RAM Limits?

[twm.bwen]

Hi there, when the specs say Max RAM, does it mean the computer a.) won't work if you put in too much or b.) that is will work but still only use the specified max OR will it actually recognise the excess ram and use it all?
Thanks

 

[Deluks]

Hi there, when the specs say Max RAM, does it mean the computer a.) won't work if you put in too much or b.) that is will work but still only use the specified max OR will it actually recognise the excess ram and use it all?
Thanks

Which motherboard? which OS? How much ram are you talking about here?

 

[happypig]

a or b. not c

 

[diddodonna]

if your pc has a specifeid amount of max ram you can put the ram in there but, it wont use it... so its pointless to buy over the max, most pc's can take from 3.3 gb -3.5gb not much more than that

 

[markjj]

if your pc has a specifeid amount of max ram you can put the ram in there but, it wont use it... so its pointless to buy over the max, most pc's can take from 3.3 gb -3.5gb not much more than that

Unless you're running 64bit o/s

 

[MasterAbacus]

The answer to this is simply down to the Motherboard being used and the Bios.

It will give you a max Ram for a reason..... Ram gets hot.... It could be somthing so simple as a heat issue.... or space issue, hence the bios restricts what you can use.....

Scenario..... max ram 2GB..... User fits 3GB..... works fine, sees 3GB.... machine gets hot, catches fire, burns house down, kills the dog......

Try claim on your insurance.... you were the one who ignored what the manufacturer told you....

 

[simon_m]

The maximum amount of RAM is down to the motherboard BIOS. Most decent desktop boards now support 8GB of RAM (4x2GB sticks).

The problem is that all 32bit OS have a 4GB limit, the BIOS will see 4GB but Windows will report back anywhere between 2.93GB and 3.9GB depending on the system hardware. The only way around this is to use a 64bit OS

 

[Igorian]

Also beware that some boards, although advertising up to 4 or 8GB, won't let you use all the slots (eg, some boards don't allow both channels to be full of 1GB chips to achieve 4GB).