quick memory question

**Krako** · 04-05-2008, 11:01 AM

I was told that Vista can only handle 4G of RAM.
I was also tol that the video card memory was part of this 4 gig.

So, if i have a 512M video card, and 4G of RAM, Vista will only use 3.5G!

Is all that true?

**Bamboo** · 04-05-2008, 11:37 AM

Kind of sort of.
1st it depends on which version of vista you have, either the 32 or 64 bit version.
If you have the 64 you are good to go no matter how much ram you have.
If you have 32 then what you said above is kind of true, but there are other things added in, so it could only end up with like 3.2 gigs of RAM.
Also, if you have service pack 1 installed, you will still show up as having 4 gigs, but if you don't have SP1, you will show the actual amount, like 3.2 or what ever.

By the way, 32 bit XP is the same as the Vista, so don't think that it is something that Vista started. It is just one of them limitations of a 32 bit OS.
A lot of us here are using Vista 64 so we could run more RAM.

**TheBigC** · 04-05-2008, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krako

I was told that Vista can only handle 4G of RAM.
I was also tol that the video card memory was part of this 4 gig.

So, if i have a 512M video card, and 4G of RAM, Vista will only use 3.5G!

Is all that true?

To my knowledge that is a untrue statement. Here is a little breakdown by Vista X64 version of what it will handle:

Home Basic: 8GB
Home premium: 16GB
Business: 128GB
Enterprise: 128BM
Ultimate: 128GB

As for me I have 1476MB (2X 768) in video memory and 4 GB in memory sticks installed. Vista X64 has no issues handling all that memory that I throw at it. The OS will handle it, but the programs (i.e. games) may have issues handling more than 3 in my experience. But even than, I have always found a workaround that allows me to keep it all installed.

The motherboard will be your limiting factor.

**Bamboo** · 04-05-2008, 11:47 AM

But BigC, what version of Vista do you have?

**TheBigC** · 04-05-2008, 11:50 AM

Sorry, I have Vista Ultimate X64. X32 does have limits of 4 GB so I should have stated that. But who in their right mind would limit themselves by using Vista X32?

**Bamboo** · 04-05-2008, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigC

But who in their right mind would limit themselves by using Vista X32?

People that don't know better and buy from Dell or Gateway, etc.

Of course, a lot of people don't game, they just want to surf the net and use MS word.

Also, here is a good link I just found this morning
http://64-bit-computers.com/windows-...benchmark.html

Take the comments in the article at the end with a grain of salt. Article is well over a year old, and a LOT has changed since then.

**marstein** · 04-05-2008, 12:07 PM

The driver support on 64 bit Vista is even worse than on 32 bit.
But then if no one uses 64 bit the vendors will never develop for 64 bit.
So keep it up and pave the way!

**Bamboo** · 04-05-2008, 12:20 PM

It is worse, but I have been able to find any driver I have needed, as well as a version of just about any kind of program I needed. And like you said, the more people that go 64, the more likley companies are to develop for it.

**marstein** · 04-05-2008, 12:33 PM

64 bit is real important in applications that use HUGE amounts of memory, like video editing. It also makes your programs use more memory because many data structures programs use double in size. John Nack from Adobe has some remarks on his blog

Quote:

when processing very large files on a suitably equipped machine, Photoshop x64 realizes some big performance gains. (For example, opening a 3.75 gigapixel image on a 4-core machine with 32GB RAM is about 10x faster.)

Quote:

What does 64-bit computing mean, practically speaking? In a nutshell, it lets an application address very large amounts of memory--specifically, more than 4 gigabytes. This is great for pro photographers with large collections of high-res images: Lightroom being able to address more RAM means less time swapping images into and out of memory during image processing-intensive operations.

It's also important to say what 64-bit doesn't mean. It doesn't make applications somehow run twice as fast. As Photoshop architect Scott Byer writes, "64-bit applications don't magically get faster access to memory, or any of the other key things that would help most applications perform better." In our testing, when an app isn't using a large data set (one that would otherwise require memory swapping), the speedup due to running in 64-bit mode is around 8-12%.

**Krako** · 04-05-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigC

But who in their right mind would limit themselves by using Vista X32?

lol! me

**Krako** · 04-05-2008, 02:20 PM

BTW, if I want to upgrade to vista x64, do I need to re-format my hard drive or just run the installation CD?

**Bamboo** · 04-05-2008, 05:54 PM

I am 99% sure it would require a reformat.

LOL about Adobe, as they just announced this week the next version of CS will be 64 bit, since the current one is only 32 bit.
I wonder what kind of performance gains we will see if they do make it a native 64 bit program, instead of a 32 bit running in 64 OS.

SharinganTH1422 · 04-06-2008, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krako

BTW, if I want to upgrade to vista x64, do I need to re-format my hard drive or just run the installation CD?

However, I'm actually going to probably go with a 32-bit XP system this June, knowing all this information, because I think I can handle a 512MB drop that most games won't even use, so don't think it's such a terrible thing not being able to use all 4 GBs. However, if you do want to switch, the sooner, the better, it is a hassle reformatting, and you don't want to get too comfortable and have everything nice, cosy and set up before you then have to wipe everything away...

ScratchMonkey · 04-07-2008, 11:24 AM

The speedup in 64-bit apps comes from more registers, not bigger ones. The 64-bit processor has more registers available, but 32-bit programs can't use them, as they know only about the registers on 32-bit-only CPUs.

ScratchMonkey · 04-07-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marstein

The driver support on 64 bit Vista is even worse than on 32 bit.
But then if no one uses 64 bit the vendors will never develop for 64 bit.
So keep it up and pave the way!

The same argument is used to explain why Linux doesn't have huge market penetration.

Another application that benefits from the big address space is finite element analysis. This is math that requires a huge amount of data, and can easily chew through 4 GB with relatively simple mechanical structures. My boss just got a system with XP64 and 8 GB for this.

04-05-2008, 11:01 AM	#1 (permalink)
Krako Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montréal, QC Age: 32 Posts: 139	quick memory question I was told that Vista can only handle 4G of RAM. I was also tol that the video card memory was part of this 4 gig. So, if i have a 512M video card, and 4G of RAM, Vista will only use 3.5G! Is all that true? __________________

04-05-2008, 11:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
Bamboo Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: On the beach north of Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,400	Re: quick memory question Kind of sort of. 1st it depends on which version of vista you have, either the 32 or 64 bit version. If you have the 64 you are good to go no matter how much ram you have. If you have 32 then what you said above is kind of true, but there are other things added in, so it could only end up with like 3.2 gigs of RAM. Also, if you have service pack 1 installed, you will still show up as having 4 gigs, but if you don't have SP1, you will show the actual amount, like 3.2 or what ever. By the way, 32 bit XP is the same as the Vista, so don't think that it is something that Vista started. It is just one of them limitations of a 32 bit OS. A lot of us here are using Vista 64 so we could run more RAM. __________________ LINKS 10th Tactical Guard Server Rules and SOP * Kicked? Banned? READ THIS FIRST!* Contact an Admin * Nominate your teammates for a ribbon Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at. -Carlos A. Urbizo-

04-05-2008, 11:47 AM	#4 (permalink)
Bamboo Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: On the beach north of Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,400	Re: quick memory question But BigC, what version of Vista do you have? __________________ LINKS 10th Tactical Guard Server Rules and SOP * Kicked? Banned? READ THIS FIRST!* Contact an Admin * Nominate your teammates for a ribbon Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at. -Carlos A. Urbizo-

04-05-2008, 11:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
TheBigC Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Around Age: 36 Posts: 3,088	Re: quick memory question Sorry, I have Vista Ultimate X64. X32 does have limits of 4 GB so I should have stated that. But who in their right mind would limit themselves by using Vista X32? __________________ The Meek shall inherit the earth..... after we're through with it! The Wounded Warrior Project, help support my friends

04-05-2008, 12:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
marstein Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Half Moon Bay, CA, USA Age: 42 Posts: 840	Re: quick memory question The driver support on 64 bit Vista is even worse than on 32 bit. But then if no one uses 64 bit the vendors will never develop for 64 bit. So keep it up and pave the way! __________________ Gigabyte P35-DS3R, 2GB, 8800GTS 640MB, Core2Duo E8400

04-05-2008, 12:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
Bamboo Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: On the beach north of Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,400	Re: quick memory question It is worse, but I have been able to find any driver I have needed, as well as a version of just about any kind of program I needed. And like you said, the more people that go 64, the more likley companies are to develop for it. __________________ LINKS 10th Tactical Guard Server Rules and SOP * Kicked? Banned? READ THIS FIRST!* Contact an Admin * Nominate your teammates for a ribbon Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at. -Carlos A. Urbizo-

04-05-2008, 02:20 PM	#11 (permalink)
Krako Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montréal, QC Age: 32 Posts: 139	Re: quick memory question BTW, if I want to upgrade to vista x64, do I need to re-format my hard drive or just run the installation CD? __________________

04-05-2008, 05:54 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bamboo Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: On the beach north of Jacksonville, NC Posts: 3,400	Re: quick memory question I am 99% sure it would require a reformat. LOL about Adobe, as they just announced this week the next version of CS will be 64 bit, since the current one is only 32 bit. I wonder what kind of performance gains we will see if they do make it a native 64 bit program, instead of a 32 bit running in 64 OS. __________________ LINKS 10th Tactical Guard Server Rules and SOP * Kicked? Banned? READ THIS FIRST!* Contact an Admin * Nominate your teammates for a ribbon Stoop and you'll be stepped on; stand tall and you'll be shot at. -Carlos A. Urbizo-

04-07-2008, 11:24 AM	#14 (permalink)
ScratchMonkey Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: San Pablo, California Posts: 4,565	Re: quick memory question The speedup in 64-bit apps comes from more registers, not bigger ones. The 64-bit processor has more registers available, but 32-bit programs can't use them, as they know only about the registers on 32-bit-only CPUs. __________________

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