32bit OS Max 2GB memory

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I have read something about that 32 bit OS like XP can't handle RAM memory
over 2 GB. I have today 2 GB RAM memory and plan to upgrade to 3 GB.
 
Nicoliani T said:
I have read something about that 32 bit OS like XP can't handle RAM memory
over 2 GB. I have today 2 GB RAM memory and plan to upgrade to 3 GB.
Click to expand...
There is the usual limit of 2 GB of virtual memory (which is not the same at
all as physical memory).
Physical memory is limited by the capabilities of the motherboard to 4 GB.
The actual amount of physical memory which is available to the operating
system is somewhat less than 4 GB.
The reason for the situation is that some physical memory may be stolen by
the graphics card, some other
amount is stolen by non-paged pool, etc. The complete details of who gets
what of the physical memory is
not clear to me.

Having posted all that, you may not find much improvement after the increase
in physical memory unless you
are using memory intensive programs such as Photoshop.

Jim
 
I have read something about that 32 bit OS like XP can't handle RAM memory
over 2 GB. I have today 2 GB RAM memory and plan to upgrade to 3 GB.
Click to expand...


What you have read is *not* correct. 3GB should be fine (although why
do you need so much RAM?)

All 32-bit versions of Windows have a 4GB address space. However all
of them (not just XP) have to use some of that address for hardware
devices. After deducting that use (which varies depending on your
devices) you normally get about 3.1GB of remaining usable space. So
adding RAM up to 3GB is fine.
 
The thing is that is shows some problems for Vista users in games. As Vista
demand more memory in some games the 2GB limit is not enough resulting in
game crashes.
There is a way to overcome the 2GB barrier but they way's would not be
stable for the system.
In XP can I use 3/GB switch to overcome it?
 
There is the usual limit of 2 GB of virtual memory (which is not the same at
all as physical memory).
Physical memory is limited by the capabilities of the motherboard to 4 GB.
The actual amount of physical memory which is available to the operating
system is somewhat less than 4 GB.

Yes.


The reason for the situation is that some physical memory may be stolen by
the graphics card, some other
amount is stolen by non-paged pool, etc.
Click to expand...


But not exactly. It's part of the *address space* that gets "stolen,"
not physical memory itself. With that address space unavailable,
there's no place to map the extra physical memory to, and the memory
necessarily goes unused.

The complete details of who gets
what of the physical memory is
not clear to me.

Having posted all that, you may not find much improvement after the increase
in physical memory unless you
are using memory intensive programs such as Photoshop.
Click to expand...


Yes, it's a rare Windows XP user who can make effective use of the 3GB
that he contemplates having.
 
Nicoliani T said:
The thing is that is shows some problems for Vista users in games. As
Vista
demand more memory in some games the 2GB limit is not enough resulting in
game crashes.
There is a way to overcome the 2GB barrier but they way's would not be
stable for the system.
In XP can I use 3/GB switch to overcome it?
Click to expand...
The comment about Vista is interesting, but most of us XP users are not
concerned about
Vista problems.
Yes, you can use the /3GB switch for XP.
Games are programs which use and need lots of physical memory so that the
pagefile does
not get used so much (if at all).
Jim
 
The thing is that is shows some problems for Vista users in games. As Vista
demand more memory in some games the 2GB limit is not enough resulting in
game crashes.
There is a way to overcome the 2GB barrier but they way's would not be
stable for the system.
Click to expand...


There is *no* 2GB barrier, as I said. The barrier varies, depending on
your hardware, but it's usually around 3.1GB
 
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