So, I had 3GB RAM installed and 2.93 GB was usable, so I upgraded to 4GB. Just installed the new stick no more than 5 minutes ago. However, my computer is now saying, "4.00GB RAM, 2.93GB usable"
Can someone explain what's going on?
I have a 32 bit OS.
Note that 32-bit systems are limited to 3.25Gb Max but the actual usable memory is often less due to chipset limitations and built-in GPUs ,you need a 64-bit version of windows 7 to use all your RAM.
The 0.07GB was most probably hardware reserved
Uncheck Max mem from msconfig (Windows Key+R>msconfig>Boot>Advanced options)
Post a screen shot of the Memory Tab in Resource Monitor
You can view this in Resource Monitor. Start > type "resource" > Open Resource Monitor > Memory Tab > Physical Memory.
Your clue was that your PC could not use all of 3---let alone 4. If it had been able to use all of 3, then likely it would have been able to use some portion of the 4th gigabyte.
Here is the memory tab. I'll try installing 64-bit (my processor handles 64 bit but was doing 32 bit instead)
Is there a way I can tweak my 32-bit to allow the RAM usage, or would lead to severe instability?
Not possible, it's a pathway for communication to the CPU, only 4GB wide. RAM shares it with other devices, graphics, etc. leaving approx. 3.25GB or less for RAM.
Only way to overcome this limitation is to install a 64bit OS.
Okay. Thanks for the tips and help guys! GREATLY appreciated! :) I'm backing up my data right now to install 64-bit.
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