[SOLVED] Only 4GB Ram Show up instead of 16GB.

[Toxicobra]

I have 16gb of Ram in total installed onto my hardware, up until today after I noticed a major fps drop in game Windows 10 (64bit) also showed I had 16gb ram but now it states I only have 4gb of Ram and 3.25 is usable. The ram sticks themselves should be working fine as they are not broken or misplaced in any way.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What are your full hardware specifications including all model numbers?

What slots are your memory modules installed in?

Are you CERTAIN that the full amount of memory was showing as available prior to this?

Have you made ANY changes recently to your hardware configuration or done any work inside the case where you might have bumped one of the modules or knocked it slightly loose?

Have you updated the BIOS recently?

Do you have the latest BIOS version installed as well as the latest motherboard chipset version?

Is it possible that a Windows update driver change has created this issue?

 

[Toxicobra]

What are your full hardware specifications including all model numbers?

What slots are your memory modules installed in?

Are you CERTAIN that the full amount of memory was showing as available prior to this?

Have you made ANY changes recently to your hardware configuration or done any work inside the case where you might have bumped one of the modules or knocked it slightly loose?

Have you updated the BIOS recently?

Do you have the latest BIOS version installed as well as the latest motherboard chipset version?

Is it possible that a Windows update driver change has created this issue?

My hardware specs are: intel core i5 750, gtx 1050ti, Motherboard Gigabyte P55M-UD2 (ITE IT8720F), both of my ram sticks are radeon. (currently I am not able to view more exact specs and the model numbers but I can do so later if the information I provide is still unsubstantial)

As for my Memory module a picture might be better to explain.

I am 100% certain that the full amount was showing previously as I usually check my pc for any issues every three months and the last time I done so was about a week ago.

I have not touched the inside of my pc in weeks and even then I made sure nothing was left loose.

I have not updated the BIOS in a very long time as the motherboard itself is very old and as far as i know there are no more updates for it.

I have not received any Windows update driver recently.

 

[Darkbreeze]

For one thing, you're memory modules are installed in the wrong slots. They should be installed in the DDR3_1 and DDR3_3 slots, which are the second and fourth slots over starting from the CPU and moving towards the edge of the motherboard. Remove your memory module that is in the slot not closest to the edge of the board (Leave the one that is close to the edge of the motherboard where it is) and move it over to the left by one slot. That puts them in the correct slots AND the slots that are intended to be used to achieve dual channel operation.

Be sure to do that with the power off and the power supply unplugged from the wall.

Next, with the power still off, do a hard reset as follows:


Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

 

[Toxicobra]

For one thing, you're memory modules are installed in the wrong slots. They should be installed in the DDR3_1 and DDR3_3 slots, which are the second and fourth slots over starting from the CPU and moving towards the edge of the motherboard. Remove your memory module that is in the slot not closest to the edge of the board (Leave the one that is close to the edge of the motherboard where it is) and move it over to the left by one slot. That puts them in the correct slots AND the slots that are intended to be used to achieve dual channel operation.

Be sure to do that with the power off and the power supply unplugged from the wall.

Next, with the power still off, do a hard reset as follows:


Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes, press the power button on the case for 30 seconds. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

The problem with the hard reset and bios configuration is that I was not the one that previously configured it as I purchased my custom pc from someone els who configured it, so I am unsure whether I am able to configure it correctly myself.

 

[Darkbreeze]

There should not be much trouble with that. The only things you should really need to configure will be the memory XMP profile, which is just selecting XMP profile, and we can walk you through that if necessary, and setting up your fan speeds IF your board even has customizable fans speed profiles in the BIOS which it likely doesn't. The rest, other than boot order if you have more than one drive attached, should pretty much just configure itself when you select the option to load the Default or Optimal default configuration in the BIOS settings.

 

[Toxicobra]

There should not be much trouble with that. The only things you should really need to configure will be the memory XMP profile, which is just selecting XMP profile, and we can walk you through that if necessary, and setting up your fan speeds IF your board even has customizable fans speed profiles in the BIOS which it likely doesn't. The rest, other than boot order if you have more than one drive attached, should pretty much just configure itself when you select the option to load the Default or Optimal default configuration in the BIOS settings.

Thank you I appreciate the help and I will follow your instructions tomorrow once I can, and I will reply again if I encounter any issues.

 

[Toxicobra]

There should not be much trouble with that. The only things you should really need to configure will be the memory XMP profile, which is just selecting XMP profile, and we can walk you through that if necessary, and setting up your fan speeds IF your board even has customizable fans speed profiles in the BIOS which it likely doesn't. The rest, other than boot order if you have more than one drive attached, should pretty much just configure itself when you select the option to load the Default or Optimal default configuration in the BIOS settings.

Just to be clear Is this how I am meant to replace memory sticks the ram sticks?

Also does a hard reset also wipe my pc's memory and windows ?

 

[Calvin7]

Clearing CMOS will return the BIOS to default values. Volatile memory is computer storage that only maintains its data while the device is powered. Windows is stored on a storage drive and won't be wiped by a hard reset.

Since using multiple kits of memory have no guarantee to be compatible together, your memory may not be compatible together. You can make any combinations you want, but memory manufacturers won't guarantee them to work together. What is guaranteed is the use of a Single kit of memory or memory in the form it was sold.

XMP profiles are also for memory in the form it was sold.

 

[Darkbreeze]

No. Like this. Starting from the processor/CPU there should be nothing in the first slot, DIMM in the second slot, nothing in the third slot, DIMM in the fourth slot.

No, doing a hard reset has nothing at all to do with Windows or any storage devices. Memory is wiped everytime you turn the machine off or restart.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Since using multiple kits of memory have no guarantee to be compatible together, your memory may not be compatible together. You can make any combinations you want, but memory manufacturers won't guarantee them to work together. What is guaranteed is the use of a Single kit of memory or memory in the form it was sold.

XMP profiles are also for memory in the form it was sold.

At least bother to read the thread before you post your copy pasta Calvin. Your comment has basically no relevance to this particular thread. His modules are seemingly from one kit, they are the same, and I'm really not sure why you posted this other than it's what you post in most memory threads. Copy pasta is fine, if it actually applies. This doesn't seem to.

 

[Toxicobra]

At least bother to read the thread before you post your copy pasta Calvin. Your comment has basically no relevance to this particular thread. His modules are seemingly from one kit, they are the same, and I'm really not sure why you posted this other than it's what you post in most memory threads. Copy pasta is fine, if it actually applies. This doesn't seem to.

What about the memory sticks that are currently placed in the first two slots from the cpu then ? Where should I place those.
Since you said there shouldn't be anything in the first and second slots.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Let's start over, because, and I appologize, in that picture I honestly could not tell that you had memory in those slots. So, here's what you want to do.

I now see why Calvin was telling you that memory compatibility is only guaranteed in the form in which it is sold, and what he means by that is that on any given motherboard, and it can change from one board to the next even if they are the exact same motherboard, when you mix ANY memory there is always a chance that it will not play nice together. Obviously, you have two entirely different memory kits installed. I was only seeing one kit in that picture. I don't know why I didn't notice there were DIMMs in all four slots.

@Calvin7 , I appologize. Had I realized there were two separate kits installed I would have understood your post was appropriate and that's my fault. Obviously YOU saw that there were two kits, while I did not.

So, this is what you should do to try and get them to work correctly and hopefully they WILL play nice together.

The DIMMs without heatsinks on them that are currently in the 1st and 2nd slots. Move the DIMM in the 2nd slot to the 3rd slot. Move the DIMM in the 3rd slot to the second slot. Do that with the power disconnected from the PSU or the wall. Next, remove the CMOS battery for five minutes. Next, reinstall the CMOS battery and reconnect power. Then, power on the system, go into the BIOS, find the option to load the Default or Optimal default settings and do so. Save setttings and exit BIOS. Power off. Power on and see if the system will POST. If it will POST, good, see if it will boot to Windows. If it does, then run CPU-Z and check to see how much memory is showing as installed and available on the memory tab and whether or not it indicates dual or single in the channel field.

 

[Third-Eye]

You guys could have just told him to put the the kits in their own color, so that would have been yellow modules into white slots and red modules into blue slots. Also in the picture it looked like some of the modules were not in all the way which may mean you didn't follow the center keying and just need to flip the modules around until they snap into the slots or you just didn't secure thme properly before.

 

[Toxicobra]

Thank you for your help, my ram now read 12 even do I have 16 but it's a lot better then 4 and is enough for me untill I eventually replace the ram, motherboard and CPU.

 

[Third-Eye]

Thank you for your help, my ram now read 12 even do I have 16 but it's a lot better then 4 and is enough for me untill I eventually replace the ram, motherboard and CPU.

You are still running in single channel mode though. If you don't need more than 8GB you would have far better performane just running 2 modules in either the white or the blue slots. You might also just need a new motherboard because one of the slots could be bad and you should really determine which slot isn't working. It might also be a bad module. Which of the modules are working right now?

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, getting 12GB out of 16 is not good enough. Go into the BIOS and make sure the XMP profile is set. If it is not, set it. IF it IS, then try increasing the DRAM (memory) voltage by .005-.020v, whatever the smallest increment is that it will allow you to increase it by. Then save settings and exit BIOS. Boot to Windows and see what it is showing now.

If it still shows only 12GB, go back into BIOS and increase DRAM voltage again by .005-.020v. Save settings and exit. Back into Windows, check to see what it shows. Keep trying that process until you either get all 16GB to show up as recognized OR until you've reached 1.6v, at which point while you could still go higher and be safe, there's no point, because if voltage is the issue it would have recognized the full 16GB by then.