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16 GB of Ram in Vista??

Forum Motherboards & Memory : Memory - 16 GB of Ram in Vista??

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veesofnaught   12-29-2008 at 08:09:54 PM

I know that the 64 bit version of Vista can recognize more ram than the 32 bit version, but is 16 GB a ridiculous amount for today's needs? I bought a motherboard that can support up to 16 GB but I am wondering if by the time I need that much my computer will be outdated anyways.

Also, I know that OSX Snow Leopard can potentially recognize an extremely high amount of ram and I was wondering what Windows 7 will be capable of recognizing. I have googled and searched numerous forums but I can't find any concrete info.

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hannibal   12-29-2008 at 08:38:10 PM
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For example serious graphick workstation would love to have even more than 16GB...
In normal use.. it's owerkill at this moment.
I personally would take 16GB memory at any day... 8 GB for normal use and 8GB for ram disk. Well even could use that 16GB memory straight on, but as I said not so many program can use so much at this moment, but in future, when 64bit programs (finally?) starts appearing, it's not so much at all.

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IH8U   12-29-2008 at 08:54:09 PM
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It all depends on what you need your PC to do. Is it for a Server? Is it for Graphics? Is it for games? I use 8GB in mine (need to get back into encode/decoding)

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stoner133   12-29-2008 at 09:02:09 PM
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LOL by the time you posted the message the computer was outdated. Thats just the nature of computing. I wouldn't expect Windows7 to be capable of recognizing anymore RAM then Vista can. Maybe use it more efficently but not recongize more.

But I agree with the other replys here, it really depends on what your using the system for. I have 8Gb in both my Vista 64 machines.

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jerreece   12-29-2008 at 09:17:20 PM
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Your biggest concern should be your motherboard. If it's a modern desktop motherboard it may not support 16GB or higher, unless it's one of the absolute latest gaming boards. Some of the motherboards max @ 8GB for declared support.

 

Vista 64bit will support it, but your hardware may not. ;)

 

For gaming purposes though, 16GB is a complete waste of money. If you plan to do lots of graphical/video type editing and encoding, than you might find some benefit from it.

 

EDIT: Just dawned on me you had already stated your motherboard DOES support 16GB of RAM. :)


Message edited by jerreece on 12-29-2008 at 09:20:49 PM
------------------------------ i5-750 4Ghz @ 1.32V / Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P / Xigmatek HDT-S1283
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knotknut   12-29-2008 at 09:24:17 PM
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Windows Xp 64bit and Vista 64bit max memory is 128gb
I would expect Windows 7 64bit to be the same.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778.aspx

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chjade84   12-30-2008 at 07:03:58 PM
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Like everyone said, it depends what you use it for.

Personally, I have only 4GB in my new Vista 64 machine and I barely use half of it while playing games (Far Cry 2, etc.) and playing 1080p movies. I even have something like 64 processes running in the background. I'd turn them off but I don't really care as they are only using a very small fraction of my resources.

The short answer?

Unless your computer is used at work (i.e. you are a graphic artist, CAD renderer, huge server maybe), your computer will be outdated LONG before you need 16GB of RAM. Heck, unless you have the new i7 motherboard (you don't unless you have the i7 processor) you are already on the trailing end of the latest-and-greatest.

I was just reading the other day about something... I tried to find it for this post but I forgot what it was exactly. All I remember is they were saying that the next bit OS; not 32 or 64 - I'm guessing 128 bit, will be able to access something along the lines of 16-32TB of RAM. If I get bored enough I'll go look in my search history for it...

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chjade84   12-30-2008 at 08:10:42 PM
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If you're really worried about running out of space for more RAM, it appears you can worry no more! These guys make RAM modules that double or quadrupole the capacity that standard memory modules can hold - giving you access to 32GB of ram on a standard motherboard! At least that's how I see it...

"MetaRAM’s DDR2 MetaSDRAM is a new memory technology that doubles or quadruples the amount of mainstream DDR2 SDRAMs that can be integrated into existing R-DIMMs without the need for any system hardware or software changes. The MetaSDRAM chipset makes multiple DDR2 SDRAMs look like a larger capacity DDR2 SDRAM to the memory controller. The result is a “stealth” high-capacity memory that circumvents the normal limitations set by the memory controller."

www.metaram.com

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