8GB Ram (2GB Usable)

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Jan 22, 2016
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I have windows 64bit and it seems that I can't access my stick's full potential; it's stuck at only 2GB's being usable as the title very clearly says.

I don't know anything about computers so i'll provide some extra information just incase:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 210
 
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Press ctrl+shift+esc. It'll open up task manager. Click on the performance tab -> memory and give a screenshot. Btw, how did the issue crop up? Did it happen suddenly or after a fresh install?
 
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http://prntscr.com/gcxg71

Here's the link to the screenshot.

Regarding the second question, It's a long story and I might not remember much but I'll give it a go.
I bought this PC in 2009 which was 32bit, and it served me well, years later something happened to it and I had to send it for repair. The guy who worked there not only repaired it but also added 8gb's of ram but I was disappointed to find out that only 2gb's were usable. I went into google to try and figure out why it was like that and I saw people pretty much saying stuff like "Get 64bit, it will fix everything"
So that's what I did, Windows 64bit and I have the same problem, only 2gb's are usable.
 
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Windows XP, childhood memories :) (Tho you shouldn't be using it anymore, it's insecure)

Btw, I don't think the RAM stick is faulty. In my experience, they either work or they don't. Period.
Try running MemTest86 on your PC and let us know the results.

https://www.memtest86.com/

Download it, make a bootable USB and then boot from it.

 
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Oh, haha I can see how that can be misunderstood for XP, I use the windows classic theme because I personally enjoy old looking things more than modern ones. And besides my PC is a tad bit faster like that so it's a win win for me.

Anyhow, I'll add on to this post when I get the results.

Wait hang on, are you sure I should run memtest86? My OS is 64bit.
 
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I feel stupid now lol. Is that windows 7 or 10? XD

Yup, go ahead and run memtest86. Forget the name, it'll run on 64-bit PC too.
 
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Nah, don't feel like that. I should have mentioned my full system name in the first place so I'm the one to blame.
It's windows 7 Ultimate to be exact. Anyway, I'm going to be trying out memtest86.
 
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hahaha I could make a meme out of it XD, don't blame yourself
Anyway, waiting for the results, would love to help with this issue.
 
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Strange, it does detect 8GB though, but lists 2GB as "theoritical max" . Even if this was a 32-bit OS problem you'd get 4096MB (4GB) of RAM, so I'd say it's not your system's problem.

Download Speccy (https://www.piriform.com/speccy) and give me screenshots of the overview, motherboard, CPU and RAM tabs.

BTW, memtest86 and memtest64 are two very different applications. It did the job though :)

 
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No problem, I love helping around :)

As for the issue, I checked the specs. Everything seems compatible with each other. Since your OS is already 64-bit, I guess the memory is being limited by the BIOS (and messing around in the BIOS can be kinda risky if you aren't careful)

When your PC is booting up, repeatedly hit the f2, f12, delete or esc key (It's usually shown when you're starting your PC, it should probably be one of these keys)

In the BIOS, make sure that the Memory remap feature is [ENABLED] (usually in chipset -> northbridge settings) Also the 'configure DRAM timing by SPD should be [ENABLED]

PS- If you're feeling confident, you can do it yourself. Otherwise take help of a friend or the PC repair guys.

Hopefully it'll solve the issue :)

 
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Sorry for taking so long to answer, I was tired so I overslept.
Anyway I already checked my bios settings and I could not find the memory remap feature anywhere, although I do remember seeing a "Configure DRAM timing by SPD" somewhere, I'm going to enable it right now
 
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I should've guessed, most manufacturers don't provide the memory remap option in the BIOS. Anyway, what else memory related options can you find in your BIOS?

 
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Alright, my PC's screen wouldn't turn on for some reason but now I got it working again.\
All the memory related options are:

DRAM Timing Mode: [Auto]
DRAM Drive Strength: [Auto]
DRAM Advance Control: [Auto]
1T/2T Memory Timing: [2T]
DCT Unganged Mode: [Enabled]
Bank Interleaving: [Auto]
Power Down Enable: [Disabled]
MemCiK Tristate C3/ATLVID: [Disabled]
 
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Yes they're the defaults, and it's a single stick.
I also tried putting it in the other slot (there's only 2) and my computer wouldn't launch for some reason. I should try it again.
 
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If it doesn't boot while the RAM is in the other slot, then put it back in the first slot. Though it should work in both slots, I guess. If it boots while the RAM is in the other slot, check whether the problem is solved.
 
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Sorry, I'm at the end of my wits. The system seems completely fine tbh, therefore I can't track down the issue. I'd suggest taking it back to that computer shop, and get it checked. Might be the possible that the stick needs to be replaced.
 
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Thank you for at least trying, I understand completely if you've exhausted your options.
To be completely honest, I was going to get a new PC this october either way so even if I solved this issue or not I still would use the newer PC because frankly this one is utter shit, sorry for the language but there's no other way to describe it.
 
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That's great! Consider building your own PC this time. Not as hard as it seems. :)
 
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