16 replies to this topic

[krit86lr]

How do you know how much RAM your computer will support? I've been reading posts in the form, and some people have 1GB, and another wants 2GB.

I thought that I had exceeded the limit that my computer would support. But I would like to hear that I can have 1GB too.

What can happen if you install too much RAM? Is there such a thing?

K

[rridgely]

Go here and find your pc. It will then tell you how much and what kind of ram your pc needs.
http://www.crucial.com/

[krit86lr]

rridgely, on Jan 28 2006, 10:14 PM, said:

Go here and find your pc. It will then tell you how much and what kind of ram your pc needs.
http://www.crucial.com/

Unfortunately according to the scan I can only add an additional 128MB. I just installed alot more memory a few months ago, and I have xtra 128MB card, but my slots are full now.

Is there something that you can do so that your computer can support more RAM? The scan said that my coomputer supports up to 768MB. Would 896MB hurt it?

Thanks!!
K

[lokoike]

It wouldn't hurt it to install more RAM; you computer just wouldn't recognize anything over the limit (in your case, 768MB). How much RAM you can have is partly dependent on your motherboard, and partly on your OS. The maximum amount that Windows XP 32bit recognizes is 4GB. XP 64 bit supports up to 16GB of RAM, more than most boards support right now.

As for motherboards, most new boards support around 4GB of RAM, and most have 4 slots for RAM. Some boards only support 2GB, so for a new board, expect support between 2-4GB.

Anyway, for you krit86lr, I would recommend either getting a new computer or upgrading your mobo & CPU sometime in the future to 64 bit (processor, not memory). Since you already have a copy of WinXP Pro x64, you might as well get hardware that supports it. And if you do upgrade to a 64 bit proc/board, you will be able upgrade your RAM for years to come!

[krit86lr]

lokoike, on Jan 28 2006, 11:08 PM, said:

It wouldn't hurt it to install more RAM; you computer just wouldn't recognize anything over the limit (in your case, 768MB). How much RAM you can have is partly dependent on your motherboard, and partly on your OS. The maximum amount that Windows XP 32bit recognizes is 4GB. XP 64 bit supports up to 16GB of RAM, more than most boards support right now.

As for motherboards, most new boards support around 4GB of RAM, and most have 4 slots for RAM. Some boards only support 2GB, so for a new board, expect support between 2-4GB.

Anyway, for you krit86lr, I would recommend either getting a new computer or upgrading your mobo & CPU sometime in the future to 64 bit (processor, not memory). Since you already have a copy of WinXP Pro x64, you might as well get hardware that supports it. And if you do upgrade to a 64 bit proc/board, you will be able upgrade your RAM for years to come!

I would like to upgrade my mobo. I don't plan on buying a new computer for a few more years.

If I upgrade my mobo...would it still be a good idea for me to install a second HD?

Thank you.
K

[lokoike]

It is always a good idea to install a second hard drive. I would suggest having one hard drive have Windows and all of your apps on it, and the second drive could have your page file and all of you other files (documents, audio, video, pictures, etc.) on it.

Not only will that setup be faster than your current setup, if one drive fails, you still have at least half of your stuff left! Having two drives gives you better performance and your files more safety.

[kobrakommander56]

I have a friend who has 4 gigs just for bragging rights, but holy sh*t man 16 gigs.

[lokoike]

kobrakommander56, on Jan 31 2006, 10:35 PM, said:

I have a friend who has 4 gigs just for bragging rights, but holy sh*t man 16 gigs.

Yeah, but to be honest, I thought that Vista's support for only 16 GB was actually kind of wimpy. I mean, I'm sure that average users will have around 4-8 GB of RAM in about 2 years, which means that hardcore gamers and power users will want to have more than 16 GB. Vista is (supposedly) gonna be around for a long time while Microsoft works on Blackcomb, so I think it won't take more than 4 years or so for the average user to find themselves stuck at the 16 GB limit.

Plus, since 64 bit processors can support over 100 GB of RAM, it is just stupid that MS sets the limit at 16 GB. I know that sounds silly now, but just wait; it won't take long!

[kobrakommander56]

hmmm 100 gigs, I hate technology.

[lokoike]

kobrakommander56, on Feb 2 2006, 08:39 PM, said:

hmmm 100 gigs, I hate technology.

Yeah, I know the feeling. Sure makes my .5 GB of RAM look measly, doesn't it?

And by the way, I was way off in how much RAM a 64-bit processor can support. I was thinking it was a couple-hundred gigabytes; in fact, the exact value is 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 bytes, or 16 exabytes!

2^32 = 4,294,967,296; thus the 4 GB limit of 32-bit processors.

Therefore,

2^64 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,616; thus the 16 EB limit of 64-bit processors. So now the stupid 16 GB limit of Vista looks even stupider. Way to think ahead, MS!

[krit86lr]

If you upgrade your motherboard do you need to by a new copy of Windows?

[lokoike]

krit86lr, on Feb 4 2006, 03:18 AM, said:

If you upgrade your motherboard do you need to by a new copy of Windows?

Definitely not! Your brand new copy of WinXP Pro/x64 Edition will work just fine. Just make sure that you either use the same hard drive, or if you get a new one, erase Windows from the old one, as having one copy of Windows installed on multiple computers is illegal.

[krit86lr]

lokoike, on Feb 4 2006, 03:23 AM, said:

Definitely not! Your brand new copy of WinXP Pro/x64 Edition will work just fine. Just make sure that you either use the same hard drive, or if you get a new one, erase Windows from the old one, as having one copy of Windows installed on multiple computers is illegal.

I want to include an additional HD.

Is this x64 edition going to install the same as sp2 (same options)? Can't I do a clean install, and skip erasing? Then use my sp2 cd on another computer? Is that legal? You guys are giving me a damn conscience.

I honestly am walking into this blind. I don't know what to expect, but this CD just keeps sitting here staring at me, and darnit I want to use it.

[lokoike]

krit86lr, on Feb 4 2006, 03:30 AM, said:

I want to include an additional HD.

Is this x64 edition going to install the same as sp2 (same options)? Can't I do a clean install, and skip erasing? Then use my sp2 cd on another computer? Is that legal? You guys are giving me a damn conscience.

I honestly am walking into this blind. I don't know what to expect, but this CD just keeps sitting here staring at me, and darnit I want to use it.

I have never installed x64 Edition, but I believe it works just like doing an upgrade (like SP2). And I personally would recommend a clean install, which involves formatting, which is same as erasing (even though the data is still technically there). And you can install Service Pack 2 on as many computers as you want. You can even download it off of MS's website for free.

But you can only install Windows XP on one computer (legally); if you wanted to illegally install it on multiple computers, you would have a difficult time activating it, since MS will not let you use the same serial more than 2 or three times before they make you activate over phone and explain, in depth, why this serial has been used in the past.

And I think that the WinXP Pro and the x64 bit Edition are treated as one OS; so you can only use either one on a single computer. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear!

[krit86lr]

lokoike, on Feb 4 2006, 01:09 PM, said:

I have never installed x64 Edition, but I believe it works just like doing an upgrade (like SP2). And I personally would recommend a clean install, which involves formatting, which is same as erasing (even though the data is still technically there). And you can install Service Pack 2 on as many computers as you want. You can even download it off of MS's website for free.

But you can only install Windows XP on one computer (legally); if you wanted to illegally install it on multiple computers, you would have a difficult time activating it, since MS will not let you use the same serial more than 2 or three times before they make you activate over phone and explain, in depth, why this serial has been used in the past.

And I think that the WinXP Pro and the x64 bit Edition are treated as one OS; so you can only use either one on a single computer. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear!

That's the thing my XP Pro sp2 CD has a different serial number than my x64 edition CD. So if I reformat this computer again and install x64 edition my pro sp2 CD should be okay to install on another computer...right? Not sure.

[lokoike]

krit86lr, on Feb 4 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

That's the thing my XP Pro sp2 CD has a different serial number than my x64 edition CD. So if I reformat this computer again and install x64 edition my pro sp2 CD should be okay to install on another computer...right? Not sure.

Oh, you have 2 serials! Well, in that case, you can have it on two different computers. Sorry for the confusion!

[krit86lr]

lokoike, on Feb 4 2006, 02:43 PM, said:

Oh, you have 2 serials! Well, in that case, you can have it on two different computers. Sorry for the confusion!

no problemo amigo