3gb ram

[rumple9]

I have 2 gb ram running in dual channel and I have a gig spare. Is it worth putting it in or is this not advisable ?

[sackynut]

Re: 3gb ram

probably not. but it wouldnt hurt to try it out I guess.

[Xanthias]

Re: 3gb ram

I'm sitting at 2 Gigs myself, but I'm expandable to 4. I also run dual-channel and will need to replace one of my 2x512's with 2x1G's to up to 3 total.

How can you run dual-channel with only 3 memory slots?? Do you have to put standard memory in the third slot? I may be missing how you're set up...

[-(PK)-DarkIllusion]

Re: 3gb ram

i've heard that having more than 2 gigs of ram is a waste when playin bf2... and that windows only suports up to 4 gigs..

[Xanthias]

Re: 3gb ram

i've heard that having more than 2 gigs of ram is a waste when playin bf2...

I don't see how this is the case. It would definitely help the maps load faster!

windows only suports up to 4 gigs..

I thought this had to do with your bios settings not with Windows...?

[-[MDS]-Stormy]

Re: 3gb ram

I thought this had to do with your bios settings not with Windows...?

Windows actually,

Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 Memory Support. The maximum amount of memory that can be supported on Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 is also 4 GB.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system...AE/PAEmem.mspx

[Xanthias]

Re: 3gb ram

Excellent find! Maybe I was thinking that it was bios/motherboard specific based on settings UP TO 4Gigs... Glad my mobo supports a 4Gig upgrade! I just wish I had put in two 1G sticks instead of 4 512M ones. Then, I would just need to buy one more pair of 1G's instead of the two pairs I will need (should get one pair by the end of the week). Well, you live, you learn! :-]

[Gunny Highway]

Re: 3gb ram

Windows actually,



http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system...AE/PAEmem.mspx

Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server, Standard supports 'only' 4 GB.

The Enterprise and Datacenter edition support much much more. The 64 bit versions of XP and 2003 support even more RAM.

Even if XP can use 4 GB, often some mother boards limit its use as it reservers 500MB for resources, so it would be 3.5 GB at best, with 32 bit version.

There a list with more info on amount of RAM that can be used in server systems:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...s/default.mspx

[ACE4U]

Re: 3gb ram

3-4 gigs of ram....wth? More ram is good only if your processor can take it. My friend had a computer built for him with only 1 gig of ram, but has a high speed hard drive that reads data extremly fast and he plays star wars and other games online.

[LoD]

Re: 3gb ram

A 32bit CPU is limited to under 4GB of ram, it is a windows limitation, but is not specific to just windows, this applies to any OS and any 32bit CPU.

Hence the reason 64bit OS and CPU's will be mainstream in 2-3 years.

[Painl3ss.NL]

Re: 3gb ram

I'm pretty sure XP + battlefield (even on high) do not use more then 2Gig, so anything above that will not be used.

Also if the extra 1G is one stick and not 2x512, you loose dual channel, so it may actually be a bad thing.

So that's the theory. Theory always looses from reality though, so give it a try and let us know

[Xanthias]

Re: 3gb ram

Right... We do need more info as to how you're set up right now to answer this effectively. How many slots do you have? If it's 3, the dual-channel bonus you would get has no real effect, as dual-channel must work in pairs, so YES the one gig stick will help you. If it's 4 with 4x512, replacing one with the 1 gig will be detrimental as you lose the dual-channel improvements. If it's 4 with 2x1Gig then it will help you.

Does that all make sense?

[Painl3ss.NL]

Re: 3gb ram

Does that all make sense?

LOL, I know what you're trying to say and you still lost me. :laugh: Doesn't matter though, I'm sadly not the one with the extra Gig.

[RocketChild]

Re: 3gb ram

Just an FYI, if you have an AMD chip, there are problems with filling all 4 DIMM slots. Known issue with Athlons.

You can help your machine out a lot though, if you go with 4GBs to use the /3GB switch. Windows by default, automagically reserves 1/2 of you RAM. The /3GB switch turns this off so that your system can have more space available. XP itself does not need 2GB of your memory.

I have to do this a setting a lot in my datacenter. We have a few hundred servers that are topped out on memory. Here is the an example of how you would edit your boot.ini to optimize for 4GB of RAM:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microso ft Windows Server 2003" /fastdetect /3GB

Though that is for Server, pay the {WINNT="Microsoft Windows Server 2003"} no mind, yours will say :

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Here are some links for more info...don't have any at the moment about the AMD thing.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889654

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823440

[imported_Wreck]

Re: 3gb ram

There is no point in having more than 2Gb of ram. Who here uses up 2Gb of ram in windows and gaming? Please show me a screenshot of any of you that use that much ram. If you get more than 2Gb you are just slowing your system down and putting more strain on the memory controller.