Windows 7 64bit: 8GB Ram only 3GB usable? LOW MEMORY ISSUE!

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  1. Posts : 8
    Greater London
       #1

    Windows 7 64bit: 8GB Ram only 3GB usable? LOW MEMORY ISSUE!


    Hi guys, I have only recently come across an issue where my computer has been running low on memory, when I open up task manager it shows up with only 3GB of RAM available, I have 8GB of 2400mhz RAM installed and this issue has only just come up.

    I'm worried this may have had something to do with some supposed 'fixes' I had to do for BF4, but this issue didn't show up straight after and I am not entirely sure of the steps I went through, thought I'd add that in there just in case.

    My specs:

    GPU: R9 290x msi
    Mobo: A88x msi-g45 gaming motherboard
    CPU: A10 7850k black edition
    RAM: 8GB of Corsair Vengeance 2400mhz
    OS: Windows 7 64 bit

    If there's any more information required please let me know and I'll post it, this issue is driving me nuts, can't even have the most basics of programs running without having to close them due to low memory!

    Windows 7 64bit: 8GB Ram only 3GB usable? LOW MEMORY ISSUE!-computer-system.jpg

    Thanks in advance.
    Last edited by naBs; 08 Dec 2014 at 12:25. Reason: Added pic
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  2. Posts : 1,810
    Dual Boot: Windows 8.1 & Server 2012r2 VMs: Kali Linux, Backbox, Matriux, Windows 8.1
       #2

    Hello naBs.

    Can you go to msconfig > Boot tab > Advanced Options and ensure "Maximum memory" is not checked. If it was checked, uncheck it and reboot.

    Also, check your BIOS and enable "Memory Remap" assuming your BIOS supports/has this option.

    Remove one stick of ram, ensuring that one stick is still in and in position 1 (usually they are labeled) and reboot. If this works, try the second stick of ram. If your PC doesn't boot with one or the other, you probably have 1 bad stick of ram or a bad ram slot.

    Try these tasks and report back
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  3. Posts : 8
    Greater London
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Hi and thanks for the quick response, I've gone back into my BIOS settings and had previously put my OC settings to have my RAM at 2400mhz, I went back and set it back to auto and this seems to have resolved the issue. So now I have a problem of getting my RAM to 2400mhz without it dropping to 3GB RAM? I'm not quite sure why it's doing this
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,573
    Win7 Ultimate X64
       #4

    just leave it at stock settings, even if you overclock it you wont notice any difference
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 8
    Greater London
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Okay now running into the low memory issue when I try and run BF4, but it's still at least showing up that I have my 8GB back
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,810
    Dual Boot: Windows 8.1 & Server 2012r2 VMs: Kali Linux, Backbox, Matriux, Windows 8.1
       #6

    naBs said:
    Okay now running into the low memory issue when I try and run BF4, but it's still at least showing up that I have my 8GB back
    Check task manager to see what amount of memory is being used while playing BF4.

    Do you notice any lag/slow loading or does it seem normal other than the low ram message?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,519
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit, Mac OS X 10.10, Linux Mint 17, Windows 10 Pro TP
       #7

    A couple of things I'd look at, check the paging file/Virtual Memory [it was recommended for 1.5 times physical RAM in WinXP], or more and the other is if you have an SDHC card slot in the computer, look into ReadyBoost in Help and Support. I find setting Virtual Memory to the same in Max and Min works good and usually use the 1.5 figure.

    Change the size of virtual memory If you receive warnings that your virtual memory is low, you'll need to increase the minimum size of your paging file. Windows sets the initial minimum size of the paging file equal to the amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer, and the maximum size equal to three times the amount of RAM installed on your computer. If you see warnings at these recommended levels, then increase the minimum and maximum sizes.


    1. Open System in Control Panel In the left pane, click Advanced system settings. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
    2. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
    3. Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.
    4. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.
    5. Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.
    6. Click Custom size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.

    Note


    • Increases in size usually don't require a restart for the changes to take effect, but if you decrease the size, you'll need to restart your computer. We recommend that you don't disable or delete the paging file.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,497
    Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
       #8

    I know this is counterintuitive but but low memory errors rarely refer to a shortage of RAM. That rarely causes any problems other than poor performance. Usually the error means hitting the commit limit and that could be caused by a too small pagefile. It could also mean a 32 bit process has exhausted it's private address space. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do about that.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1
    Windows 8 64 Bit
       #9

    Just change the OS


    Change the windows to 64 bit. This will work for sure!
    Source:
    [removed]
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 6,741
    W7 Pro x64 SP1 | W10 Pro IP x64 | W8.1 Pro x64 VM | Linux Mint VM
       #10

    If you'd bothered reading the title of the thread you'd have noticed the OP was running W7 64-bit and would maybe have realised you had no need to necro a four month old thread with useless information.
      My Computer


 
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