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XP Pro 32 bit maximum RAM ?
I have a Dell system with 4GB of RAM, but XP pro 32bit which says I have only 3GB of RAM. I assume going to XP Pro 64 would solve this, but I thought it strange that XP pro 32 maxxed at 3GB ? SHouldn't it be 2 or 4 or something even ?
My Dell is 64 bit, but was purchased just as XP 64 was an option, but non of our software offered 64 bit versions at that time, so I opted for XP 32.
Thanks
Thereal-dbk4297
3.4K Posts
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December 17th, 2008 17:00
Hello,
The usable RAM for any 32bit OS is between 3GB and 3.4GB.
I think you should check into 64bit compatibility issues before you decide to install a 64bit version of Windows. You may not be happy at all by the limitations of 64bit at this time. 4GB should be more than enough for anything that you want to do with XP, even with only about 3GB being used. What problems are your having that make you think more RAM is needed?
ApproachingZero
117 Posts
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December 17th, 2008 17:00
Adamlda,
Windows 64bit is really going mainstream. Most if not all OEMs (Dell, HP, etc) are now offering 64bit OS in their consumer offerings. If you have a chance to get Vista 64 bit...go for it. Many apps now support 64bit and it is rock solid. Good Luck!
Thereal-dbk4297
3.4K Posts
1
December 17th, 2008 18:00
Hello,
Until your "Many apps" turns into 'Most', I will continue to advise against 64bit for all but a small few.
Most of the customers here are home users, and gamers. They will not be happy if they take your advise. :emotion-45:
ApproachingZero
117 Posts
0
December 17th, 2008 19:00
Hello,
Until your "Many apps" turns into 'Most', I will continue to advise against 64bit for all but a small few.
Most of the customers here are home users, and gamers. They will not be happy if they take your advise. :emotion-45:
[/quote]
Well...I have to respectfully disagree. Mac Leopard OS X...64 bit. I just went through customizing several Dell systems....most right now are offering Windows Vista 64 bit. Heck go over to HP and take a look at their OS choices...32 bit Vista far and few between. It is clear that the OEMs have 64bit drivers to support their systems. In June 2008...20% of Vista PC connecting to Windows Update where of the 64bit variety, up from 3% in March 2008. Microsoft reports 64bit adoption is outpacing 32bit. So where am off when I say to customers, jump on the 64 bit bandwagon now? A year ago...absolutely I would have advised stay away, but as we approach the 2nd anniversary of the Vista launch...it is abundantly clear where Microsoft is putting their efforts (even Mac for that matter). Take a gander at some of the game sites. Stumbled on some posts in June 2007 where gamers reported no issues running games under 64 bit Vista. Are there some issues. Yes....I'm not ignorant of that fact. But any vendor worth a darn at this point has written drivers and apps to play nicely in a 64bit environment. I still feel the benefits of 64bit computing far outweigh the cons.
Thereal-dbk4297
3.4K Posts
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December 17th, 2008 20:00
Hello again,
Well I guess that we can agree that we disagree. :emotion-21:
adamlda
2 Posts
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December 18th, 2008 12:00
Thanks for the info and clarifying the 3GB.
Actually, I am doing high end 3D rendering and I just finished a project that is sometimes getting a "Windows is out of memory" issue. 3GB is usually fine. I guess I figured if a paid for 4GB, maybe I should finally get to use it. I still would have to spend $$ for XP64 though.
Currently, all of the software I use on my PC has 64 bit versions without problems (Solidworks, Rhino, Maxwell). All other work is done a MAC.
DELL-Larry R
1.7K Posts
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December 25th, 2008 12:00
If you get the "out of memory" error more than everyone now and then (enough to be even a minor problem) then you probably want to do the upgrade. My first suggestion would be to make sure the apps you use have 64bit versions, or the upgrade would be pointless, but since it appears they do you should be fine.
The only problem I can think of is that you may still get the "out of memory" errors if you don't also upgrade the amount of memory in the computer (with the hardware limitation in the BIOS being the only other concern).