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Question

Hardware reserved RAM

Oct 30, 2018 7:39AM PDT

My computer has two 4GB sticks of ram installed. 4GB is usable, but the other 4GB is hardware reserved. I want to use all 8GB obviously, but how do I free up this extra RAM? Ive tried clicking maximum memory under msconfig and Ive tried re-installing windows 10. My videocard is an AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series. Is this a card that has dedicated memory? Would that explain the 4gb loss?

Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
More detail needed.
Oct 30, 2018 8:36AM PDT
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Speccy report
Oct 30, 2018 10:03AM PDT
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I see you running HyperV
Oct 30, 2018 10:12AM PDT

Do you have a virtual system running at the same time which has some RAM reserved for it?

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RAM used in Virtual mode
Oct 30, 2018 10:17AM PDT

Physical Memory
Memory Usage:
60 %
Total Physical:
3.99 GB
Available Physical:
1.56 GB
Total Virtual:
7.99 GB
Available Virtual:
3.54 GB
SPD
Number Of SPD Modules:
2

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see page 10 on proper DIMM install
Oct 30, 2018 11:19AM PDT
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That's a good link.
Oct 30, 2018 11:30AM PDT

I was holding back till more story and a BIOS update but when I see the SPD report in I find a number of causes.

1. The sticks are not seated or plugged in right.
2. The CPU isn't connected. Due to many reasons from a bent pin, just not in the socket just so.
3. The RAM never worked in this board. That is the sticks were not supported from day one. One reason I continue to get sticks from Crucial when other sticks won't report in.

4. A test I do is to see what happens when ONE STICK IS INSTALLED. If the RAM drops to 2GB I know I'm looking at some incompatible or unsupported RAM issue.

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Reply
Oct 30, 2018 2:19PM PDT

1. Both sticks are plugged in. When looking at my control panel memory, it states 4GB of 8GB, so both sticks are being recognized.
2. If there was a bent pin, would my computer even work? Everything thing else is working fine but the ram.
3. These sticks were installed about a year ago. I replaced two 2gb sticks. My available memory went from about 3gb to 4gb, but the ratio of available to reserved ram changed drastically.
4. Ive tested this before. One stick = 4gb out of 4gb. Two sticks = 4gb out of 8gb available.

It looks like a BIOS update needs to be done. Also, how to do I check if ram is reserved for "legacy" use?

Also, this has been an issue since theyve been installed a year ago. I just never had the time to chase down a fix until now.

Thanks

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Is there onboard video chip?
Oct 30, 2018 2:40PM PDT

Did you dedicate 4Gb of RAM to it?

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1. Not so fast.
Oct 30, 2018 2:44PM PDT

There are many moving parts here and Windows does a fast memory test and will downsize automagically if only 4GB is fine.

More on item 4 to come but W10 does have a memory tester. Here's a link about it:
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-detect-bad-ram-with-the-windows-memory-diagnostic-tool/

2. Nope. The pin could be an address pin so that just creates oddball issues like this.

3. THERE'S A CLUE. That tells us the problem could be board related. https://forums.evga.com/399GB-usable-m394702.aspx is an example so post there about this issue. It appears that sometimes you can fix this with a new BIOS or a BIOS setting. I don't have these settings. The EVGA FORUMS have that detail.

Also, the BIOS looks out of date. Yes, it's an old board but when these issues pop up it's an item I update. Your board might be this BIOS update. You must confirm with EVGA:
https://www.evga.com/support/download/showdlinfo.aspx?id=269&type=N&acctype=BIOS&accversion=A74&part_number=132-LF-E655

4. The stick test is to pull one then test. Then put the other back in (per the manual) and then pull the one that was good. What happens can lead to clues.

It sounds like either a BIOS version issue, a BIOS setting or other. Time to use EVGA forums and hope folk recall what it was.

Also, it can be compatibility issues. I often order up Crucial RAM if all the other areas have been checked.

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PS. More data.
Oct 30, 2018 2:52PM PDT

One of the interesting (?) areas about PC memory design is the SPD chip. It's happened before where the sticks will appear in the BIOS and CPU-Z memory reports but the stick doesn't work. This has confused many such as "it shows right there!, it should work."

But that's not all it takes. And we have discussions in the EVGA forum about the very problem you are seeing.

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check in BIOS
Oct 30, 2018 11:24AM PDT

see if you "reserved" some RAM for "Legacy" use.

from the linked pdf guide.

DMA Channel
The various DMA settings allow you to spec
ify a DMI to be used by PCI/PnP
devices.
Reserved Memory Size
This option allows you to specify the size of the memory block to reserve for
legacy ISA devices

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no
Oct 30, 2018 2:08PM PDT

no

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Speccy shows that 4GB issue.
Oct 30, 2018 10:30AM PDT

Doesn't quite tell me why.

The BIOS does look very out of date. I think they have a version from the year 2011 and yours looks to be the original 2009 version. These updates fix things, add support for CPUs, RAM, etc.

Is there a story about how long this has been an issue?

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Answer
was this W-10 an upgrade
Oct 30, 2018 9:57AM PDT

....over an earlier version of windows, that may have been 32 bit instead of 64 bit? If so, then you still have a 32 bit version of windows and that's limited to about 3.5 GB of RAM use.

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Version
Oct 30, 2018 10:04AM PDT

My windows 10 Home is 64 bit version

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Answer
Just checked out others reporting this trouble.
Oct 30, 2018 5:22PM PDT
https://ark.intel.com/products/48496/Intel-Core-i5-760-Processor-8M-Cache-2-80-GHz- notes this CPU does support up to 16GB but the motherboard has to have the circuitry and BIOS to make it happen.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/290469-28-ddr3-1600-compatibility for example with the 4GB stick showing up as only 2GB.

OK, Crucial's choices are at http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/EVGA/p55-ftw-200-%28141-lf-e658-kr%29

What you have does not note the P55 chipset: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Memory/High-Performance-Memory/VENGEANCE%C2%AE-Pro-Series-%E2%80%94-8GB-%282-x-4GB%29-DDR3-DRAM-1600MHz-C9-Memory-Kit/p/CMY8GX3M2A1600C9

It also doesn't reveal the tech specs I need to compare as to memory organization etc.

That is, Crucial's seems to be single side with a setup of " 256Meg x 64". (that's 64 bits wide and 256Million deep.) There's no guarantee with the outdated BIOS but this looks like what we installed when double sided sticks didn't register all the RAM.

Corsair beyond not listing your chipset wrote "4) I have an X58 motherboard and my memory is not being fully detected, what?s going on?

The first thing to check is to make sure each memory module is detected properly when installed individually in the system. If you only have detection problems when using more than a single module then you may need to make some adjustments to the settings in the BIOS. Here is a link to our forum which should help you resolve the issue." so your chipset is even older so best bet? Hope the EVGA forums remember what to do.

Or try Crucial sticks for what appears to be your board.
Or try 4 2GB sticks.
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Update
Nov 1, 2018 9:19PM PDT

Thank you very much proffitt. You've been very helpful.

I just tried to update the BIOS and I got an error

- ME Data Size checking . ok
- Bootblock checksum .... ok
- Module checksums ...... ok
- Error: File ROM ID incorrect
<Press Any Key....>

File ROM ID incorrect. I don't know what that means.

I'm also trying to enter my BIOS through settings/recovery/restart/troubleshoot/EUFI or BIOS, but those options aren't there. I goggled "how to access bios on windows 10" and everyone says bios or eufi settings should be there. im a little confused by that.

Crucial seems to be useful if I do need to buy new ram. Questions though. If it turns out we fix my 2x4gb ram, will it be possible for be to upgrade to a 2x8gb ram since it supports 16gb? sounds like I just answered by own question but I like to be sure.

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BIOS
Nov 1, 2018 9:54PM PDT

I figured out how to enter the BIOS. I found a memory allocation setting for 4gb of memory. It said "Memory Remap Feature - PCI MMIO Allocation: 4GB To2560MB. I thought that would fix the problem, but hardware reserve is now set at 5.1gb.

Now that I can get my bios to work, how can I find or change settings for my ram?

Thanks.

Edit: Both sticks of ram are definitely being recognized. Under control panel, total memory is showing up as 8GB.

Edit2: After turning that memory rremap feature on and off, I see that only 4gm of ram is being detected. When that memory remap feature is on, it changes hardware reserved to 4gb and changes my total memory to 8gb, making me believe that both 4gb sticks are being recognized, but when turned off my total memory is back down to 4gb. I'm going to reinstall my ram and maybe swap their slots and see what happens.

Edit3: After swapping the ram sticks back and froth, I now think one of them might be dead. If I swap them, they don't work. If I leave them, 4gb is available. I tried just leaving one in, but the computer had an error and wouldnt start up. Should I just buy new ram? I want to invest in 16gm. Would you recommend these: http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/p55-ftw-200-%28141-lf-e658-kr%29/CT2793104 ?

I'd still like to update my bios but im getting that error. any other suggestions?

Post was last edited on November 2, 2018 12:02 AM PDT

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Sorry but I can't guess why that RAM.
Nov 2, 2018 1:23PM PDT

I know your motherboard is listed at Crucial so did you get to this part by using either the Crucial.com site or it's memory finder tool?

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Yes
Nov 3, 2018 12:04AM PDT

I used the scanner, yes. Dumb question I suppose. The only question I have left is: can this motherboard handle 4x4gb ram? I know the manual says it can handle 4 sticks and up to 16gb, but do I need to update the bios before doing so? Or should I buy the ram and see if they work before trying to update, since the updater is giving me a hard time.

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My rule is
Nov 3, 2018 10:48AM PDT

When we are fitting RAM is to get the BIOS to its latest version so we get the most memory stick support.

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Answer
New Problem
Nov 3, 2018 10:59PM PDT

I decided to purchase a set of 4x4gb ram and see if they work. In the meantime, I wanted to find a way to update my motherboard. I saw both the bios and chipset updates werr available so I wanted to try a chipset update since the bios one wasn’t working earlier. Anyway, I gave it a go and ended up getting an error on the chipset installation aswell. Next thing I know, the next time I turn my computer on everything boots up fine but my keyboard and mouse both wont work. Power goes through them for about 3 seconds on startup, then they go out. I try to enter bios on startup but me hitting del over and over eother isnt getting recognized because some setting was changed somehow without my knowing or the keyboard isnt working during startup. So The computer turns on just fine except I cant do abything other than turn the computer off. Please help.

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Chipset
Nov 3, 2018 11:00PM PDT

Perhaps the chipset was damaged during the update and nolonfer is working? Could that he the reason the usb ports dont work?

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:/
Nov 3, 2018 11:02PM PDT

Sorry for the spelling errors. The site wont seem to let me edit while on my phone.

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Time to find this motherboard maker's forum.
Nov 4, 2018 7:31AM PST

The BIOS and chipset update errors tell me I went to the wrong motherboard support page.

If this is something at the office we call it in, if not I'm posting on the maker's forum for support, asking which page I should be using for BIOS and drivers.