for a new PC and was intending to buy 4Gb RAM (2x 2Gb DDR2-6400), because RAM is cheap enough and this way I'll be ready for Vista when it eventually stops sucking. But what happens in the meantime while I am running XP? I think XP only supports 2Gb, but does this mean that my PC will work perfectly albeit with the extra 2Gb going unused or will it give me stability problems? Will I still be getting the benefit of dual-channelness or will I just be using one stick?
Originally Posted by Bertrand Russell
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#2 (permalink) |
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Demonizing
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Bristol, UK
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
If you use XP32bit it will get maxed to 3GB, if you use XP64bit it will use 4GB. There seems to be no stability issues as i got 4GB and use XP32bit.
Hell and Fire was spawned to be released.
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#3 (permalink) |
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Nobodys Hero
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Grimsby
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
it will use 4gb minus whatever the motherboard sets for the size of the 32bit memory whole. you should get at least 3.25gb unlis you have got a graphics card with a uber amount of video ram
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#4 (permalink) |
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Own you, I will...
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
I have 4 GBs of RAM with both 32-bit XP and Vista and it works fine; it just recognised about 3.2 GBs (I have a 512 MB video card and a dedicated sound card, etc.) of it, but i still get complete dual-channel capability with my four 1 GB sticks.
--2Cold Scorpio, Rogues' Guild class 1A
Guildcom.us "We'll build a perfect beast with the knowledge that they seek; if it takes 10,000 years, we never will retreat!" --Prophecy, Iced Earth
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#5 (permalink) |
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No-one's Fanboi
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Mid-Atlantic
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
This is possibly the most asked question around.
1. It's not XP, it's any 32-bit OS. 2. Apart from the ~3.2Gb barrier, there is also a limit of 2Gb on any one program. |
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#6 (permalink) |
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TALK TO ME
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Internet
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Aye, its 4Gb natively, but almost all other 32bit OS's support PAE. Even Windows 2000 (Intel Physical Addressing Extensions (PAE) in Windows 2000) which allows addressing far above 4Gb.
XP has PAE purposely locked out sadly. Mad isn't it?
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| Received thanks from: | Thorsson (25-01-2008) |
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#8 (permalink) |
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radix lecti
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Norwich (UEA), Essex Home :)
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Win2k needed it cause of its server permutations which are still widely used. I don't think 2k Workstations can do the same, its just the Server variants.
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#11 (permalink) |
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TALK TO ME
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Originally Posted by alsenior
It was removed in SP2 IIRC, but its certainly no longer supported in XP
![]() Edit - The 36-bit address bit, just to make things clear.
Carl Sagan: It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
Piracy?
Last edited by Agent; 25-01-2008 at 01:32 PM.. |
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#14 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Physical Address Extension - PAE Memory and Windows
Apparently just reading the 1st bit you can use either /PAE or /noexecute in the boot.ini file... |
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#15 (permalink) |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
Originally Posted by Agent
All the PAE switch lets you do is see the RAM. The OS will still only address 4gb of ram in total and will not use any additional RAM above this although you'll be able to see it.
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#16 (permalink) |
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Better paid than Directhex :)
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: What happens with 4Gb RAM under XP?
PAE is a hack - go 64bit it's the only true way to use all the memory properly. Full Stop. Period. As in THATS YER LOT.
This has been discussed soooooooo much here.
Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure
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