Vista support for 4 GB?

[mgutz]

just to clarify ANY 32-bit OS can only address 2 ^ 32 bytes (unless you start employing tricks like near, far, huge pointers, remember DOS). your title might be a little misleading. Linux 32-bit has the same issue.

 

[bwatson283]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Interesting thing is with 32bit Win2003 and SP2, it shows all 4GB.

/shrug

That is because it is a Server, why put a 3gb limit on a server! Servers need the flux capacitor running at full speed!

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: mgutz
just to clarify ANY 32-bit OS can only address 2 ^ 32 bytes (unless you start employing tricks like near, far, huge pointers, remember DOS). your title might be a little misleading. Linux 32-bit has the same issue.

That is incorrect, any process in a 32bit OS can only access 2^32 bytes at one time. With 64bit PTEs more than 4gig physical can be on the box (presuming the box supports >32 address lines)

 

[Herradura]

I just got my vista HP disk in the mail but I have yet to install it. I want to hear from you guys if I put my extra 2 gigz in (total of 4 gigz) would I notice any speed increase. I know most people say most games wont run faster and in benchmarks your score will go down a bit but will my boot up and downs go faster? aswell as starting up programs like photoshope?

 

[Traveler]

Before hearing about the 4gb-less problem, I was actually wondering about the same of putting 2gb extra in windows vista.

Anyone free to answer Herradura's question, same as mine?

 

[Noema]

I have 4GB in my Home Premium 64 box.

Overall it's a nice addition. My computer is a gaming rig, and the extra RAM is defenitely appreciated. Why?

For starters, Vista's Superfetch is quite agressive. So with 4GB, Superfetch has a lot of room to cache stuff up. Basically I never hit I/O when doing regular usage like web browsing or listening to music.

Also, with 2GB, some games like Company of Heroes were already hitting pagefile, even with all other applications closed. With 4GB, not only do I not need to close any other application when playing a game, I have ample memory left when the game's running to ensure I don't hit pagefile mid-game.

And also, since the OS doesn't need to dump all my memory to make room for the game before playing, going into the games and out of the games back into the desktop is much, much smoother. The actual game doesn't run any faster...but those bumps you get here and there when hitting the HDD mid-game are gone, of course.

All in all4GB is nice. Not essential but surely appreciated.

Just make sure your motherboard plays nice with 4GB (specially 4 sticks of RAM). Many claim they do but in reality their support is iffy at best.