3.25GB of RAM in W7 Ultimate 64 bit

[northlondon01]

Hi there,

I recently upgraded to a 64 bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate to make use of all my 4GB of RAM, however when I still only have access to 3.25GB.

I have a Foxconn 946GZ7MA-8KS2H mobo, with a 2.5Ghz Q6600, I don't think I have the latest BIOS version, but Foxconn said not to flash it unless something is going wrong (I'm not sure this classes as something going wrong or not!).

I've read numerous posts online about integrated graphics and maybe even the integrated 7.1 sound card and LAN using the memory.

I tried the various options with memory in msconfig, unchecking the box and checking it with 4096MB and I still got 3.25GB.

I'm really not that sure about BIOS stuff, changing memory mapping (if my mobo can even do that?) etc, but I've take photos of the various screens and would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction or confirm that this is what I'm stuck with! I'll post them in the following posts.

Thanks alot.

NL

 

[yowanvista]

Please post a screenshot of the memory tab in resource monitor
Enable memory remap in your BIOS if that feature is available

The hardware takes up the other 0.75 GB of memory. You can view this in Resource Monitor. Start > type "resource" > Open Resource Monitor > Memory Tab > Physical Memory.

 

[northlondon01]

Here are the first lot of images of my BIOS...

I've attached the main/front page of my BIOS, the Standard Features page; the Fox Central Control Unit page; the Advanced Features page and Advanced Chipset Features page for now.

There are five more to come in the next post.

Thanks again!

and FYI, the file I got for the latest BIOS versions looks like it's version 642F1P44 (judging from the name at the end of the zip file I got from the website).

 

[yowanvista]

Your main board can only map 4GB of memory, so when you put in the video and sound cards, it has to map there memory as well.
So unless you buy a better main board, your stuck at 3.25GB.

 

[northlondon01]

Here are the last pictures, with the onboard/superIO from the Integrated Peripherals page, plus the PNP/PCI Config screen.

Will post the Resource Monitor afterwards. I can't see anything like memory mapping in the BIOS, but I may just be being a little slow!

Thanks again!

 

[yowanvista]

Here are the last pictures, with the onboard/superIO from the Integrated Peripherals page, plus the PNP/PCI Config screen.

Will post the Resource Monitor afterwards. I can't see anything like memory mapping in the BIOS, but I may just be being a little slow!

Thanks again!

I noticed that your Intel Chipset does not support memory remapping, this would have enabled all the RAM to be used. Other hardware may be using the 0.75GB of RAM, the resource monitor screenshot will confirm it

 

[northlondon01]

Oh ok, thanks yowanvista.

Will there be any benefit from having 64bit then? As I'm still getting the same 3.25GB I had in 32bit. And it will take me a fair while to update and install all the software etc. I might as well give this 64bit back to my mate and use the backup I made of 32bit last night!

Thanks for your help. My resource monitor showed 770MB for hardware.

Would updating the BIOS enable memory mapping or is a new mobo the only option. This PC is coming up to 4 years old now!

Thanks again.

 

[yowanvista]

Oh ok, thanks yowanvista.

Will there be any benefit from having 64bit then? As I'm still getting the same 3.25GB I had in 32bit. And it will take me a fair while to update and install all the software etc. I might as well give this 64bit back to my mate and use the backup I made of 32bit last night!

Thanks for your help. My resource monitor showed 770MB for hardware.

Would updating the BIOS enable memory mapping or is a new mobo the only option. This PC is coming up to 4 years old now!

Thanks again.

Upgrade your Mobo if you want to use all your RAM, don't go back to 32-bit since 64-bit is slightly faster

Would updating the BIOS enable memory mapping or is a new mobo the only option.

Your chipset doesn't seem to support Memory Remap

 

[northlondon01]

Thanks again mate.

Think I'll keep what I've got for now, and will probably just upgrade completely at some point. Hopefully in the near future!

 

[sygnus21]

Here are the last pictures, with the onboard/superIO from the Integrated Peripherals page, plus the PNP/PCI Config screen.

Will post the Resource Monitor afterwards. I can't see anything like memory mapping in the BIOS, but I may just be being a little slow!

Thanks again!

I noticed that your Intel Chipset does not support memory remapping, this would have enabled all the RAM to be used. Other hardware may be using the 0.75GB of RAM, the resource monitor screenshot will confirm it

Hi yowanvista,

While I understand where you your going - http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/120721-3-gigs-ram-4-a.html#post1039241, I'm a little confused as to how you came to your conclusion by those screen shots?

I did notice "Maximum Payload Size" for his memory but.....



And yeah, Resorce Monitor would help a lot

Thanks.

 

[yowanvista]

Here are the last pictures, with the onboard/superIO from the Integrated Peripherals page, plus the PNP/PCI Config screen.

Will post the Resource Monitor afterwards. I can't see anything like memory mapping in the BIOS, but I may just be being a little slow!

Thanks again!

I noticed that your Intel Chipset does not support memory remapping, this would have enabled all the RAM to be used. Other hardware may be using the 0.75GB of RAM, the resource monitor screenshot will confirm it

Hi yowanvista,

While I understand where you your going - http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/120721-3-gigs-ram-4-a.html#post1039241, I'm a little confused as to how you came to your conclusion by those screen shots?

And yeah, Resorce Monitor would help a lot

Thanks.

Poster confirmed in post #7 that 770MB is being used by hardware

 

[sygnus21]

Poster confirmed in post #7 that 770MB is being used by hardware

That seals the deal for me. Missed that one

I also noticed he has a 946 board - older than these....

The chipset must support at least 8 GB of address space. Chipsets that have this capability include the following:

• Intel 975X
• Intel P965
• Intel 955X on Socket 775
• Chipsets that support AMD processors that use socket F, socket 940, socket 939, or socket AM2. These chipsets include any AMD socket and CPU combination in which the memory controller resides in the CPU.

So this clued me in - should have posted that thought when I asked the question

Anyway thanks.

 

[northlondon01]

I loaded my 32bit image on to another drive and exactly the same memory was allocated - 770MB. Thanks for taking a look at this though!

I've looked at other motherboards, but I can't see it'd be worth it with my ageing set up! I'm more annoyed that I bought an extra 2GB stick when and only got 0.25GB more than if I'd have kept the existing 1GB stick in there! I will at some point get a new mobo/CPU, PSU and RAM. My case, drives etc are all perfectly fine, so it won't be a massive new purchase.

Just wondering, would having the 4GB in there, with .75GB allocated to the hardware and 3.25GB for the rest make it run better than just having 3GB in total?

It seems odd to sell motherboards with the capacity for 4GB, that can't give you 4GB of RAM though!

 

[logicearth]

Memory Hole At 15M-16M is the setting you wanted.
http://www.sevenforums.com/attachments/performance-maintenance/143501d1300119007-3-25gb-ram-w7-ultimate-64-bit-bios-advanced-chipset-features.jpg

 

[GeneO]

Memory Hole At 15M-16M is the setting you wanted.
http://www.sevenforums.com/attachme...ate-64-bit-bios-advanced-chipset-features.jpg

I think that i for basic video mapping and is very small - not the 256M used for PCI.

 

[logicearth]

I think that i for basic video mapping and is very small - not the 256M used for PCI.

What?

 

[stormy13]

Memory Hole At 15M-16M is the setting you wanted.
http://www.sevenforums.com/attachme...ate-64-bit-bios-advanced-chipset-features.jpg

You sure?

BIOS UPDATE & DOWNLOAD: Bios Option 'Memory Hole At 15M-16M'

 

[sygnus21]

What stormy said. And depending on your MB you may want this feature Disabled! Which the OP has done.

In certain motherboards, this feature may actually render all RAM above the 15th MB off-limits to the OS! In this case, you will effectively have only 14MB of RAM, irrespective of how much RAM your system actually has.

Google search as well - memory hole at 15m-16m

 

[GeneO]

I think that i for basic video mapping and is very small - not the 256M used for PCI.

What?

It is not the address space that PCI/PCI-express graphics maps to. It is a smaller space for legacy cards that you want diabled as already mentioned.

As yowanvista already said, this chipset doesn't support memory remapping.