Vista and 4gb (32/64bit)?

[Mr. Smith]

I want to get Vista and 4gb in readiness for some dx10 action.

I read the 64bit version has many driver issues, something I want to avoid. However, the 64bit can support the additional memory address required for the 4gb ram.

I was reading about getting 4gb on the 32bit version. There is contradicting information, ranging from

- yes you can enable memory remap and your computer will ‘see’ and ‘use’ the full 4gig,

- remapping will allow your pc to recognise 3.5gig but only use 3gb,

- don’t bother

Can anyone clarify?

Also, I think 4gb will be worth it as vista idles at almost a gig, games tend to eat up almost a gig now, but do you think its worth it? Can you OC 4gb the same as 2gb?

Thank you

 

[Bungral]

I want to get Vista and 4gb in readiness for some dx10 action.

I read the 64bit version has many driver issues, something I want to avoid. However, the 64bit can support the additional memory address required for the 4gb ram.

I was reading about getting 4gb on the 32bit version. There is contradicting information, ranging from

- yes you can enable memory remap and your computer will ‘see’ and ‘use’ the full 4gig,

- remapping will allow your pc to recognise 3.5gig but only use 3gb,

- don’t bother

Can anyone clarify?

Also, I think 4gb will be worth it as vista idles at almost a gig, games tend to eat up almost a gig now, but do you think its worth it? Can you OC 4gb the same as 2gb?

Thank you

You can get Vista running at 700mb without stripping it at all without too much bother... Even down to 500 - 600 sometimes. As for the last point... You defo can't OC 4gb the same as 2GB

 

[Mr. Smith]

Thanks for that Bungral, but what about getting Vista to recognise the 4gb?

 

[nathan]

My vista runs around 500mb mark. Vista 32bit should work upto 4gb. Anything more and you'll need a 64bit OS. You must have either premium or ultimate for 4gb though.

This info is what i picked up from reading a mspress vista book.

 

[mVp24]

My vista runs around 500mb mark. Vista 32bit should work upto 4gb. Anything more and you'll need a 64bit OS. You must have either premium or ultimate for 4gb though.

This info is what i picked up from reading a mspress vista book.

No you need 64bit for 3.8GB +

 

[nathan]

No you need 64bit for 3.8GB +

no. after more reading. It looks like your hardware will eat into your 32bit address space. Meaning....depending on your hardware, you could have varing results. Not really sure where you got the exact figure from?

The below is not taking into account hardware. But vista 32 bit does support 4gb if the hardware didnt nick some.

Most CPUs are currently (as of 2005) designed so that the contents of a single integer register can store the address (location) of any datum in the computer's virtual memory. Therefore, the total number of addresses in the virtual memory — the total amount of data the computer can keep in its working area — is determined by the width of these registers. Beginning in the 1960s with the IBM System/360, then (amongst many others) the DEC VAX minicomputer in the 1970s, and then with the Intel 80386 in the mid-1980s, a de facto consensus developed that 32 bits was a convenient register size. A 32-bit register meant that 232 addresses, or 4 gigabytes of RAM, could be referenced. At the time these architectures were devised, 4 gigabytes of memory was so far beyond the typical quantities available in installations that this was considered to be enough "headroom" for addressing. 4-gigabyte addresses were considered an appropriate size to work with for another important reason: 4 billion integers are enough to assign unique references to most physically countable things in applications like databases.

 

[Mr. Smith]

This is what I mean as I stated in the OP, depending on what you read and where, information is inconclusive.

So vista 32bit can have 4gb of ram, my hardware all needs address space, so the gts will steal 640mb? Leaving me with 3.4gb ram?

This is where I get confused... Does all my hardware steal some space?

I could end up paying £90 for another 2gb to only see an extra 1gb.

How troublesome would 64bit vista be?

Edit: Thanks again for the help

 

[Bungral]

This is what I mean as I stated in the OP, depending on what you read and where, information is inconclusive.

So vista 32bit can have 4gb of ram, my hardware all needs address space, so the gts will steal 640mb? Leaving me with 3.4gb ram?

This is where I get confused... Does all my hardware steal some space?

I could end up paying £90 for another 2gb to only see an extra 1gb.

How troublesome would 64bit vista be?

Edit: Thanks again for the help

I think 64bit could currently be a bit more hassle than its worth.. I was thinking of buying it before i got my 32bit premium.. I was checking around at the compatibility issues and basically everything would have been effected to some extent.. I'd imagine quite a few more drivers are out now but I still see quite a headache with the amount of little programs we all like to use.

As for the 4gb in Vista Premium 32bit i'm not sure.. I don't know anyone with any more DDR2 or i'd try and nick it and try out for you.

 

[Pyr0]

just like with windows XP x86, it's also possible to enable PAE (Physical Address Extension) in vista 32bit, by adding the command to the BCD boot options.

although i have not tried it myself, it may allow for more mem to be detected

all the info neded on the BCD options can be found here:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa906211.aspx

 

[FleX.overclock3d]

im running 4Gb and see 3325Mb with a 8800GTS 320Mb installed... Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit.

 

[Pyr0]

have you tried adding the PAE entry to your BCD options?

do you have an option for a memory hole or memory remapping in the bios?

 

[Mr. Smith]

all the info neded on the BCD options can be found here:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa906211.aspx

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