4 gig ram in a 32 bit os

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stefan9

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Ok guys I have decided to add another 2 gig kit of team extreem ddr 2 800 mhz pc6400 ram to my pc. Now my question is this. I have a vista 32 bit and 64 bit disc's. I currently have the 32 bit one installed.

When add 2 gig of ram do I need to format or won't it make any difference??
Will running the extra 2 gig of ram in a 32 bit os be ok or should I switch to the 64 bit one. I can is just going to be a pain in the ass.

Is there any major disadvantage of running 4 sticks of ram?
 
Hi, My be wrong but Vista will only use 3Gb of ram even you have 4Gb installed. Installing more RAM will not require a reload. 32 vs 64 bit is more a Processor related issue and has very little impact on the Amount of RAM in the System, beware that not many application are true 64Bit.
 
When using 32 bit Windows your motherboard maps your PCI-E memory into the top part of your 4GB ram, thus only about 3.25GB can be used for windows.

Better stil is the fact that any one procees on windows can only use up to 2GB of memory. There is a switch to change this, but I am not sure what it is.

I am running XP Pro 32 bit with 4GB of memory, but windows only has 3.25GB available.

The only solution is to upgrade to a 64bit windows. Good luck with drivers...
 
Pilgrim said:
When using 32 bit Windows your motherboard maps your PCI-E memory into the top part of your 4GB ram, thus only about 3.25GB can be used for windows.

Better stil is the fact that any one procees on windows can only use up to 2GB of memory. There is a switch to change this, but I am not sure what it is.

I am running XP Pro 32 bit with 4GB of memory, but windows only has 3.25GB available.

The only solution is to upgrade to a 64bit windows. Good luck with drivers...
Click to expand...

Drivers for most of my hardware is available it's only older games and my printers I am worried about.
 
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