Does win7 32-bit support 2gb+ DDR 3 RAMs ?

[tabytsam]

Hi

I have win7 ultimate 32 bit os with 2 gb DDR 3 ram...

I had bought my pc in 2011. Now,
As 2 GB ram is very less today I was concerned from the very first day itself about it but the Shopkeepers say that Win7 32-bit supports upto 2 GB ram only & when I discuss this with my friends they too say the same.

Well what's the real deal here?

Appreciating any information about it.

Thanks

 

[geekapproved]

32bit OS can use almost almost 4GB, not quite. You need 64bit OS to use more than 4GB.

 

[GArrigotti]

Hi

I have win7 ultimate 32 bit os with 2 gb DDR 3 ram...

I had bought my pc in 2011. Now,
As 2 GB ram is very less today I was concerned from the very first day itself about it but the Shopkeepers say that Win7 32-bit supports upto 2 GB ram only & when I discuss this with my friends they too say the same.

Well what's the real deal here?

Appreciating any information about it.

Thanks

Geek's response is correct, but I'd like to add to his response. A 32 bit Operating System is unable to address the Physical Address Extension (PAE). Which essentially requires a 36 bit address; this comes from hardware such as PCI/AGP or a Memory IO Hardware address. With a 32 bit Operating System it essentially creates an overlap. Which comes from the decoding process they are limited by PCI bus specifications to addresses of 0xFFFFFFFF (232−1) and below.

Essentially it's a hole in the memory. You are able to essentially utilize more memory; if your hardware permits it. You'll have to ensure the NX bit is presented. This isn't an architectural limit, it's a limit imposed by Microsoft to avoid hardware to software (driver) issues.

You can try this link to attempt to recover more memory if you'd like.
http://prasys.info/2012/05/enabling-more-than-4gb-ram-on-windows-7-32-bit/

It'll allow you to install more memory, but your still bound by the fact your machine can only read and write in 32 bit instructions. So it'll only be able to utilize 4 gb, of the hypothetical 8 gb you may have installed. Hopefully that helps.

If you award a best answer; please realize that Geek provided the correct answer. I've simply elaborated upon his response.

 

[lowjack989]

32-bit OS can utilize only 3.25 GB

64-bit OS supports up to I believe 192 GB's

It has to do with the amount of addresses that are able to be allocated...example: The 32-bit OS is the equivilent of a rural street with a few mail boxes so not much can be delivered...whereas the 64-bit OS is able to deliver mail to a small city because it has more allocated addresses

 

[runswindows95]

Depends on the OS, lowjack. Windows 7Home Premium maxes out at 16GB. Only Pro and Ultimate go to 192GB.