Can I install 4GB DDR 1066 RAM on a system that is running 32 bit 2.2Ghz?

andyp331

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Oct 6, 2014
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I have 2 GB of RAM and I want to add 4GB and when I install the new memory my computer freezes do I need a driver?
 
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andyp331,

Well, prit87 is correct that 32-bit Windows has a limitation of RAM use (3.5GB I think), beyond which it's wasted. You can have any amount of RAM installed, but only that first amount is used by 32-bit Windows. On my 64-bit systems, I find I run out of RAM in 32-bit programs, and I can't make renderings in Sketchup of large 3D models even though the system has 24GB of RAM.

That said, there are a couple of likely reasons the system froze when adding RAM:

1. Incorrect RAM : I upgraded a couple of systems, a Dell Precision 390 and Dimension E520 running XP Pro 32-bit from 2GB to 4GB (1GB...
windows 7 32 bit can only handle ram upto 4 gb max if you want more ram then you have to change your windows to 64 bit.

Plus keep that in mind your previous ram should also have the same mhz as yor current ram even though there is a chance of ram not working together when you mix rams.
 


andyp331,

Well, prit87 is correct that 32-bit Windows has a limitation of RAM use (3.5GB I think), beyond which it's wasted. You can have any amount of RAM installed, but only that first amount is used by 32-bit Windows. On my 64-bit systems, I find I run out of RAM in 32-bit programs, and I can't make renderings in Sketchup of large 3D models even though the system has 24GB of RAM.

That said, there are a couple of likely reasons the system froze when adding RAM:

1. Incorrect RAM : I upgraded a couple of systems, a Dell Precision 390 and Dimension E520 running XP Pro 32-bit from 2GB to 4GB (1GB modules). These both use DDR2-667, but the 390 is ECC error-correcting and the E520 is non-ECC. I had to buy RAM for the 390 a total of three times as I first received Buffered ECC RAM that is standard in servers instead of the Unbuffered, and the second round, I never learned what the problem was- only the last two characters of the model were different. The third time I ordered, I copied the exact designation: PC2-5300E-555-12-G0 of the original RAM and bought used RAM with that exact number and brand and it worked. With the E520, I bought memory with the exact numbers and there were no problems. My impression is that the older the system- these are from 2005- and if it's a name brand, the fussier the memory.

2. Old BIOS: With both the 390 and E520, the BIOS was the original and would only recognize 4GB. I downloaded the little *.EXE BIOS from Dell.com support and magically, these systems can use 8GB. As I've changed these to Win7 Professional 64-bit, the Precision 390 will probably have the full 8GB. Checking the BIOS and other settings is also a good idea in general when updating. Both of these systems were set to only recognize one core. As I changed the 390 from Core2 Duo 2.66 to a quad core Xeon x3230 (2.67GHz), resetting the cores enabled in msconfig, the CPU benchmark jumped from 813 to 3643 after the multi-core setting. Also, I did not AHCI disk enabled, so I had a boost in the disk performance as well.

I like getting these older systems running well- they can be entirely useful, but the memory seems to be very fussy in Dell at least.

Unnecessary History: Memory may be fussy, but compare the cost of it from 20 years ago. I had an IBM 486 DX2 50MHz in 1993 and I wanted to upgrade it from 2MB to the maximum 4MB- yes that's Mega and not Giga, and a 2MB module cost $180-and only IBM memory would work. At $90 per MB, a 1GB module would cost $92,000. The 85MB HD was changed to the largest then made- 540MB which cost $570- so a 1TB at that rate would be about $1,100,000. I'd not calculated it before, but that system with a 50MHz CPU cost $2,800 so $56/ MHz means my 3600MHz HP would cost $202,000.

No matter what the problem, it's a lot better now!

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3923, 2D= 839 / 3D=2048]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB DDR2 ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > [Passmark system rating = 1859, CPU = 8528 / 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

Dell Precision 390 (2005) Xeon x3230 quad core @ 2.67GHz > 4 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB)> 2X WD 320GB > Windows 7 Profession 64-bit [Passmark system rating = 1431, CPU = 3642 / 2D= 433 / 3D=1346]


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