512 stick only reading in Windows as 448

Dreamstalker

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Joined

Nov 13, 2004

Location

Brookline, MA

• Jun 15, 2005

• #1

This is on my mom's rig, no-frills Compaq.

Memory is one 512MB stick of PC2700; Windows reads it as only 448MB and this happened relatively recently. I got bad-RAM beeps from the mobo before the drop.

CPU-Z detects the full 512MB. Memtest is finding no errors at all.

Thoughts? What ate that 64MB?

 

SewerBeing

Grasshoppa Senior

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Joined

Jan 15, 2004

Location

The truth?? You can't handle the truth!!

• Jun 15, 2005

• #2

integrated graphics eating 64mb?? Since its a "no-frills" Compaq it sounds like integrated graphics which take 64mb and would explain your drop there.

 

NetworkGuru

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Joined

Mar 9, 2005

• Jun 15, 2005

• #3

Yeah, thats the integrated graphics using your memory. You might be able to change how much memory it uses in the BIOS.

 

johan851

Insatiably Malcontent, Senior Member

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Joined

Jul 24, 2002

Location

Seattle, WA

• Jun 15, 2005

• #4

And since integrated graphics suck, feel free to set the onboard memory pretty low in the BIOS. 64mb isn't going to make it any faster than 32mb or 16mb, especially for word processing.

 

winterhavok

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Joined

Nov 22, 2004

Location

Missouri, USA

• Jun 15, 2005

• #5

Should be able to disable the onboard video memory share.

 

ziggo0

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Joined

Apr 27, 2004

• Jun 15, 2005

• #6

Defintily onboard graphics stealing the memory. If you boot a copy of linux it will tell you how much it takes.

 

meionm

Member

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Joined

Mar 8, 2004

• Jun 15, 2005

• #7

it probably uses shared memory for the graphic card, so the graphic cards is eating the 64mb of ram, you may lower it but you can eliminate it if it is onboard video

 

theMonster

Disabled

Joined

Jul 22, 2004

Location

At the pub

• Jun 16, 2005

• #8

Well it could also be that one or a pair of chips (depending if mem is HD or LD) has gone bad but the stick still works. That'd explain the beeps.

 

OP

Dreamstalker

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Joined

Nov 13, 2004

Location

Brookline, MA

• Jun 16, 2005

• Thread Starter
• #9

Ah...this thing does have integrated graphics so that could explain it except for the beeps I was getting awhile ago.

I was considering testing the 512 stick in another computer, but the Dell "footstool"--functional but not currently used for anything--in here is PC2100 and this runs 2700 so it probably won't work too well...it wouldn't tell me much anyway as I don't think it has onboard graphics (has an AGP card, but there's nothing in the specs about onboard capability).