Is there a workaround to use all 4GB of RAM?

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  1. Posts : 77
    Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #11

    whs said:
    Or was I dreaming?
    Yes you are dreaming. The 32bit system can only address 4GB (to be exact it is 4GB minus 1 byte) of address space and any device/function of the system that requires address space has to be mapped into these 4GB. Some of it is explained in this article, but if in addition you have a graphics card with address space requirements, that goes against the 4GB too. In a bad case you can end up with only something between 2 and 3GBs that remain for the OS.
    So what is the usefulness of graphic card memory - is it actual additional memory or just the capability to address installed RAM.
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  2. Posts : 1,180
    Windows 7 Ultimate
       #12

    Video memory may be used for storing other data as well as the screen image, such as the Z buffer, which manages the depth coordinates in 3D Graphics and compiled shader programs.
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  3. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #13

    I was comparing onboard graphics sharing system RAM with a dedicated video card.
    An on-board graphic shares real RAM. A dedicted graphics card uses address space. The effect on the usable RAM for the OS is the same.
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  4. Posts : 173
    Windows
       #14

    whs said:
    The 32bit system can only address 4GB (to be exact it is 4GB minus 1 byte)
    Remember to count zero also. The addressable address space (without PAE) is 0x00000000 to 0xffffffff. 4GB exactly.
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  5. Posts : 761
    Windows 2000 5.0 Build 2195
       #15

    PAE. But then again, this:

    stormy13 said:
    bilzmale, instead of trying to get things working like that on 32 bit using PAE do yourself a favor and just go 64 bit.
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  6. Posts : 966
    Windows 7 Enterprise
       #16

    I concur.
    64bit for high spec machines.
    32bit for anything less.
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  7. Posts : 173
    Windows
       #17

    Sure, a 64bit is preferable. But is it technically possible (I think the OP was fishing for this) to go beyond 4GB in a 32bit OS? Yes it is.

    According to some sources only a small patch it needed to make vista/win7 do just that. Or as mentioned, some ram-disk products can build their home up there.
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  8. Posts : 343
    Windows 7
       #18

    Its not possible.

    simple as that.

    theres no patch available. no tweak, no config, no boot switch.
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  9. Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       #19

    Not long ago I d/l the "Ultimate Windows Tweaker". There are many different things to check to change up your system. One of them is "Use 4 GB of memory on a 32-bit system". I thought, "I have to try that". Just as I suspected, it doesn't work. I can't even imagine why that was put on there. Anyone had experience with that program?
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  10. Posts : 343
    Windows 7
       #20

    of course not, because what it suggests is impossible for the memory subsystem of a 32bit host operating system.
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