Memory issues...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zapper
  • Start date Start date
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Zapper

I am sure this is a total Newb question but..
I had 2GB in my machine...got the hankering for more..

So I now have 4 1gb sticks, 2 matched pairs.
They are all installed and recognized by the bios- it says ddr dimms are in
slots 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7.. and reads them as dual channel(so it recognizes that
they are matched pairs.)

Vista sees 3.25 GB memory. Even if I had a pair of 1gbs, and a pair of
512's wouldn't it be more like 3.1GB?

Since I added this RAM, Vista is having trouble mounting my USB flash
drive(I get the device driver message, it then says it correctly mounted my
PNY USB 4Gb drive..but it never shows up). I have been using it for
ReadyBoost(I plugged the Flash drive into another Vista machine and it sees
it and says it is fast enough..so not corruption/bad flash drive)

Wow, that is hard to understand, and I wrote it!!!

The motherboard is an MSI K8N SLI(nForce 4)
 
I'll bet you're running the 32-bit version of Vista.

What you're seeing is a know issue with XP that probably exists in Vista-32.

Vista-64 should be able to see all your memory.
 
Nope, running x64.
It is a memory mismatch/bios/motherboard issue...

I reset the mobo and it saw 3.9 gb ram at first then dropped back down to
3.4 on successive restarts...off to eh store to drop another $50 to get
matching memory...should have done it the first time..

thansk for the suggestion though
 
Hold on. Check your BIOS. This is very common, especially the 3.25 number.
I have seen it discussed in the ng's frequently. My BIOS doesn't reserve
any ram for whatever it is that the folks were talking about in the postings
I read, so I haven't really tracked it. But don't jump to any conclusions
here.
 
If I were running SLI, then the system would reserve 255 MB of RAM...but I
am not, so that isn't it.

I just checked on one set of memory is cl 2.5, and the new ones are
3...probably to aggressive timing for the new ones..Fry's is closed(or at
least not answering the phone) so I will bang on it tonite and see if I can
slow it down enough to see it all
 
Go over to microsoft.public.windows.64bit.general and address Charlie
Russell in your subject line and "3.25 GB issue". Tell him in the body that
you have heard he is a guru about this and ask what the skinny is. I hate
to see you go off to the store for nothing.
 
Some memory can be reserved on some motherboards for the PCI Bus. Should be
a setting in your BIOS to solve this.
 
Thank you SOOOO Much. I think we have it solved with Bios issue options. I
will cross my fingers for a few days!!
 
I actaully had contacted MSI and this is their responce.

MSI Tech. 06/26/2006 This is the limitation of the mb:
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8N_SLI-FI&class=mb Due
to the South Bridge resource deployment, the system density will only be
detected up to 3+ GB (not full 4GB) when each DIMM is installed with an 1GB
memory module

I am going to write back to them and tell them that it can be solved for x64
OS's and tell them that these OS are going to be much more popular with
their customers since they ship in the box, and the chips(CPU and Memory)
are so affordable nowadays. For my system, the CPU AMD 64 3800+($150) and 4
GB memory($320) were cheaper then the top end video cards!!!!! I am running
on a $100 MB so it is VERY affordable to go 64 bit nowadays.
 
I know. I have been following over on the x64 group. It sure didn't take
long to get a good result. They are good people.
 
Darn...it is the motherboard...BRAND NEW!!!!

Install 1 pair, 2 GB, take out and install other pair, 2 GB...install all 4
and get 3.4 GB....

The Bios also says that my VGA width is PCI
 
That's not unusual at all. Chances are the motherboard is just fine.

I would suggest reading the manual carefully where it describes how much
memory is supported and how it's supported.

There might be an explanation in there explaining why you only see 3.4GB
even tho 4GB is physically installed.
 
There are some threads in microsoft.public.windows.64bit.general that are
applicable to x86 that you should drop in on and read. You most likely will
find the explanations and tips you need.
 
Yep, sorry everyone.. Colin had already steered me to windows. x64 and
Charlie pointed me to the correct info...
This morning one of my other messages did not go through using Microsoft
Communities, and I accidently sent this old message from my drafts folder..

Thanks for the suggestions all..
 
I too felt a sense of deja vue vue.

Zapper said:
Yep, sorry everyone.. Colin had already steered me to windows. x64 and
Charlie pointed me to the correct info...
This morning one of my other messages did not go through using Microsoft
Communities, and I accidently sent this old message from my drafts
folder..

Thanks for the suggestions all..
Click to expand...
 
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