I installed 4 GB memory, but Windows 7 sees only 2 GB

Any idea of why? How would I go about fixing that?

MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 Motherboard

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Processor

OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Thanks,

John

 

32 or 64 bit windows 7?

 

32 bit. Will that not recognize 4 GB?

 

Ohhh the beast lives.....

So during the initial POST display is it showing the 4Gb, e.g. Memory Test?
Examples:
http://biorobots.cwru.edu/server/howto/buildcomp/post/post2.jpg
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/BIOSP42800.gif

What slots are the modules in? (1&2 "black" or 3&4 "blue")
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=1&prod_no=1740

You may need to do a memtest86+ run:
http://majorgeeks.com/Memtest86_d4226.html

 

Well, maybe I screwed up. I put one of them in 1 black and the other in 1 blue.

When I boot up, it says 2048Mb

 

Okay manual is here:

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=downloadfile&dno=8923&type=manual

On page 2-6 we can see the memory configuration page, go for 1&2 (black) "ya duffer" (a "light-hearted" Australian term for someone who did something silly) :-D.

I want to see some results once it is going well .

 

OK thanks.

I believe I put them in that way first but I think the computer wouldn't start that way so I left one on the black slot 1 and put the other on the blue slot 1.

I'll try it the way you said tomorrow morning. I'm getting tired and better go to bed.

 

Windows can support 4gb ram max. That includes your video ram etc. So if you have 4gb ram and a 512mb video card with a 32 bit os it will only show 3.5 gb ram.

 

Agree but when 2Gb is missing this is implying something more, hopefully he doesn't have a faulty module.

 

I'm just saying this for his information when get gets it sorted.

 

OK, I'm up. And before I go and do anything stupid (again) I want to make sure I don't really trash something. :-D

What is dual channeling, and is that what I should be doing?

How do you make it dual channel or is it automatic?

 

OK, I fixed my problem (I think?)

I pulled out the stick in slot three and tried the computer - no workie.

Then I pulled out that stick, and put it in slot one - success, it worked.

Then I put the other stick in slot two - no workie.

So, I pulled that stick out and put it in slot three - it works.

I must not have the first stick in slot one installed good.

Hopefully I'm getting the rebuild about done.

Here is the picture of what's available. Is that about right?

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j314/WoodenFrog/memory002.jpg

 

Just concerned with why the "dual channels ain't" playing on the mobo! This above and beyond normal "I don't see 4Gb" issue.

 

Well, I was wanting to go with 64 bit Windows but I bought an upgrade for XP and my XP was 32 bit. And I learned that I couldn't upgrade 32 bit XP to 64 bit Windows 7.

I'll have to hold off on buying Windows 64 bit full install.

 

When I upgraded with the 32 bit version of Windows 7 it cleaned everything I had on that drive (of course I knew that).

I tried to use the 64 bit version of Windows 7, but it said that it wasn't compatable with the 32 bit version of Windows XP I was using.

 

well inorder to install 64-bit win7 you need to do a clean install if your coming from 32-bit

 

Yeah, but I only bought a Windows 7 upgrade. I didn't know at the time that I bought it that it wouldn't allow me to upgrade to 64-bit if my XP was 32-bit. Dang suckers. :cry

 

I would think having 3.25GB would be enough for most anything you could throw at it. However, I do understand the frustration of paying for something you will never use.

I've been lucky enough to test out both and really found no practical difference nor doing some CPU/memory intensive tasks. There is no way I would buy a W7X64 unless you wanted to go 16GB which I don't believe that you will ever do. At least you got that original issue sorted.

 

Since I don't see an answer to this anywhere...

Hugely over-simplified and keeping in mind that it has been literally months since I bothered looking up the details:

The data going through the RAM is moving in pulses, like the ticking back and forth of a metronome. (It's to a clock, actually.) At the end of the clock cycle, the RAM has to reset itself back to square one before the next clock cycle can start. When the RAM runs in dual channel the computer will move over to use the other module in the pair while it resets the first so data flow is continuous and there never is that pause for resetting. It makes the data flow smoother and faster, so if you can get it you want to have it.

Dual channel is a feature of motherboards, not of memory modules, so if your board can do it it will do it automatically, if you install the RAM in the right slots. MSI try to be service minded by colour-coding the slots for you, to make it easy to get dual channel. When you install matched pairs, keep them together by colour: One pair goes in the blue slots, the other pair goes in the black. Presto! Dual channel.