Installed memory (RAM): 4.00 GB (3.75 GB usable)

[wAk]

I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, and I was wondering why my computer tells me that 3.75 GB out of 4 GB of installed RAM is usable. I've tried unchecking "Maximum Memory" under boot using msconfig, but it didn't change anything. I know its a pretty small thing, but please help.

 

[Jonathan_King]

It is most likely your video card using some shared memory.

 

[letsdoamazing]

Video Card RAM, PCI cards, ACPI, etc. It uses the rest for its own memory and is not available for programs to use.

100% normal

 

[speedy1971]

It would be normal if it was x86, but this is x64... ?

 

[Jonathan_King]

Same difference as far as this is concerned.

 

[Solarstarshines]

Video Card RAM, PCI cards, ACPI, etc. It uses the rest for its own memory and is not available for programs to use.

100% normal

very true the only other way to solve your issue is to add more ram if you look at your vid card you will see some memory has increased

In my case im running 1 gb card 8 gigs of ram i only use about 6.58 and the rest my card has which it bumps to 2.4 ghz

 

[speedy1971]

That's weird. Cause I have x64 with 8GB installed and Windows says 8GB usable for me. Maybe he is using older hardware?

 

[Jonathan_King]

That's weird. Cause I have x64 with 8GB installed and Windows says 8GB usable for me. Maybe he is using older hardware?

Perhaps you don't have video cards and other hardware using shared memory. Could this be the case?

 

[Solarstarshines]

Im not using old hardware just built this rig 2 months ago im using a hd5770 im on a 64 bit os my board already has a 1gb intergrated 128 mb chip it could be more then just my card using that extra ram but my components use it as i said it shows a bump in ram setting for my vid card 1.5 bumped to 2.4

That right there would be the only explanation of where the other ram went

and the .5 comes from the onboard memory as well

 

[Solarstarshines]

That's weird. Cause I have x64 with 8GB installed and Windows says 8GB usable for me. Maybe he is using older hardware?

Perhaps you don't have video cards and other hardware using shared memory. Could this be the case?

I have never seen any version of windows that let you use all the ram unless you fooled around with it all version of windows even the 95 didnt use all the ram

reason the other ram helps accelerate other hardware to work more efficient

and if you found a way to use all your ram that is one hell of a job you did on getting the system to reconize because with all the pc's and windows i used i could never achieve all my ram to just go to system instead of dedicated hardware

just my opinion could be wrong especially now days

 

[speedy1971]

That's weird. Cause I have x64 with 8GB installed and Windows says 8GB usable for me. Maybe he is using older hardware?

Perhaps you don't have video cards and other hardware using shared memory. Could this be the case?

I have never seen any version of windows that let you use all the ram unless you fooled around with it all version of windows even the 95 didnt use all the ram

reason the other ram helps accelerate other hardware to work more efficient

and if you found a way to use all your ram that is one hell of a job you did on getting the system to reconize because with all the pc's and windows i used i could never achieve all my ram to just go to system instead of dedicated hardware

just my opinion could be wrong especially now days

No, this is inaccurate.

Theoretically when running in x64 mode, Windows has a completely flat address space, and assuming you don't have 64GB RAM installed, Windows will be able to map apertures for things like video memory above the address space used for your RAM.

As a practical matter, there are some devices that, for various reasons, cannot be mapped above 4GB - typically older hardware. In those circumstances, you'd have to take a chunk out the address space below 4GB and you'd have the same kind of "memory hole" you ALWAYS get in x86 mode.

Or something like that.

SS

 

[Solarstarshines]

well i hate to break it to you speedy 1971 but here is the proof The usable memory may be less than the installed memory on Windows 7-based computers I dont think anyone is too interested in remapping memeory to use more on windows it is more of a headache then a accomplishment

 

[Petey7]

I have 4GB installed and 4GB usable. I've never remapped anything nor do I know how.

 

[Solarstarshines]

oh yeah and the above post doesn't mention anything about old hardware vs new hardware

so i wouldnt be quick to say people are using old hardware cause apparently a few of you got lucky to be able to use all your ram in that way

 

[whs]

The first place I would look is in Resource Monitor (paste this into Start/search to access). Go to the Memory Tab and look at the colored bar how much is hardware reserved. Then you have your answer.

 

[Petey7]

Funny. Mine shows none. I figured with my sub-par GPU I would. Weird.

 

[whs]

Funny. Mine shows none. I figured with my sub-par GPU I would. Weird.

If you have a GPU and 64bit (rather than an on-board), it will show nothing. A GPU uses only address space and in a 64bit system there is plenty of that. An on-board uses real RAM. And that's what is missing in the OPs system (or at least he thinks it is missing).
In this organized world of Windows, every byte is accounted for. Sometimes we only lack the understanding of where those bytes are.

 

[Solarstarshines]

this shows where it is all going and what it is doing seems like some of my ram is on standby im assuming this means it will be used when i am doing more demanding task 1781 is cached which i think the cpu is useing since it has a large cache size built in

 

[Petey7]

If you have a GPU and 64bit (rather than an on-board), it will show nothing. A GPU uses only address space and in a 64bit system there is plenty of that. An on-board uses real RAM. And that's what is missing in the OPs system (or at least he thinks it is missing).
In this organized world of Windows, every byte is accounted for. Sometimes we only lack the understanding of where those bytes are.

Thats the thing. I'm not sure if it would be considered "on board" or not. I have a laptop, but I learned about a year or so ago that the video card isn't built into the motherboard as it normally would be. I could actually upgrade it to a nvidia 8400M GT with 256mb dedicated memory as long as the part came from a Vostro 1500/1700 or I ordered it from Dell. I know it sounds odd, but its how Dell decided to make the particular line of laptops.

 

[whs]

Solarstarshines, Everything that is blue, can be used. Dark blue is cached by superfetch but available(the more the better) and light blue is really free and inactive (that's where the money is wasted).