Deputy Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Jabo: Here's the info about useable RAM and the effect of hardware devices with RAM on the useable RAM in Windows XP Home Edition. It was written a while back, so the comment about "Video cards nowadays commonly have one or two hundred MB of RAM on them" is incorrect. Nowadays the video cards we use in gaming can have anywhere from 125Meg to 1 GIG of RAM on them. So things have gotten worse instead of better. 4 GB RAM in 32-bit Windows XP and Vista As more and more of us load up our systems with lots and lots of RAM, this question surfaces more and more. You put 4GB in your computer. The motherboard supports 4GB, Windows XP and Vista support 4GB, so everything is fine. But when you open the System applet in Control Panel, the system tells you that there is 3.5GB, or maybe 3 GB even. Where did the rest go? It turns out that these systems have a 4GB address space, which must be used to address physical RAM, as well as other things. This is addressed in the Microsoft document Memory Management: What Every Driver Writer Needs To Know. In particular, the fourth full paragraph on page 10 says: The physical address space is used to address more than just RAM. It is also used to address all of the memory and some of the registers presented by devices. Consequently, if a machine is configured with the maximum amount of physical memory, some of that memory will be unusable because some of the physical address space is mapped for other uses. So the machine must use that 4GB address space for other things besides your RAM. But what other things? I recently had a new Dell Optiplex computer put on my desk at work. Being curious, I went to the Dell web site and found the manual for this computer. In that document, it says this: This computer supports a maximum of 4 GB of memory when you use four 1-GB DIMMs or two 2-GB DIMMs. Current operating systems, such as Microsoft® Windows® XP, can only use a maximum of 4 GB of address space; however, the amount of memory available to the operating system is less than 4 GB. Certain components within the computer require address space in the 4-GB range. Any address space reserved for these components cannot be used by computer memory. The following components require memory address space: System ROM APIC(s) Integrated PCI devices, such as network connectors and SCSI controllers PCI cards Graphics card PCI Express cards (if applicable) At start-up, the BIOS identifies the components that require address space. The BIOS dynamically calculates the amount of reserved address space required. The BIOS then subtracts the reserved address space from 4 GB to determine the amount of usable space. If the total installed computer memory is less than the usable space, all installed computer memory is available for use only by the operating system. If the total installed computer memory is equal to or greater than the usable address space, a small portion of installed memory is unavailable for use by the operating system. The first thing that I see on this list is “Graphics card†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2. Administrators Jabo Posted January 3, 2009 Author 2. Administrators Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 OK, I think I understand that. I think I need to find a copy of XP 64bit if I want to push the envelope as far as memory is concerned. Thanks for the clarification m8, much appreciated. ~S~ Jabo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) Jabo: Do you have/use Bittorrent or a similar program? I can supply you with the link for the 64-bit download. It's what I'm using on both comps. IL-2 works great on it. Only thing I found that doesn't work is Flash Player. But the next version will work on it. Only driver problem I had was with my wireless Linksys modem. I went on their forum and a guy there had posted links to downloads of 64 bit modem drivers. So I got the modem driver and saved it on a CDROM. If you use a wireless modem you may want to check to see if there are 64 bit drivers for it or if someone has posted them online. As far as video card drivers and all the rest, there are plenty of 64 bit drivers for nVidia cards. Not sure about ATI but I assume they have them too. Dep Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crash Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) I am too embarrassed to post mine Aww c'mon Crash. Nobody's gonna poke fun at you. Not everyone can afford a high end comp. Heck' date=' I'm using old workstations from 2004 that I'm upgrading. I sure can't afford one of those new whizbang comps. Plus don't forget that what is blazingly fast today will be putting along in a couple of years. I remember when I bought my Pentium 100 mhz comp. That was back when Windows newest release was Windows for Workgroups 3.1.1 I had the hottest thing going for about 3 months. [/quote'] I got 350 and then I tried it after running EndItAll and that gave over 400. The comp runs OK on offline stuff but SEOW was giving 15-20 FPS according to Fraps. However I have a cunning plan There is a cheap 775 motherboard with a recommendation from Custom PC mag (£50) I plan to buy this next week. After it arrives I will discover that my 939 chip wont fit then I will HAVE to buy a 3ghz CPU to fit in it. (I will keep my 7950GT card for now) Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 4, 2009 1. DDz Quorum Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 As far as video card drivers and all the rest, there are plenty of 64 bit drivers for nVidia cards. Not sure about ATI but I assume they have them too. Dep I'm running 64Bit XP too, ATI drivers are fine unless you want the 8.12s which are buggy and will not install properly under XP64. All other drivers were fine, Creative for the sound card, Chip Set (AMD/ATI so a little odd to find and install) CH controllers etc. Lost the ability to program my MSFFB2 stick, but hey ho at least I have all my RAM . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 B16Enk: I'm reall happy with the changeover to 64 bit XP. I really think 64 bit is the wave of the future. Like Windows 95, 98, and XP, it just takes a while for it to become popular. When people realize the benefits for future upgradeability, they will come over. Unfortunately, VISTA 64 bit is kinda screwed up becasue it sucks down a large amount of RAM. But that system is an interim solution and the next Windows is already being worked on. I think VISTA is gonna end up like Windows Millenium. Crash: I am gonna test my other workstation that I am on right now. I bet I beat everyone at low scoring. It has a TERRIBLE video card. I'll post the score when I[m done. Dep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Okay...I got a 450.8 on my HP xw4200 workstation. It couldn't even test 3D rendering because the crappy video card doesn't support 3D. I'm gonna try it now with End It All. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) 454.2 with End It All. Can't wait till my new video card arrives Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyKnight Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) Have I got the biggest e-penis then? http://dangerdogz.com/forums.old.old/download/file.php?id=3829&mode=view Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) Have I got the biggest e-penis then? heh...only for right now. Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Have I got the biggest e-penis then? Yes you do but you have to use it occasionally or it will fall off. Where the heck have you been? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyKnight Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) BG, Unfortunately, I've caught the... "Newer and more interesting game" syndrome. When my sister finally gets around to posting my rudder pedals, which I asked for my birthday in OCTOBER!!! Then I'll probably join in again. GK Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Don't stay away too long m8. You are sadly missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1. DDz Quorum Pooka Posted January 6, 2009 1. DDz Quorum Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Whats out there GK that has taken you away from us Dogz ?? Are you still in that Knight game thingy ?? Miss your presence. Pooka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadAim Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Ok, boys here ya go........ Doh, didn't quite make it...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snacko Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 World of Warcraft BadAim? I bet your an elf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) Pretty impressive BadAim!!! Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyKnight Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 @ Pooka & BG - Cheers guys! I'll try and get back sooner, so start practising flying straight and level for my return. @ Badaim - Ohhhhhhhhhh, close, but no cigar! Try re-running the test and... wiggling your power cable during the test? Try and squeeze out that extra 2.2 points you need to beat my score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadAim Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) GK, LOL My first test was 1150 even, then switched my GF card over to the testing profile, killed all of the xp eyecandy, double checked that every program was off.......and all I got for my trouble was a lousy 16.6 points. Ooooh, maybe if I run FS autostart...... Snacks, That's a free trial I got with my ATI driver. I saved it because I figured it was worth a try....hell, several million people play it, how bad can it suck..... BTW, your right on with the Elf thing mate, but not like one of those little gay santa type elfs, no I'd be like a highland Elf with a 7' long Bow that no mere mortal could bend and an ancient Elven sword made of mithriel .......yeah, that's it. Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 (edited) Merdog: It means we need to do some upgrading I got a 637.7 on my dual Xenon comp. I also found out that Hyperthreading was disabled on my motherboard. So I went in and enabled it. I'm not really upset with my results. My hard drive is an old IDE' date=' the video card is an nVidia that was made for workstations and not speed (Quadro 290 NVS), and I am only using 4 Gig of RAM. I can up the RAM tremendously (16 GB) and buy a hot gaming video card and either hi-speed SATA or SCSI hard drive. I haven't even started upgrading this comp and it got decent results. [/quote'] Just installed a new nVidia 9800 GT video card on my dual Xeon comp. Latest test shows a 725.3 Actually, this video card was supposed to go in my other workstation comp, but I ran into a problem installing the new X3 power supply. Dang screws didn't match up with what was on the HP case. So I installed the card in the Xeon comp. The power supply goes back to Tigerdirect tomorrow. Anyway, the test that really killed my score was the dang CD. It's an old geezer and I think it's only a 4X read and write. And I think I may still end up going to 16 GIG of RAM. I tried out IL-2 tonight and with the new video card it really looks fantastic. Clouds look great and don't affect frame rates like before. Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quazi Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I scored a 1182.6 sometime yesterday hanging out with BG. I wonder how much a quad core gpu and a newer graphics card would affect that score. Since then I have not been able to duplicate that score. The best I have done since then in 1168.7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairgowrie Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Seems as though the guys that are overclocking are getting some higher numbers. I tried some mild overclocking yesterday with near disastrous results. The Asus utility I used was corrupted and now I can't get the dam thing unistalled even in safe mode. I am about to clear CMOS so if I don't show up to host coops today, that is why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2. Administrators Jabo Posted January 8, 2009 Author 2. Administrators Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 And this is why I don't do overclocking...If the uber-cautious BG can have problems, I shudder to think of the hash I could make of it.... ~S~ Jabo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deputy Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) And this is why I don't do overclocking...If the uber-cautious BG can have problems' date=' I shudder to think of the hash I could make of it.... ~S~ Jabo [/quote'] X2. Scares the crap out of me. I may buy/use an overclocked video card, but I'm not even sure about that. Edited October 21, 2010 by gec missing post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2. Administrators Jabo Posted January 8, 2009 Author 2. Administrators Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 My 9800GTX is commercially OC'd, and seems OK if a bit warm. ~S~ Jabo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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