Who do I believe - Windows or CPUZ

[jimbo45]

Hi all

I put a 4GB module into my Acer netbook -- works just fine but :

Windows 7 says I have 4 GB RAM in the computer

BIOS says I have 4 GB RAM in the computer


CPU-Z says I have 2 GB RAM in the computer

What gives ???


Judging by performance even on this farly low powered machine I can bring up 2 XP Virtual machines on it concurrently with reasonable performance !!!! which I couldn't do before upgrading the memory. I assume it IS using 4 GB.

However CPU_Z is usually reliable so is there an INFALLIBLE test to see how much Windows is actually seeing and using.

screenshots enc.

 

[Bill2]

Try SIW.

 

[Airbot]

so is there an INFALLIBLE test to see how much Windows is actually seeing and using.

Yeah. It's called msinfo32.exe.

 

[jimbo45]

Thanks


Cheers
jimbo

 

[pantsaregood]

CPUZ and Windows aren't disagreeing. Notice that Windows says "2.75GB usable?"

If you look at the SPD info on the 4GB module, it probably says "4GB."

You can only address 2.75GB (which is something like 2816MB, if not exactly) of RAM in Windows for whatever reason. You may be using a 32-bit operating system. It could be anything.

 

[jimdandy]

CPUZ and Windows aren't disagreeing. Notice that Windows says "2.75GB usable?"

I actually think they are disagreeing . . the only reason for the discrepancy I can think of is if you have on on-board graphics adapter and a portion of your system RAM is being used by the adapter . .

 

[essenbe]

so is there an INFALLIBLE test to see how much Windows is actually seeing and using.

Yeah. It's called msinfo32.exe.

View attachment 156160

Yes. CPUz I believe. It is showing what windows is seeing. Cpuz is showing 2818MB of ram. If it was onlt\y showing 2GB it would be 2048MB. So, it is showing the amount windows is seeing as useable. Thats my opinion.

 

[1Bowtie]

I don't think they are disagreeing at all it's showing 2gb's single channel, not dual channel.

 

[sygnus21]

Actually CPU-Z is not correct. Why is the question??? Here's my CPU-Z showing my 6gig of memory installed.



Jimbo update to CPU-Z version 1.56. Notice you have v1.52

Also notice is says single channel. Don't know anything about notebook memory so it's possible CPU-Z could be confused? But that's just a guess as I can't see how CPU-Z wouldn't read a notebook correctly (again, a guess).

Anyway updating to the latest version should confirm.

My two cents.

 

[jimdandy]

Actually CPU-Z is NOT correct. Why is the question??? Here's my CPU-Z showing my 6gig of memory installed.

Exactly. That field in CPU-Z shows installed memory, not available memory . . . hence why I'm curious to know if you are using on on-board graphics adapter jimbo45?

 

[essenbe]

On his screenshots, cpuz is reporting the exact amount that the OS shows is usable.

 

[sygnus21]

On his screenshots, cpuz is reporting the exact amount that the OS shows is usable.

That's not how it works - http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/148654-memory-ram-2.html#post1276662

And if he has 4gig installed, Windows should show all 4gig - not usage.



And CPU-Z should be showing the same - 6gig....

 

[jimbo45]

Hi all
This is a small Netbook -- in theory it actually says in the Spec that maximum RAM is 2GB -- but I suspect that was before the single 4GB modules appeared.

BIOS and Windows seem to have no problem reading 4GB installed -- I'll try CPU_Z update and see what it says.

MSINFO32.EXE also reports 4GB installed RAM.

The netbook uses onboard graphics.

I'm sure I'm probably considered as Bonkers by inserting a 4GB RAM module into a netbook but it was REALLY CHEAP so what's the harm -- also it allowed me to run a useful XP VM on it without a problem -- For an old scanner not supported on W7 but hardware still 100% OK and a quick application to burn / copy Audio CD's to Minidiscs (I'll bet a load of readers don't even know what those are -- but the sound is zillions times better than a highly compressed mp3 file on an Ipod).

Actually I'm not worried about Useable RAM or whatever -=-it's just curious that CPU_Z shows a different value for INSTALLED RAM compared with MSINFO32.EXE or the Windows 7 computer properties.

W7 appears to yield the correct result.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[sygnus21]

a quick application to burn / copy Audio CD's to Minidiscs (I'll bet a load of readers don't even know what those are -- but the sound is zillions times better than a highly compressed mp3 file on an Ipod).

Hehe, not so fast - I just never used them myself

Anyway thanks for posting the info on the netbook. Perhaps that's why CPU-Z is confused? Don't know.

 

[th3r0ck]

AFAIK, cpuz shows single channel memory!! means
2GB + 2GB each!! can you check if it has a drop down manu on Memory TAB
this might show each channel has 2 GB!!

 

[essenbe]

I think the real question is where does cpuz get its information. If it gets it directly from the dimm slots, it should show what is actually installed. If it gets its information from the OS, it will only show what is usable by the OS, what the OS can 'see'. In the graphics presented the only difference is the properties tab. One showed installed and usable the other only showed installed. CPuz agreed with both of those. So, IT may work different than most of us (me included) always thought it worked. CPUz's website provided no information on that, and maybe this discussion only applies to x86 systems because of their memory limitations. I really don't know.

 

[sygnus21]

Perhaps I'm not getting what you guys are saying but I think you need to have a closer look at the images I posted as they clearly shows (should show) the installed memory under Windows (not usable memory) - which corresponds to the Properties page of Windows - which corresponds to what the BIOS gives/shows.

All you have to do is run a copy of CPU-Z and see for yourself

BTW....

Memory

• SDR, DDR, DDR2, FB-DDR2, DDR3, RDRAM (Rambus®)
• EPP and XMP extended profiles

CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Now, why is it messed up on Jimbo's netbook? It could be that the netbook isn't supported. Again, see link above.

 

[GeneO]

so is there an INFALLIBLE test to see how much Windows is actually seeing and using.

Yeah. It's called msinfo32.exe.

View attachment 156160

Yes. CPUz I believe. It is showing what windows is seeing. Cpuz is showing 2818MB of ram. If it was onlt\y showing 2GB it would be 2048MB. So, it is showing the amount windows is seeing as useable. Thats my opinion.

CPU-Z gets it from the hardware. I doesn;t knows what windows has mapped - it is supposed to show the physical memory. It's a bug.

 

[essenbe]

GeneO, It may very well be a bug. I have always thought that cpuz got its info from the hardware also. But in the OP's original question, it is apparently not reading the hardware. My only point has been that it is either a bug or cpuz is getting its info from somewhere other than hardware. I am only saying, I don't know the answer.

 

[pantsaregood]

You, for whatever reason, have 1.25GB memory mapped to something else. CPUZ will read the module's SPD information as it should, and it will report that you are using a 4GB module.

Also, single channel vs. dual channel has absolutely nothing to do with this. 4GB single channel and 4GB dual channel are the same volume; dual channel just has twice the theoretical bandwidth.

Check the SPD tab. It will report the stick's correct information.