Question Installed 32GB but only 16GB being used by my 'HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-ec2004AX'

[TesmiT]

Greetings!

I received my 32 GB of Crucial DDR4 3200Mhz RAM (16GB × 2) yesterday and I have installed it on my HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-ec2004AX. To my surprise, it shows only 16GB RAM being available in the TASK Manager and system information. It shows 29.X GB RAM being committed with 670mb RAM reserved by Hardware.

When I open up software like CPU-Z or HWInfo64, they show that I have attached 32GB of RAM in my laptop but only 16GB being used. The BIOS information also shows only 16GB RAM being installed. I ran a BIOS and Windows update after this and nothing helped.

The service manual has shown that it supports upto 32GB of RAM and also many other users have reported installing upto 32GB of RAM without any hassle. Same is said by HP community when I had posted about this yesterday.

I have proceeded to open up advanced settings in 'msconfig' and also checked if there was a memory limit, which wasn't the case. I tried updating the number from 16000 to 32000 but it cuts back to 16000 again. So I left it un-ticked just like it was before I opened the application.

---

After a while, I was running Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. I opened it up, tapped on restart and test. It was running 2 out of 2 around 60% when my laptop ran out of battery and shutdown. I quickly plugged in the charger and after like 2 minutes, I booted up my laptop. It showed the CMOS reset screen and then proceeded to boot up normally after that. I logged in. It was showing 5% charge and I opened up my task manager. It was SHOWING 31.2GB Usable!!!

It puzzled me because prior to it, it didn't work well. After like 2 minutes, my laptop restarted on it's own while I was away from it. Now after booting, it shows back to 15.3GB available. I have screenshots of both states of the task manager.

I'll attach them below

---

Also,
I had tried installing a single 16GB stick along with 8GB stick that was pre-installed in my laptop. Both sticks in alternate slots to make sure nothing is wrong with a particular slot. Both worked well. Both got recognised as 24GB total in task manager and HWinfo and CPU-Z. I have the reports saved and screenshot of the task manager, which I can attach if required. I tried swapping the 16GB sticks in alternate slots and found out that it shows 16GB only installed.

So in short:-
# 16GB+16GB both slot swapped = 16GB visible and usable
# 16GB+8GB both slot swapped = 24GB visible and usable

---

NOTE:
I have noticed that in the very first config of 16+16GB sticks, the SLOT 1 was being used. After swapping the sticks, the SLOT 2 is being used. Attaching the RAM model below. Both the RAM sticks are the same model as I have ordered them at the same time. Only the serial numbers are different (expected)

---

After turning it off for sometime, when I switched it on,
My Laptop went through a BSoD and had to run repairs but I made it continue to Windows normally and it forgot my PIN and logged out of Microsoft account. I logged back in and put the old PIN as new and everything was fine. I am running the memtest86 at the moment, will update it when it's done. I need some assistance regarding solving this issue.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

My specs:-
CPU -> Ryzen 5 5600H
GPU -> Nvidia GTX 1650
My official laptop spec page by HP

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

When I open up software like CPU-Z or HWInfo64, they show that I have attached 32GB of RAM in my laptop but only 16GB being used.
If you'd performed a BIOS update on your laptop, I'd advise, disconnecting the wall outlet from the laptop, power down and disassemble the laptop to disconnect the internal battery. Once done, press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to drain any and/or all residual power from the laptop.

Reconnect to the wall outlet(leaving the battery disconnected) and try to power up into OS GUI. See if that helps.

What version(not edition) of Windows 10 are you on?

 

[TesmiT]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

When I open up software like CPU-Z or HWInfo64, they show that I have attached 32GB of RAM in my laptop but only 16GB being used.
If you'd performed a BIOS update on your laptop, I'd advise, disconnecting the wall outlet from the laptop, power down and disassemble the laptop to disconnect the internal battery. Once done, press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to drain any and/or all residual power from the laptop.

Reconnect to the wall outlet(leaving the battery disconnected) and try to power up into OS GUI. See if that helps.

What version(not edition) of Windows 10 are you on?

Should I leave the battery's plug un-plugged from the motherboard?
And then plugging the charger into the electrical socket, will the laptop run through AC power itself, without the battery?

I do hold the power button for 30 seconds after unplugging the battery plug from motherboard, each time I go for swapping out the RAM sticks.


I'm currently running Windows 11

 

[TesmiT]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

When I open up software like CPU-Z or HWInfo64, they show that I have attached 32GB of RAM in my laptop but only 16GB being used.
If you'd performed a BIOS update on your laptop, I'd advise, disconnecting the wall outlet from the laptop, power down and disassemble the laptop to disconnect the internal battery. Once done, press and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to drain any and/or all residual power from the laptop.

Reconnect to the wall outlet(leaving the battery disconnected) and try to power up into OS GUI. See if that helps.

What version(not edition) of Windows 10 are you on?

Did what you said.

The BIOS CMOS was reset.

And the same thing happened like I said:

It showed the CMOS reset screen and then proceeded to boot up normally after that. I logged in. It was showing 5% charge and I opened up my task manager. It was SHOWING 31.2GB Usable!!!

It puzzled me because prior to it, it didn't work well. After like 2 minutes, my laptop restarted on it's own while I was away from it. Now after booting, it shows back to 15.3GB available.

 

[TesmiT]

Greetings!

I received my 32 GB of Crucial DDR4 3200Mhz RAM (16GB × 2) yesterday and I have installed it on my HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-ec2004AX. To my surprise, it shows only 16GB RAM being available in the TASK Manager and system information. It shows 29.X GB RAM being committed with 670mb RAM reserved by Hardware.

When I open up software like CPU-Z or HWInfo64, they show that I have attached 32GB of RAM in my laptop but only 16GB being used. The BIOS information also shows only 16GB RAM being installed. I ran a BIOS and Windows update after this and nothing helped.

The service manual has shown that it supports upto 32GB of RAM and also many other users have reported installing upto 32GB of RAM without any hassle. Same is said by HP community when I had posted about this yesterday.

I have proceeded to open up advanced settings in 'msconfig' and also checked if there was a memory limit, which wasn't the case. I tried updating the number from 16000 to 32000 but it cuts back to 16000 again. So I left it un-ticked just like it was before I opened the application.

---

After a while, I was running Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. I opened it up, tapped on restart and test. It was running 2 out of 2 around 60% when my laptop ran out of battery and shutdown. I quickly plugged in the charger and after like 2 minutes, I booted up my laptop. It showed the CMOS reset screen and then proceeded to boot up normally after that. I logged in. It was showing 5% charge and I opened up my task manager. It was SHOWING 31.2GB Usable!!!

It puzzled me because prior to it, it didn't work well. After like 2 minutes, my laptop restarted on it's own while I was away from it. Now after booting, it shows back to 15.3GB available. I have screenshots of both states of the task manager.

I'll attach them below

---

Also,
I had tried installing a single 16GB stick along with 8GB stick that was pre-installed in my laptop. Both sticks in alternate slots to make sure nothing is wrong with a particular slot. Both worked well. Both got recognised as 24GB total in task manager and HWinfo and CPU-Z. I have the reports saved and screenshot of the task manager, which I can attach if required. I tried swapping the 16GB sticks in alternate slots and found out that it shows 16GB only installed.

So in short:-
# 16GB+16GB both slot swapped = 16GB visible and usable
# 16GB+8GB both slot swapped = 24GB visible and usable

---

NOTE:
I have noticed that in the very first config of 16+16GB sticks, the SLOT 1 was being used. After swapping the sticks, the SLOT 2 is being used. Attaching the RAM model below. Both the RAM sticks are the same model as I have ordered them at the same time. Only the serial numbers are different (expected)

---

After turning it off for sometime, when I switched it on,
My Laptop went through a BSoD and had to run repairs but I made it continue to Windows normally and it forgot my PIN and logged out of Microsoft account. I logged back in and put the old PIN as new and everything was fine. I am running the memtest86 at the moment, will update it when it's done. I need some assistance regarding solving this issue.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

My specs:-
CPU -> Ryzen 5 5600H
GPU -> Nvidia GTX 1650
My official laptop spec page by HP

I think I found the culprit.

When I tried running the system on Charger only, with one 16GB RAM Stick at a time, one of them doesn't work. The fans keep spinning but the "CMOS Reset" screen enever appears, even when I interchange the slots with the same 'culprit' RAM.
The keyboard lights keep on for a while and then they also go off. No matter what key I press or try to get the lights back by FN+F5 key, they don't come back up.

Only lights that keep on are the power button and disk usage LED on the side.

So is this an indication that the culprit is indeed the specific 16GB RAM stick?

Or there is something else too?

Because when I tried running 8+16GB Kit on both 16GB RAMs, both worked and turned on.

I'll wait for your valuable insights.

 

[SkyNetRising]

So is this an indication that the culprit is indeed the specific 16GB RAM stick?

Yes.
Return faulty RAM module.

 

[TesmiT]

I think it's time to return the bad stick of RAM.

Should I also return the decent one for dual rank ones?

The particular model comes with both dual and single rank.

I don't know whether they will comply.

What's your thoughts on this?

Dual rank sticks should not have any difficulty in working together like single rank sticks, i guess.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Should I also return the decent one for dual rank ones?

If ram modules were purchased as dual channel kit, then yes - you return both.
If you purchased separate modules, then return only faulty module.

BTW - dual rank and dual channel are different things.

 

[TesmiT]

If ram modules were purchased as dual channel kit, then yes - you return both.
If you purchased separate modules, then return only faulty module.

BTW - dual rank and dual channel are different things.

I had purchased individually, but ordered together

I am informed regarding the difference between channel and rank.
Dual rank is preferred by me.

The seller sells both but it's based on luck, what you recieve.

Guess I'll return just the faulty one.

Thank you everyone for helping me out with the problem.
Hope you guys have a great day ahead