RAM Archives - Page 8 of 9 - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why is Windows 8 not using all of my RAM?

Posted on April 3, 2015

Question from Rodney T: I have an Acer Aspire 5552G-7641 with 8GB of RAM. It came with Windows 7 which always showed the entire 8GB on the System Information screen.

My employer paid for a copy of Windows 8 so I backed up my data and wiped the hard drive, then installed Windows 8 (that was an ordeal in itself but I won’t go into it here lol).

Long story short, after installing Windows 8 the System Information screen is only showing 3GB of RAM even though the BIOS screen shows the full 8GB. Did I do something wrong? [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is my computer not using all the installed RAM?

Posted on February 6, 2014

Question from Mark C.: I upgraded the RAM in my computer from 2GB to 8GB but Belarc Advisor says it only has 3.49GB installed.

Do you think I might have bought the wrong kind of RAM? I bought what the Memory Advisor at Crucial recommended for my laptop. Or maybe they just sent me some bad memory? How do I find out what the problem is?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I add the RAM from an old Gateway computer to my HP desktop PC?

Posted on December 13, 2013

Question from Christopher: My neighbor gave me an old Gateway GM5442 desktop computer that has two 1GB RAM modules in it. The RAM should be good because he stopped using the computer after the hard drive died.

Can I pull the RAM from that Gateway and add it to my HP Pro 3500? (It has two empty memory slots.) I’d just throw caution to the wind and give it a try, but I really can’t afford to mess anything up.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Crucial to being selling DDR4 RAM by the end of December

Posted on November 16, 2013

DDR3 memory has been the standard for years, but that will soon change. Our friends over at Crucial Technology have just announced that they’ll begin selling DDR4 RAM some time before the end of December 2013.

DDR4 promises to be a major upgrade over DDR3. The new memory standard doubles the speed of its predecessor while also doubling the maximum storage capacity per module from 8GB to 16GB. And just as important, the new DDR4 RAM will operate on a meager 1.2 volts of electricity which means it should run cooler and save energy. [Read more…]

Q&A: Will switching from Windows 7/32 bit to 64 bit really give my laptop more memory?

Posted on July 23, 2013

Question from Shauntelle G: Hi Rick. I know this is probably going to sound stupid because I don’t know a lot about how computers work, but I have a question. I have a Toshiba Satellite L505 laptop with 3GB RAM and Windows 7.

I was told that upgrading Windows 7/32bit to the 64 bit version would give me more RAM. If so, how much more would it give me? Also, how can I find out which version of Windows 7 the laptop has on it?

Rick’s answer: Hello Shauntelle. First of all, your question isn’t stupid at all. You’ll never know if you don’t ask! Now, for the answer… [Read more…]