I have a question about the amount of effective RAM working in my desktop (PC) computer. I recently installed 2 additional 4GB modules of DDR3 RAM to my machine. It previously had 8GB, so after the upgrade it should now have 16 GB helping me churn out masterpieces
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Sorry the description below is long. If this question has been covered elsewhere please feel free to just respond with links and say "go do some reading".
I am running Windows 7 Business Edition, 64 bit. The mother board is an Asus P7P55D-E LX. The processor is an Intel i7 quad core running at 2.93 GHz.
The issue is whether or not the 8GB which I've just installed is actually working. Although my feeling is that certain things are running faster, I am still unsure because:
1. Windows (via msconfig\System Configuration\Boot tab\BOOT Advanced Options) sometimes says it has a bit over 16 GB (which would be right) but on other occasions it says nil or 4 GB.
2. Windows (via Control Panel\System) also says there are 16GB installed RAM, but only 8 GB usable. (The 8GB discrepancy might correspond with the newly installed but somehow non-functional RAM).
3. Windows (via Task Manager\Performance tab) says the total physical memory is 8190 MB (ie about 8GB) and available memory is about 5770 GB which would presumably be after graphics and other services/programs have taken their share. (Again, where is my new RAM?!)
4. The utility Auslogics BoostSpeed 5.1.0.0 says that the machine has "total" 16GB which should be right.
5. In another feature of the Auslogics utility it shows the actual usage of memory as a steady 2.07 GB out of a total of 16GB, regardless of whether LR (or any other major application) is running. It also states that the machine has 16 GB of virtual memory and ("but only?") 8 GB of physical memory.
6. Lightroom 4.0 (Help\System Info) says that built in memory is (only) 8190 MB (let's say 8GB). In the next line it shows real memory used by LR as something which fluctuates, understandably, according to what I'm looking at or doing in LR, but this variability seems to be at odds with the unvarying RAM usage displayed in Auslogics and described in point 5 above.
The BIOS shows that memory remapping is enabled, which I take to mean that if new memory is added (as I've just done) the machine will automatically recognise it, recalculate what is available and start using it when required.
I understand from looking around the internet on other sites that a graphics card (which I have) typically takes about 1GB of memory, and other services and programs running would probably also reduce the 'available" memory, but surely that would not account for 8 GB going AWOL. And if I'm running a 64 bit OS I shouldn't have a problem using more RAM than 4 GB (which is the 32 bit OS's ceiling).
Can anyone tell me what's going on? Last night after installing the new memory, I thought I had discovered my inner geek. Tonight I feel like just another punter!
Thanks in advance,
John.