max RAM usage

is there a way I can check how much RAM my laptop can use at most?

is it depend on OS?

PC Wizard can show you how many RAM sticks you have.

Other wise, you can take the panel off of the underside that covers the RAM, and see how many slots it has. If theres 2 slots, 4 GIGs should be the max, as the highest laptop RAM sticks can be is 2 GIGs per stick.

Now on the OS side, there is a 3 GIG limitation on 32-bit windows, and with 64-bit, there is iirc, 16 GIG limit. Tho, you can install more than the limit.

Even further, the BIOS and the motherboards north or south chips might have a limit to the amount of RAM usable. Case in point, my laptop has 4 GIGs of RAM installed, and i have a 64-bit version of Windows 7, it recognizes 4 GIGs, but says only 3 is usable.


ALSO, you could google your laptops model number and see if it says what the maximum expandable memory is.

I have a 32-bit windows XP, so I guess I can use up to 3GB

thanks for the reply

-_- Max amount of ram on a 32 bit system is 2^32 bytes and on a 64 bit is 2^64. Not 3 gig and 16gig. Laptops have the same limitations. Only limiting factor is hardware. Also sodimms come in larger than 4gig flavours.

-_- Max amount of ram on a 32 bit system is 2^32 bytes and on a 64 bit is 2^64. Not 3 gig and 16gig. Laptops have the same limitations. Only limiting factor is hardware. Also sodimms come in larger than 4gig flavours.

is there a way to check which how much ram the hardware can use

and im not too clear on the 2^32 bytes

2^32 bytes = approximately 4 billion bytes or 4gb. However, Windows reserves some of this RAM, so thats why you get lower than 4GB.

The only way to use more than 4GB in a 32 bit system is to use PAE, which Windows doesn't use correctly.

on this website it says maximum memory : 2GB
so would that mean I only need 2GB?

http://www.memoryc.com/toshiba/18394...0lsmemory.html

-_- Max amount of ram on a 32 bit system is 2^32 bytes and on a 64 bit is 2^64. Not 3 gig and 16gig. Laptops have the same limitations. Only limiting factor is hardware. Also sodimms come in larger than 4gig flavours.

No, he was right. Approximately 4 GB is the maximum noticed by all Windows 7 32-bit. Windows 7 64-bit can address either 4, 16, or 192 GB depending on which version you have.

Directly from Microsoft's own website:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/..._windows_7

No, he was right. Approximately 4 GB is the maximum noticed by all Windows 7 32-bit. Windows 7 64-bit can address either 4, 16, or 192 GB depending on which version you have.

Directly from Microsoft's own website:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/..._windows_7

Just a notifier: keep in mind that is 4 GB of physical memory. If you're going to use all of it on RAM, there would be no memory for your graphics card(s).

No, he was right. Approximately 4 GB is the maximum noticed by all Windows 7 32-bit. Windows 7 64-bit can address either 4, 16, or 192 GB depending on which version you have.

Directly from Microsoft's own website:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/..._windows_7

I think he was right to correct me, I did say 3 GIGs when its 4. I just thought it was 3 because my 32-bit Vista showed 3 when I had 4, and now 7 shows 4, but 3 usable.

Just a notifier: keep in mind that is 4 GB of physical memory. If you're going to use all of it on RAM, there would be no memory for your graphics card(s).

Thats assuming a shared memory graphics card. There are some laptop chips with some built in memory, and some that share, as well as some dedicated some shared. (Mine has 256 MB dedicated, able to share too though.)

Thats assuming a shared memory graphics card. There are some laptop chips with some built in memory, and some that share, as well as some dedicated some shared. (Mine has 256 MB dedicated, able to share too though.)

He is right, the memory on your graphics card also takes up address space, thus eats into the amount available for RAM.

He is right, the memory on your graphics card also takes up address space, thus eats into the amount available for RAM.

But how much is the question. If it reserves the whole amount of the graphics cards dedicated RAM (as in built in RAM), then there would be little point to having a high RAM graphics cards, as it would essentially bog down the system just by it reserving RAM from the system for its dedicated RAM.

But how much is the question. If it reserves the whole amount of the graphics cards dedicated RAM (as in built in RAM), then there would be little point to having a high RAM graphics cards, as it would essentially bog down the system just by it reserving RAM from the system for its dedicated RAM.

That's why you get a 64-bit OS.