On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 08
3:05 -0000, "Stewart"
<him@invalid.supanet.co.uk> wrote:
> There are 4 slots but when I look at Belerac advisor it lists 2 in use (each
> 512 M and one empty. If I run the Crucial test then it likewise seems to
> indicate that I can only have 3GB in total. I am not bothered about 3 or 4,
> I know there are 4 slots and can try using them all if needed.
Bear two things in mind:
1. Even 3GB is more than most people need for their applications, and
going above that may not provide any discernable performance
improvement.
2. Even if you had 4GB, you couldn't use much more than 3GB of it.
Here's the scoop:
All 32-bit client versions of Windows (not just Vista/XP/7) have a 4GB
address space (64-bit versions can use much more). That's the
theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go.
But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you
have a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM.
That's because some of that space is used by hardware and is not
available to the operating system and applications. The amount you can
use varies, depending on what hardware you have installed, but can
range from as little as 2GB to as much as 3.5GB. It's usually around
3.1GB.
Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
RAM itself. If you have a greater amount of RAM, the rest of the RAM
goes unused because there is no address space to map it to.
> Someone suggested that I would need a better graphics card to run Window7
> aero
I don't know what your graphics card is, but even if the above is true
(and my guess is that it's not true), aero is essentially just window
dressing. I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot.
> and then that brought up the question of my power unit - only 420 watts
> but it is a good one and very quiet.
You say "*only* 420 watts," but that's more power than most people
have or need. As I think I said earlier, it's highly unlikely that you
need any more.
> I am in the fortunate position that I can "play" around and if things don't
> work then I shall just buy a new desktop. My new laptop works Windows7
> great and can operate all my ancillaries including my Epson Perfection Photo
> scanner.
You say you're going to Windows 7. I don't know whether a Windows 7
driver exists for your scanner, but you should check at the Epson web
site and find out.
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
> news6k5p5hmlehn9qleg6h5h5vahu2elp8kg9@4ax.com...
> > On Sat, 6 Mar 2010 21:02:17 -0000, "Stewart"
> > <him@invalid.supanet.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> Sorry to laboiur this but another question arises:-
> >> I know I can add 1 gb RAM and maybe even 2 GB. 3 is the max thaat the
> >> computer will take.
> >
> >
> > If you say 3GB is the max, OK, but that's a pretty unusual number to
> > be a maximum.
> >
> >
> >> If I put in this extra RAM then is that likely to reduce the need for a
> >> new
> >> graphics card
> >
> >
> > No. One has nothing to do with the other.
> >
> > Why do you think you have a need for a new graphics card?
> >
> >
> >> doing it this way I can take it one stage at a time.
> >>
> >>
> >> "John McGaw" <Nobody@Nowh.ere> wrote in message
> >> news:Fzvkn.21437$Jq1.18722@en-nntp-05.dc1.easynews.com...
> >> > On 3/5/2010 11:04 AM, Stewart wrote:
> >> >> I have a desk top running XP at present and intend to upgrade to
> >> >> Windows
> >> >> 7
> >> >> fairly soon.
> >> >> I shall buy an extra 1gb of DDR1 ram giving me total of 2gb.
> >> >> My present maxtor hard drive is only 160gb and I want to change it to
> >> >> a
> >> >> 500gb hard drive.
> >> >> My power unit is a Hiper 425watt and is very quiet running.
> >> >> Should I remove the exisitng hard drive and replace or could I keep
> >> >> both,
> >> >> running the new one with Windows7 and the old with XP.
> >> >> I am just a bit doubtful if there is enough power in the hiper unit.
> >> >> What I wish to know is, does a hard drive run whether it is being used
> >> >> or
> >> >> not? If it does not then having both hard drives would probably be OK
> >> >> Thank you
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> > If the system operates stably with the present 425W supply then I'd
> >> > think
> >> > it would work fine with 1gB of added RAM and an extra HD. Typically the
> >> > RAM might consume 5W (at most) and the HD might consume 20W (at most).
> >> > If
> >> > the extra 25W of load causes problems then your PS is probably already
> >> > underpowered.
> >> >
> >> > As for always running, you can set the power-saving function in the
> >> > operating system to spin-down drives after some period of inactivity. I
> >> > don't do it since I don't like the drives starting and stopping
> >> > repeatedly
> >> > but YMMV.
> >>
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup