4GB RAM but XP shows 3.25GB

greatchap · Aug 20, 2009, 05:20 PM

Hello Everyone,

I purchased a new PC a month ago. It has the following spects -

-Windows XP Media Center Edition (SP3)
-Core 2 DUO 3GHZ
-Gigabyte EP435-UD3L motherboard
-4GB RAM (DDR2)(2 Sticks)
-1TB HDD
-Geforce GTX 275 graphics card
-Sound Blaster Audi 2
-coolermaster power supply
-so on...

Now when i goto windows xp and see properties of my computer or when i run dxdiag, then the system shows 3.25GB RAM. But why is it showing that? I have 4GB of RAM.

Is it okay or what can I do to rectify this ?

Thank You,

GR

Wrigleyvillain · Aug 20, 2009, 05:22 PM

This is a limitation of 32 bit operating systems, Google for more info. You need a 64 bit OS to see more than 3.25GB.

A Cheese Danish · Aug 20, 2009, 05:23 PM

Windows XP x86 (32-bit) only supports 3.25GB ram. Like Wrigley said, you will need a 64-bit OS to see the 4GB.

HookeyStreet · Aug 20, 2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatchap

Hello Everyone,

I purchased a new PC a month ago. It has the following spects -

-Windows XP Media Center Edition (SP3)
-Core 2 DUO 3GHZ
-Gigabyte EP435-UD3L motherboard
-4GB RAM (DDR2)(2 Sticks)
-1TB HDD
-Geforce GTX 275 graphics card
-Sound Blaster Audi 2
-coolermaster power supply
-so on...

Now when i goto windows xp and see properties of my computer or when i run dxdiag, then the system shows 3.25GB RAM. But why is it showing that? I have 4GB of RAM.

Is it okay or what can I do to rectify this ?

Thank You,

GR

Blimey, thats an 'old skool' question

But yeah, you need a 64Bit Operating System to get by the RAM limitation Im afraid

Wrigleyvillain · Aug 20, 2009, 05:24 PM

Good reason to try Windows 7 64 (as if you needed any more outside of the OS in and of itself)

Zubasa · Aug 20, 2009, 05:27 PM

There is no "fix" to this issue.
It is the limit of 32-bit OS, it simply cannot address that much memory.

As others mention, grab a 64-bit OS is the only way, and 64-bit is better.

Asylum · Aug 20, 2009, 05:33 PM

64 Bit FTW!!

TheLaughingMan · Aug 20, 2009, 05:34 PM

Also welcome to TPU

tonyd223 · Aug 20, 2009, 05:46 PM

we're gonna see this question a lot more I think...

Nailezs · Aug 20, 2009, 05:55 PM

see thread
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=91260
for more info

YinYang.ERROR · Aug 20, 2009, 06:42 PM

I have a question about this... Even though it shows up as 3.25gbs is the computer taking advantage of dual channel RAM? Or is it acting like single channel ram?

Because that would essentially make the difference between 4gbs and 2gbs. That would make 2gbs > 3.25gb if the 2gbs ran dual channel while the 3.25 only ran single channel.

timta2 · Aug 20, 2009, 06:54 PM

Download CPU-Z and look at the memory tab, it will tell you if it is running in single or dual channel.
As everyone else has stated it is a 32 bit OS limitation, it doesn't have anything to do with your memory running in single or dual channel mode.

YinYang.ERROR · Aug 20, 2009, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timta2

Download CPU-Z and look at the memory tab, it will tell you if it is running in single or dual channel.

I was asking, because I don't have 4gbs of ram. My laptop has 2gbs and I was thinking about upgrading to 4gbs. But I would rather not if it forced it into single channel.

JrRacinFan · Aug 20, 2009, 06:59 PM

Windows has no control of single vs dual channel. That's at bios level.

tonyd223 · Aug 20, 2009, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YinYang.ERROR

I was asking, because I don't have 4gbs of ram. My laptop has 2gbs and I was thinking about upgrading to 4gbs. But I would rather not if it forced it into single channel.

You are probably running a 32bit OS? Your laptop will only have two memory slots, and probably will only accept a maximum of 4GB anyway...

Look it's really simple - memory is CHEAP at the moment - so upgrade to 4GB of ram and enjoy a slightly faster machine - but just understand this - to make your laptop faster the best thing you could do is put in an SSD at the cost of a netbook...

greatchap · Aug 20, 2009, 09:17 PM

Thanks a lot guys for your reply.

Well I better stick to 32bit. 64bit os might be a problem as several applications do not run on that. So then 3.25GB it is.

Kool... learnt something new. Cheers...

wicky · Sep 2, 2009, 08:25 AM

have the same problem in my new pc thanks god i found an answer here i thought that my ram or pc was spoilt

--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.assistantsinindia.com

eidairaman1 · Sep 2, 2009, 08:32 AM

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...8VS.85%29.aspx

wolf · Sep 2, 2009, 08:51 AM

Ok to to be deadly honest I copied your exact title, Google'd it, and found the answer (not in a thread created by you) so give it a try, I've asked Google some far-fetched shit and it usually throws me a bone

Sucks about the ram limitation, and honestly my advice is if you want to go 64-bit, go straight for Windows 7, you wont look back

it's a GREAT os.

Welcome to TPU dude, you'll pick up a heap very quickly from browsing these forums

Aug 20, 2009, 05:20 PM	#1
greatchap Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 15 (0.01/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts System Specs	4GB RAM but XP shows 3.25GB Hello Everyone, I purchased a new PC a month ago. It has the following spects - -Windows XP Media Center Edition (SP3) -Core 2 DUO 3GHZ -Gigabyte EP435-UD3L motherboard -4GB RAM (DDR2)(2 Sticks) -1TB HDD -Geforce GTX 275 graphics card -Sound Blaster Audi 2 -coolermaster power supply -so on... Now when i goto windows xp and see properties of my computer or when i run dxdiag, then the system shows 3.25GB RAM. But why is it showing that? I have 4GB of RAM. Is it okay or what can I do to rectify this ? Thank You, GR

System Name:	PowerPc
Processor:	Intel Core 2 Duo 3GHZ
Motherboard:	Gigabyte EP45 UD3L (P45 Chipset Board)
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	4 GB DDR2
Video Card:	Leadtek GTX 275
Hard Disk:	1 TB
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 22"
Sound Card:	Creative Sound Blaster Audi 2
PSU:	Cooler Master Extreme 600Watt
Software:	Windows XP

System Name:	DarkStar
Processor:	i5 3570K
Motherboard:	Asrock Z77E-ITX
Cooling:	Apogee HD White/AC Nexxos 120/XSPC H2O 750
Memory:	8GB Samsung Green 1600
Video Card:	MSI HD 7950 TF3
Hard Disk:	OCZ Agility 3 240GB
Optical Drive:	Asus Blu Ray burner
CRT/LCD Model:	23" Apple Cinema Display HD Aluminum
Case:	Bit Fenix Prodigy (Yang)
PSU:	NZXT Hale82 650W
Software:	Windows 7 x64

Aug 20, 2009, 05:23 PM	#3
A Cheese Danish Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: At your local vending machine Posts: 1,914 (0.80/day) Thanks: 121 Thanked 419 Times in 368 Posts System Specs	Windows XP x86 (32-bit) only supports 3.25GB ram. Like Wrigley said, you will need a 64-bit OS to see the 4GB. __________________ My FS/FT Thread HEATWARE Xfire Steam ID Certs: MCTS, MCITP, HP APS Server: AMD Opteron 170 @2.95GHz \| 4GB DDR 3-3-2-7 \| 1x Samsung SPT 500GB, 2x WD Black 2TB, 2x 1.5TB Western Digital MyBook

System Name:	HTPC\|\|Lenovo IBM ThinkPad
Processor:	AMD Phenom II x4 965 stock 3.4GHz\|\|Intel C2D T9300 @ 2.5GHz
Motherboard:	Zotac 890GX-ITX WiFi\|\|Lenovo 8918CTO
Cooling:	Stock 3x 120's\|\|Stock stuff
Memory:	8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 6-6-6-15\|\|3GB DDR2
Video Card:	Asus 3870x2\|\|nVidia Quadro NVS 140M
Hard Disk:	1TB Seagate Barracuda, 1x 2TB WD EARX \|\|Hitachi 160GB 7200RPM
Optical Drive:	Lite-on\|\|Basic DVD-ROM
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung T260HD\|\|
Case:	SilverStone Grandia GD05\|\|
Sound Card:	on-board\|\|on-board
PSU:	Cooler Master 450W\|\|6-cell
Software:	Windows 7 Pro x64\|\|Windows 7 Pro x64/Linux Mint x64

Aug 20, 2009, 05:22 PM	#2
Wrigleyvillain Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,556 (2.19/day) Thanks: 1,540 Thanked 1,596 Times in 1,137 Posts System Specs	This is a limitation of 32 bit operating systems, Google for more info. You need a 64 bit OS to see more than 3.25GB.

System Name:	XBOX 360 Elite
Processor:	3.2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon
Motherboard:	Jasper (sweet, cool at last)
Cooling:	Nidecs Double Fan
Memory:	700MHz 512 MB GDDR3 + 10MB Embedded DRAM
Video Card:	500 MHz ATI Xenos
Hard Disk:	Fujitsu 120GB SATA
Optical Drive:	12x LiteOn DVDROM / Toshiba HD-DVDROM
CRT/LCD Model:	42" LG LG5000 1080p LCD TV
Case:	Black XBOX 360
Sound Card:	32 Bit Multi-channel Surround Sound
PSU:	150W
Software:	NXE Dashboard
Benchmarks:	CPU Game Math Performance: 9.6 billion dot product operations per second + more....

Aug 20, 2009, 05:24 PM	#5
Wrigleyvillain Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,556 (2.19/day) Thanks: 1,540 Thanked 1,596 Times in 1,137 Posts System Specs	Good reason to try Windows 7 64 (as if you needed any more outside of the OS in and of itself)

Aug 20, 2009, 05:27 PM	#6
Zubasa Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,715 (1.51/day) Thanks: 589 Thanked 451 Times in 387 Posts System Specs	There is no "fix" to this issue. It is the limit of 32-bit OS, it simply cannot address that much memory. As others mention, grab a 64-bit OS is the only way, and 64-bit is better. __________________ ʃ( ◕ ‿‿ ◕ )ʅ “but oh ze noes! i can't convert my porn to iphone so i can watch in the bus .. it doesnt support cuda / badaboom.” -W1zzard

Processor:	AMD FX-8150
Motherboard:	MSI 990FXA-GD80
Cooling:	CoolerMaster Seidon 120XL
Memory:	Team Xtreeem Dark 1600 @1866 4GBx2
Video Card:	PowerColor HD7970 3GB V3
Hard Disk:	OCZ Vertex 3 120G + Max IOPS 120G + Seagate 7200.12 250GB 2 Raid 0 + Samsung HD103UJ 1TB 2 RAID 0
Optical Drive:	HP 1260i 24x Multi-Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung SyncMaster S24B370
Case:	SilverStone Raven RV01
PSU:	Corsair TX850W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Aug 20, 2009, 05:33 PM	#7
Asylum Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,687 (1.49/day) Thanks: 849 Thanked 657 Times in 502 Posts System Specs	64 Bit FTW!! __________________ My Bad Company 2 team is recruiting. Stop by and check us out. -GuNS- CLAN HEATWARE LINK Rate My Rig

System Name:	KILLER
Processor:	Intel Core i7 970 @ 4.5Ghz
Motherboard:	EVGA X58 760 Classified
Cooling:	Water Cooling
Memory:	3x2Gig Kingston Hyper X 2100Mhz
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 580
Hard Disk:	2 X Vertex 2 60GB in RAID 0
Optical Drive:	2 x Sony DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	24 in Gateway 1080 HD 1920X1200 2ms
Case:	Corsair 800D
Sound Card:	X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
PSU:	Antec 1200 Watt Modular
Software:	Windows 7 64 Bit
Benchmarks:	3DMark Vantage 37579

Aug 20, 2009, 05:34 PM	#8
TheLaughingMan Join Date: May 2009 Location: Douglasville, GA USA Posts: 3,735 (2.48/day) Thanks: 1,371 Thanked 1,271 Times in 937 Posts System Specs	Also welcome to TPU

System Name:	ZEUS
Processor:	AMD FX-8350 @ 4.2 GHz
Motherboard:	GIGABYTE 990FX-UD7
Cooling:	Gelid GX-7 w / 2 Cougar 120mm PWN fans
Memory:	Patriot 8GB (2x4GB) @ 1866 MHz 9-10-9-27
Video Card:	2x AMD HD 7770 GHz Edition (1125 MHz, 5800 MHz effective)
Hard Disk:	OCZ Agility 4 512 GB :: WD Caviar Black 2TB
Optical Drive:	LG Blu-ray Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer X233H 23.6" Widescreen 5ms LCD Monitor
Case:	Rosewill Thor V2
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek 889c + Logitech X-540 5.1
PSU:	Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Software:	Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Benchmarks:	I don't benchmark.

Aug 20, 2009, 05:46 PM	#9
tonyd223 Join Date: May 2008 Location: East Yorkshire Posts: 202 (0.11/day) Thanks: 16 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts System Specs	we're gonna see this question a lot more I think... __________________ "thinking about a Cooler Master Elite 360..."

System Name:	Box
Processor:	AMD 720BE @ 3700MHz 1.4v
Motherboard:	Biostar TA790GX 128M
Cooling:	Arctic Cooling Freezer64 (I know I've had it years but it just works)
Memory:	Corsair 4 x 2Gb (8Gb DDR2)
Video Card:	ATI HD4850 512Mb
Hard Disk:	Samsung F3 1TB OS, Samsung F3 1TB Media
Optical Drive:	Samsung IDE x 2
CRT/LCD Model:	22" Belinea 1680 x 1050
Case:	Coolermaster HAF 922 (dusty)
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi Extreme Music
PSU:	Thermaltake TR2 550w
Software:	Windows 7-64
Benchmarks:	8669 in Overdrive 3.0.2

Aug 20, 2009, 05:55 PM	#10
Nailezs Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: DelMarVa Posts: 841 (0.59/day) Thanks: 156 Thanked 70 Times in 66 Posts System Specs	see thread http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=91260 for more info

System Name:	Cool Runnings
Processor:	E8500 3.16GHz @ 3.911GHz 1.3v
Motherboard:	MSI P7N Diamond
Cooling:	Corsair H50 PnP w/ 110CFM case fans, Antec Spot Cool on NB
Memory:	OCZ PC8500 Reaper 4x2GB 5-5-5-18 2.1V
Video Card:	XFX GTX 285 (stock)
Hard Disk:	WD 250GB x3 in RAID 0, WD CB 2TB, 1TB External
Optical Drive:	Lite-On 20x LH-20A1L
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms
Case:	Antec 1200
Sound Card:	Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
PSU:	Thermaltake Toughpower 850w
Software:	Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit

Aug 20, 2009, 06:42 PM	#11
YinYang.ERROR Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 432 (0.28/day) Thanks: 65 Thanked 33 Times in 31 Posts System Specs	I have a question about this... Even though it shows up as 3.25gbs is the computer taking advantage of dual channel RAM? Or is it acting like single channel ram? Because that would essentially make the difference between 4gbs and 2gbs. That would make 2gbs > 3.25gb if the 2gbs ran dual channel while the 3.25 only ran single channel.

System Name:	Echelon
Processor:	Phenom II x3 720 - 4th Core Unlocked
Motherboard:	Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Adata 4gb ddr3 1600
Video Card:	Ati HD 5770
Hard Disk:	640gb & 250gb SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	MAG CRT 17"
Case:	CM 690
Sound Card:	onboard
PSU:	600w Cooler Master Silent Pro
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Aug 20, 2009, 06:54 PM	#12
timta2 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Posts: 788 (0.40/day) Thanks: 94 Thanked 106 Times in 97 Posts System Specs	Download CPU-Z and look at the memory tab, it will tell you if it is running in single or dual channel. As everyone else has stated it is a 32 bit OS limitation, it doesn't have anything to do with your memory running in single or dual channel mode.

Processor:	Intel i7 930 @4.0Ghz @1.26v (HT On/LLC Off)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7
Cooling:	Swiftech H20 (w/Custom External Rad Enclosure)
Memory:	6GB (3x2GB) G.Skill Trident 2000Mhz
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 480 (@900/1800/2000)
Hard Disk:	x2 WD VelociRaptor 300GB (Raid 0) / x1 WD Black 1TB
Optical Drive:	LiteOn LH-20A1H + Pioneer DVR-115
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung BX2440 (24" LED Backlit)
Case:	Cooler Master 690 (w/Mods)
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi Titanium
PSU:	Corsair 750-TX
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate (x64)

Aug 20, 2009, 06:59 PM	#14
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.05/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	Windows has no control of single vs dual channel. That's at bios level. __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

System Name:	Mine; Hers; Our HTPC; NAS Box
Processor:	i7 2600k : i3 2120 : Celeron G440 : P4 2.6Ghz Nwood
Motherboard:	Asrock Z68 Extreme4 : Asus P8P67 Pro : Asrock H61M/U3S3 : Dell
Cooling:	CM 212+ w/ scythe jyuni : Stock : Stock :Stock
Memory:	2x4GB Ripjawx 1866 cl9 : 2x2GB Corsair 1600 cl9 : 2x2GB Ridgebacks 1066 cl5 : 768MB PC3200
Video Card:	Palit GTX560Ti 2Gb : XFX HD5770 : Integrated : Integrated
Hard Disk:	2x 750GB Raid 0 + Maxtor 500GB : WD Black 1TB+Corsair Nova 2 64GB : Toshiba 750GB : Leftover ATA133
Optical Drive:	Lite-On DVD-RW : Samsung DVD-RW : None : None
CRT/LCD Model:	AOC 21" : AOC 20" : Philips 42" HDTV : Headless
Case:	Rocketfish : CM HAF 912 : Bgears Cube Style case : Dell
Sound Card:	X-Fi Xtremegamer : Onboard : Onboard : Onboard
PSU:	Tt 750W Modular : Antec 500W Earthwatts : Corsair CX430 : Dell's OEM

Aug 20, 2009, 09:17 PM	#16
greatchap Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 15 (0.01/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts System Specs	hurray Thanks a lot guys for your reply. Well I better stick to 32bit. 64bit os might be a problem as several applications do not run on that. So then 3.25GB it is. Kool... learnt something new. Cheers...

Sep 2, 2009, 08:25 AM	#17
wicky Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 (0.00/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	have the same problem in my new pc thanks god i found an answer here i thought that my ram or pc was spoilt -------------------------------------------------------- http://www.assistantsinindia.com

Sep 2, 2009, 08:32 AM	#18
eidairaman1 Eligible for custom title Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: HTX Posts: 10,099 (4.63/day) Thanks: 1,364 Thanked 1,164 Times in 1,040 Posts System Specs	http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...8VS.85%29.aspx __________________ Athlon XP USERS with COD 4 FIX http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...ls-202011.html http://www.howorks.com/2011/02/24/ho...-memory-limit/ “Sometimes my level of fail is unprecedented.” -TheMailMan78 “This is what the force of a thousand suns looks like.” -3870x2

System Name:	BS03/04
Processor:	AMD Athlon XP-M 2500+ 2.2GHz 1.5V
Motherboard:	DFI LanParty NFII Ultra-B Bios (TicTac 3D Fire R2)
Cooling:	4 Antec 80mm, TR SI-97 Adapted TT Big Typhoon Fan 120MM
Memory:	2GB Mushkin Redline 4000 @ 200 MHz 2.5V
Video Card:	Sapphire R1950Pro 512MB AGP 1.5V
Hard Disk:	250 & 400 GB Seagate Baracuda 10 SATA
Optical Drive:	2x Samsung Multiformat Rewritable Drives
CRT/LCD Model:	NEC Multisync LCD 1700V
Case:	Antec SX830 EATX Case
Sound Card:	Creative Labs SB XFi Xtreme Music & SB PCI 512
PSU:	Antec NEO HE 500 Watt
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium
Benchmarks:	Win 7 Eval. CPU 3.9 Ram 4.5 Graphics 6.0 HD 5.7

Sep 2, 2009, 08:51 AM	#19
wolf Performance Enthusiast Join Date: May 2007 Location: Enrichment Center for Aperture Laboratories Posts: 5,313 (2.38/day) Thanks: 1,676 Thanked 844 Times in 707 Posts System Specs	Ok to to be deadly honest I copied your exact title, Google'd it, and found the answer (not in a thread created by you) so give it a try, I've asked Google some far-fetched shit and it usually throws me a bone Sucks about the ram limitation, and honestly my advice is if you want to go 64-bit, go straight for Windows 7, you wont look back it's a GREAT os. Welcome to TPU dude, you'll pick up a heap very quickly from browsing these forums __________________ “my goal is speed, full ultra, and extreme gaming” -Ephraim “Yeah you can always overclock the 2gb memory to 4gb” -jaredpace

System Name:	MightyX (M-ITX)
Processor:	Core i5 2500K
Motherboard:	Giga H67N-USB3-B3
Cooling:	CoolerMaster Vortex+
Memory:	8gb Geil Corsa 1333
Video Card:	Asus GTX670 DCII oc
Hard Disk:	Corsair Force 3 120gb
Optical Drive:	Zalman ZM-MFC2
CRT/LCD Model:	LCD @ 1080P +TV
Case:	Lain Li PC-Q08B
PSU:	Corsair HX620W

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
I have Vista Ultimate 64bit but my memory still shows 3.326mb.	drew24	Motherboards & Memory	12	Jun 30, 2009 09:50 PM
Spybot wants a restart, but shows nothing found?	iStink	General Software	5	Oct 13, 2008 08:33 PM
Vista 64bit only shows 3 of 4gb installed	sttubs	Motherboards & Memory	6	Aug 3, 2008 02:04 AM
XP 32bit only shows 3GB with 4GB installed	OnBoard	Motherboards & Memory	28	Dec 9, 2007 06:10 PM
4gb On Bios But Only 2gb On Winxp????	Oo_Skyline_oO	Motherboards & Memory	9	Sep 8, 2006 12:00 AM