Question I can only use half of my installed ram

[daaveeHun]

Hello! I have an older pc with win 10 pro x64 on it. The problem is i can only use 3.99gb of ram instead of the installed 8gb. Pc specs(AMD A6 3500, 2x4gb patriot 1333mhz ram and a GTX750)
The ram shows up in the bios, and in windows but i can only use the mentioned 3.99gb

 

[Colif]

Did you take the 4gb stick out that PC won't even boot from? As it isn't likely to be using it anyway.

I would have run memtest on the 1gb that you tried, just to make sure its okay.

Windows 10 is more capable of seeing flaws in ram sticks since it uses memory differently to the previous versions of windows.

i don't see many igpu, that must be how they show.
so dxdiag shows igpu only has 256mb of ram to use.
AMD shows 2gb

Its odd it doesn't show the share amount.
The 256mb is normal for igpu but it should show that if needed the igpu can take half system memory.
But it only shares it if it needs the space, it doesn't take it if its not needed.

AMD showing 2gb of memory shows that its able to use half of the ram windows will let it use.
If you could use 8gb, the AMD thing might show 4gb in that line.
Hypermemory is AMD's term for using system ram as VRAM.

The IGPU only takes the ram if it needs it. It doesn't take it at boot and not let other parts share. If you normally use a video card it shouldn't use any more than 256mb as it has no monitors attached to it.

 

[daaveeHun]

Hello! I have an update on the "bad" ram stick. Turns out i am just stupid and the ram just didn't click in the slot! Ran memtest with the "bad" ram, 0 errors. Windows boots with it as well.

Second, I have updated the bios from ver 1.6 to 1.7 and it works. Still I'm scared of the 2.0 update due to the file size, but maybe just maybe that would fix it. The ram thing still is there,4.0gb reserved.

Also, before I forget. The problem has been present since i have installed an ssd into the pc. I don't know if this helps, but I'll include it anyway.

 

[Colif]

storage shouldn't steal ram. What make/model ssd? be funny if Samsung was running a ram drive, but I doubt it would suggest rapid on a PC with only 8gb of ram... it might. I don't think it shows it as hardware reserved though.

have you tried removing ssd to see if it changes anything.

Bios 2.0 just seems to make some changes for win 8. It doesn't mention memory compatibility, so it may not help.

shame the other person who I found with same problem didn't show a solution.

have both sticks worked together before?

 

[daaveeHun]

Yes, both sticks work together, and they did for well over 10 years. SSD is an apacer 240gb "panther" I bought that when the psu was bought. I will try to install windows 8 or 7 on the hdd while the ssd is removed.

 

[Colif]

It shouldn't be this if it worked before

Click on start.
In the search bar type : MSCONFIG.
Press enter.

A new window will open.

Click on the boot tab at the top of the new window.
Then click on the Advanced option tab.

A new window will open.
To the top left you will see a tick box for maximum memory.
If there is a value typed into the box bellow it remove all of the numbers.

Then untick the maximum memory box if it is ticked.

Click OK
Then click apply.

Restart the system.
Let windows load.

And again open up windows system information.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...lled-ram/eb1850fc-0d83-42fe-a7a2-2dbe29e075f0

 

[daaveeHun]

Already tried that, it doesn't work.

 

[daaveeHun]

Alright I'm back! With the pc i figured out what was the problem! One of the dimm sockets pins was bent and was making a short. Turns out when i was removing the board from the pc, i accidentally bent one of the pins and it was making a short. Due to the reason of me being an idi** I didn't realise that i had made that mistake, I assumed that the software was somehow broken. I want to thank all of you that supported this thread, and helped me!

 

[johnbl]

Alright I'm back! With the pc i figured out what was the problem! One of the dimm sockets pins was bent and was making a short. Turns out when i was removing the board from the pc, i accidentally bent one of the pins and it was making a short. Due to the reason of me being an idi** I didn't realise that i had made that mistake, I assumed that the software was somehow broken. I want to thank all of you that supported this thread, and helped me!

sometimes you can fix these with a electronics pin alignment tool but sometimes the pin just breaks off.
(electronics pin straightener tool)