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Possible Duplicate:
How can I enable PAE on Windows 7 (32-bit) to support more than 3.5 GB of RAM?
Is there way to enable 4 GB RAM in 32-bit Windows OS?

According to the official windows memory limits, Win 7 only supports 4 GB of RAM. I, however have been reading some forums and some say they are using 8 GB RAM with good performance. I am wondering if I can use 8 GB before I purchase.

Community
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Aravind R. Yarram
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4 Answers4

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You can install 8 GBs on 32-bit system, but you won't be able to use it. You need a 64-bit system to do that.

Malcolm
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When using 32 bit machines, only 3,8 GB will be detected and used. If you want more, switch to 64 bits. I'm currently using 16GB on a Windows 7 64 bits Edition.

Zenklys
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The system that allows an OS to use more than 4GB of RAM in 32bit machines is called PAE. Windows supports it, but according to Wikipedia the amount of RAM you can use is limited to 4GB anyway. (Maybe there is some hack allowing that limit to be removed?)

Read more about PAE on Windows: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366796(v=vs.85).aspx

AlvaroGMJ
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My box has 4GB ram and when I'm on 32bit Windows I can use only 3GB ram but with PAE I was able to use the rest with a ram disk. When you have 8GB maybe it's possible to use 5GB for a ram disk but anyway the usage is limited to a ram disk.

Cybercartel
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