HP COMPAQ 8710p does not recognize ram completely

Hello Guys,

Today I went and bought 2 x 2GB (Kingston DDR2 PC2-6400 CL6 200-Pin SODIMM) Ram for my hp Compaq 8710p. I was originally using a total of 2 GB (1GBx2).

Problem is the computer only shows that I have 3 GB of total ram where as it should be showing 4 gig. I am using windows XP 32bit.

Any help would be much appreciated as otherwise I will have top drive to the City all over again to meet the seller!!

Thx.

 

4GB of RAM installed usually leaves 3-3.5GB of RAM showing in Windows 32-bit, the more RAM your graphics card has, the less you see. This is one of the main reasons that has made 64-bit operating systems popular.

 

Thank you for the quick reply mate...So would it be better to upgrade to 64bit ?? Also I have a dedicated graphic card of 512 mb. You think t still normal?

cheers

 

I think 'losing' 1GB when you have 32-bit is pretty normal.

Upgrading to 64-bit would be the way to go, yes - but - make sure you can find 64-bit drivers for all your peripherals and make certain that your PC, esp. motherboard and BIOS, is fully compatible before committing to it.


EDIT: You can't upgrade a 32-bit system to 64-bit, it has to be a clean install. Ensure you have all your data, favourites, emails, etc. backed up and safe.

 

Please also consider whether or not all of your software is compatible with 64-bit version of Windows. Upgrades to 64-bit will require the purchase of a new operating system, which these days, if you get it from Microsoft, can only be Windows 7. Software designed for XP may not be compatible with Windows 7, although this is a very very rare problem. Also, some 32-bit programs may require a 64-bit version of the program for a 64-bit OS, which may require re-purchasing.

In my opinion, unless you have a real need for 4GB of RAM, only using 3GB will not impair your performance noticeably, so the upgrade may be more hassle than it is worth.

 

collinsl & satrow, Thank you both for ur help... and as suggested I would stick with the 3GB for the moment and see how things go. It would still be a pretty fast laptop with the current configuration.

regards,