Less RAM showing than what is actually installed.

[Payson]

Hello all,

I recently build my own PC and it has been working great. I've been running games on the highest settings without any problems, it's been amazing. I got Guild Wars 2 last week and on the loading screen it's been telling me I don't meet the minimum requirements of 2GB of RAM, however, I have two 4GB G.SKILL Ripjaw X Series sticks installed. This surprised me to see this message since a.) I should have 8GB installed and b.) I have been running games flawlessly for a few months now. So I went in to my system settings and lo and behold, it's only showing that I'm running on 1.91GB of RAM.

Now, I've been trying to do some research and found that, since I am running Windows XP 32 bit, my RAM will be a little less than installed and won't use more than 4GB, which I did not know before. But still, I don't understand why it is showing up as so low. Does anyone have any solution on this? Thank you!

 

[daswilhelm]

32 bit o/s will support about 3.25gigs of ram max, that includes whatever amount of video ram your system is using/sharing.

 

[daswilhelm]

I am sure you have done this.... Make sure both sticks are really in.
Also what slots do you have the stick in?

"DUAL CHANNEL
Q: What is Dual channel?
A: See key term: dual-channel.

Q: I currently have two sticks of 512mb pc3200 memory in DIMM 1 and 3 to reach the performance of dual channel DDR. Can I also add two sticks of 256mb PC3200 in dimm's 2 and 4 to reach 1.5GB of ram and still maintain dual channel performance?
A: As long as you have matched memory pairs on each channel, you should be able to run dual channel.

The only potential problem: Because you are using 4 memory modules, which require more power, your system may clock the speed of the modules down to maintain stability.

Q: How do I know if dual-channel is working in my system?
A: An easy way to tell is to use CPU-Z (from www.cpuid.com). You can check if dual-channel is enabled by looking at the memory tab. In the General section, you will see a field labeled as 'channels #' which will indicate if dual-channel is working.

Q: Can I add 256MB and 512MB modules together?
A: Yes. Make sure you do not exceed the total memory size.

Q: Do I have to install memory in pairs?
A: It depends on your motherboard. Consult with your motherboard's manual to see how dual-channel works on your board. For most dual-channel boards the memory modules must be identically sized, and have the same number and type of chips. Typically, the motherboard requires the modules to be inserted in pairs on either slot0 and slot1, or slot2 and slot3. For some other motherboards three modules can run in dual-channel (the numbers of chips, not the modules themselves, are divided between the two channels). In any case, it is best to match the latency and speed of the modules, though it is not required."

Hope that helps.

he is using 32 bit windows, i do not see the point in all the troubleshooting.

 

[Camikazi]

How much RAM does your video card have? From what I have read (many sources including Microsoft) the video card RAM is mapped in the first 4GB of address space meaning that amount will be reduced from the amount of RAM available to the OS. By default the most RAM Windows 32 bit can use is around 3.25GB with a high RAM video card it can drop that amount to 2GB or less especially if you have lots of devices (each device takes RAM away from the OS).

 

[Payson]

Looking at the video card (Sapphire Radeon HD 6950), it says 2GB GDDR5. I'm guessing that means it's got 2GB of RAM? This is my first computer build so I'm still new to some of this, so please bear with me, haha.

And in regards to the earlier post, yes I have the sticks installed firmly in their correct channel slots.

 

[JBB-SaDo]

he is using 32 bit windows, i do not see the point in all the troubleshooting.

True. Sorry.

By the way is there a way to delete post? (I am new....;P)

 

[daswilhelm]

4 gig max - 2gig vram = less than 2gig accessible. your system is functioning ok.

 

[daswilhelm]

you would notice a nice increase in performance going to windows 7 64 bit. you are missing out on RAM and also directx11. windows xp only supports directx9.

 

[Payson]

Damn. Alright. This is going to sound totally nub but is there anyway to upgrade to 64 bit, or is it an entirely new OS install? I don't want to reinstall all my games and such, hahah.

 

[ss202sl]

It's a totally new OS install - there is no upgrade.

 

[gskill support]

Where are you reading 1.91GB? Does BIOS detect 8GB? Check Control Panel > System to see how much memory is installed, and how much memory is 'useable'.

Also, what motherboard and CPU do you have?

Let me know and I can make sure it is all correct.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Hello all,

I recently build my own PC and it has been working great. I've been running games on the highest settings without any problems, it's been amazing. I got Guild Wars 2 last week and on the loading screen it's been telling me I don't meet the minimum requirements of 2GB of RAM, however, I have two 4GB G.SKILL Ripjaw X Series sticks installed. This surprised me to see this message since a.) I should have 8GB installed and b.) I have been running games flawlessly for a few months now. So I went in to my system settings and lo and behold, it's only showing that I'm running on 1.91GB of RAM.

Now, I've been trying to do some research and found that, since I am running Windows XP 32 bit, my RAM will be a little less than installed and won't use more than 4GB, which I did not know before. But still, I don't understand why it is showing up as so low. Does anyone have any solution on this? Thank you!

 

[gene_11]

just intall a 64bit os and your problem is solved

 

[Payson]

Where are you reading 1.91GB? Does BIOS detect 8GB? Check Control Panel > System to see how much memory is installed, and how much memory is 'useable'.

Also, what motherboard and CPU do you have?

Let me know and I can make sure it is all correct.

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

Yes, when I open Control Panel > System, on the main General tab, the bottom reads:

Computer:
Intel(R) Core(TM)
i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz
3.29GHz, 1.91 GB of RAM


So, as you can see, my CPU is an Intel i5-2500K, and my motherboard is an ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen 3.

 

[Camikazi]

Yes, when I open Control Panel > System, on the main General tab, the bottom reads:

Computer:
Intel(R) Core(TM)
i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz
3.29GHz, 1.91 GB of RAM


So, as you can see, my CPU is an Intel i5-2500K, and my motherboard is an ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen 3.

Your hardware is fine it's the OS that can't see the full amount of RAM, install a 64 bit OS and it will have access to the full 8GB of RAM.

 

[gskill support]

You can check to see where the memory is allocated:

Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information

Or use one module at a time to see how much memory is displayed.

Also, what does BIOS detect?

Thank you
GSKILL SUPPORT

 

[daswilhelm]

hey gskill support, nice troubleshooting. how about we read the post first eh?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

To install Windows 7 using the Custom option and formatting the hard disk

To format your hard disk during Windows 7 installation, you'll need to start, or boot, your computer using the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

Turn on your computer so that Windows starts normally, insert the Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive, and then shut down your computer.

Restart your computer.

Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.

On the Install Windows page, enter your language and other preferences, and then click Next.

If the Install Windows page doesn't appear, and you're not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings. To learn how to do this, see Start your computer from a Windows 7 installation disc or USB flash drive.

On the Please read the license terms page, if you accept the license terms, click I accept the license terms, and then click Next.

On the Which type of installation do you want? page, click Custom.

On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, click Drive options (advanced).

Click the partition that you want to change, click the formatting option you want to perform, and then follow the instructions.

When you've finished formatting, click Next.

Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7, which include naming your computer and setting up an initial user account.

Use this to method to upgrade to 64bit ^

microsoft.com