Re: 4 GB memory on standard Vista


"Dan Sgambelluri" <dsgambelluri@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Tom Lake wrote:


"ken tak" <kentake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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I brought an Inspiron 1525 laptop with 4 GB memory with Vista Home
Premium. I just found out that Vista Home Premium (not 64 bit) could
only use 3 GB memory. Only the 64 bit versions are able to use 4 GB
memory. Why does Dell do this? Is there something I'm missing?

Dell doesn't do it. The Binary number system does it.

A 32-bit machine can address only 4 GB total (2 ^ 32).
Hardware needs some address space to run. If you fill
up the address space with 4 GB RAM, the hardware has
to take some back to use. HP computers do it, Gateway
computers do it and so do almost every other brand
(Even Apple!)

Think of a 4-quart jar. Now think of hardware as being rocks.
put some rocks in the jar. Is the jar's capacity 4 quarts? Yup.
Can it hold 4 quarts of water? Nope. The rocks take up some room.

Is your computer's capacity 4 GB? Yup. Can you fill it all with RAM?
Nope. The hardware takes some room.

Tom Lake



As I already said in the other post.

I think he is asking, why is Dell selling a Laptop that is 32bit with 4
Gigs of Memory?



It's like a spare tire. If any of the RAM goes bad, he can just revert to a
perfectly reasonable 2gb w/o missing a beat......

g


.

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