I have 10 GB of RAM but only 5.77 GB is recognized

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LittlestPCGamer

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May 21, 2013
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I tried asking this once before but got no real answer for my problem. First some information:

Computer itself is store bought from Best Buy (my father purchased this computer for me for college, I've just done some upgrading myself), and the specific brand is HP. Even more specific, this is the computer in question: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03359045&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en#N350

It still uses Windows 7, and the upgrades we made are to the GPU and PSU. Here's the specs:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU: AMD FX-6120 six core at 3.5GHz
GPU: Nvidia GTX 660 (non-Ti) from EVGA
PSU: Corsair 600 watt
Hard drive: 1TB of memory

So my problem is with the RAM. When we got this computer in September of 2012 it said in the system information that it does into have 10 GB of RAM, and I have no problems with this since this is more than enough for things like PC gaming and other such stuff (remember this is store bought, as of now I'm not nearly confident enough to make a custom rig, and my father really only wanted to get me a new PC for college work since my old computer than ran Windows XP officially died in 2012).

In March 2013 I upgraded the GPU and PSU with ones I could afford so I can play games on this PC, and had them installed by someone else. However, I had to get a new PSU not long afterward because it turns out the first PSU I got was a hunk-o-junk and didn't really give me the wattage needed, so I returned it and got a Corsair 600 watt instead.

Now I'm not sure when this came up, but sometime last summer I suddenly noticed that my system information is saying "RAM: 10GB (5.77 GB usable)" and this really confused me. Not helping is that when I use websites that use java based applications to tell me how much RAM I have in order to run certain games, it tells me I have "6GB of RAM" rather than 10 (and this is going to be a problem with games that require plenty of RAM like Watch Dogs).

I tried asking about this before but I didn't seem to get much of a straight answer from anyone here. I actually asked Best Buy Geek Squad about it and they told me this whole thing is normal and not to worry, but people here couldn't tell me much more besides "they're lying." I did try some of the recommended things like seeing if the BIOS needed updating, but no it doesn't, it's as up-to-date as can be. I also checked that "memory allocation" thing some people mentioned. That thing was never ticked to begin with.

So... what do I do to get back that missing 4GB of RAM?
 
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burdenbound

burdenbound

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I might be off base here but the first thing that I notice is 10GB of RAM. Generally you will have 2, 4, 8, 12, and so on. 10GB of RAM would mean that you have various size sticks in your system. Like two 4GB and a single 2GB, which is generally bad practice.

The first thing I would do is stop looking a what the software is telling you and just open your case to see what is hooked up.

Worse case scenario you end up buying new RAM which isn't that expensive.
 
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LittlestPCGamer

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May 21, 2013
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Well sadly I have no idea what would be the first place to look. As if it wasn't obvious enough I'm a total newbie at this whole thing, I'm afraid that if I open up my PC tower I'll have no clue what to look for and where. I've been a console gamer for a long time that having to worry about these kinds of things in regards to PCs was always such a non-issue in the past. Like I said, my father might have bought this PC for me to use for school, but it should be obvious what I really prefer to use it for. Gah I didn't think this whole thing would end up being such a hassle. Should I just get someone else to look at this for me? Trust me, I wish I could figure this out on my own, but now I'm unsure if I can. Problem is I dunno if I can afford to have someone look at it, or even buy RAM (I really have no spare cash for that at the time being).
 
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mikfokido

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Feb 24, 2013
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You let someone else place hardware in your pc you tell us, so ask first the guy if he removed some rammes-modules.
If he sayd he hasn't, then check yourself : how many ram-modules you have ? lik maybe 2x4GB and one 2GB-module ?
If it has to be 10GB, it must be like 3 - modules or 2, but then it will be 1x 2Gb and 1x8GB, somehow that will be strange.
So let us know this first.
Than check the module-size of each module by looking on it. If there is write two modules with written 'kit' then the size on it means the size taken together with the second ram-module.
So let me know all this.
 
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bumnut53

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Sep 19, 2011
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Just have a go at it, you have to learn sometime, might as well be now. Take the side off your case and take a look inside, you will see several sticks around 5 inches long in slots next to each other. Unclip each end of the sticks and they should slide out, its not difficult to do. I would put them back in one at a time and start the computer to see how much ram you have.

Best practice is to have ram in equal sizes. Also be careful you don't put them in the wrong way when putting them back in, you will see a notch cut out which will need to line up with the slot.

 
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burdenbound

burdenbound

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The inside of the computer really isn't very complicated, with a little energy and google you can figure out just about any thing. I would google 'How to change RAM on PC' this should give you enough information to know what it looks like and how to remove the RAM from the slots.

Trust me it's easy enough for a grandma to do, no need to pay some one. There should be some information on the side of the RAM sticks to clue you in on how big each one actually is.
 
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LittlestPCGamer

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It was some guy on Best Buy Geek Squad, I have no clue who exactly it was. :??:

Also I have no clue what to look for, I just said I'm SUPER NEW to the subject of hardware. I have no clue where to look, what to look at, or what it even looks like to begin with.

Sorry if this sounds annoying to anyone but seriously you kinda need to speak to me on a newbie level. There's a reason I've always had others handle computer problems for me, because I just don't know what to do myself (and I'm not taking any college classes that deal with hardware, just software).
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

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You can do 2x4GB + 2x1GB too, which allows bonded dual-channel operation.

Most of the "generally bad practice" bit is for dual-channel. The rest is only relevant for enthusiasts who push aggressive clocks and timings. In the mainstream where people do not really care, the chances of running into compatibility issues between 1600-10-10-10 modules is pretty low.
 
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burdenbound

burdenbound

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Aug 9, 2011
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I don't want to come off as rude, but if you have internet access and you have google there really is no reason for you to give up so easily. At this point it's just a matter of you taking a little time for some basic research, learning to use google really is a skill that comes in handy down the road. I believe every one here has given you enough information for you to take the next step you just need to take it.
 
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LittlestPCGamer

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May 21, 2013
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Apologies for being difficult, it's just that I never expected things like this to ever really be a problem (I expected at worst it'd be software issues I'd deal with, not hardware). Also it's because of my lack of experience dealing with these issues makes me really timid to want to deal with them hands on. I keep worrying I'll screw something up really badly, and then because it's my fault I can't rely on warranties and whatnot to replace what I mess up.

Plus there's the fact my father was the one who paid for the computer to begin with. Something with it goes wrong and he's the one getting angry that he "bought a $700 piece of junk!" which trust me you don't want to be around.
 
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mikfokido

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Feb 24, 2013
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You know what ? Open the case and take a picture of the motherbord (The biggest flat plate in the computer) and send it to this adres : EDIT: Email removed by Moderator if you didn't have find the solution yet.
In this pic : http://static.commentcamarche.net/en.kioskea.net/pictures/pc-images-motherboard.png you will see Ram connectors (blue blocks) , thats the place to look , not touch! in the computer when opened the correct side of the computer. and tel me how many sticks are they (how many different objects stiks in the ram-connector part.
 
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LittlestPCGamer

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May 21, 2013
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Sorry to update a bit late, but I'm glad to say I got some personal help to figure this out, and guess what? Turns out the sticks were in the wrong slot order the whole time. I have no clue how they got like that, but it's all fixed now.
 
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