3 ms·
> Of course, in order to generally make use of more than 4 GiB of RAM, a 64-bit OS is also needed. (Note: PCs with 32-bit OSs often show only about 3.2 to 3.3 G
by vardump 6y ago
> Of course, in order to generally make use of more than 4 GiB of RAM, a 64-bit OS is also needed. (Note: PCs with 32-bit OSs often show only about 3.2 to 3.3 GiB available when 4 GiB is installed, since addressable hardware; especially onboard video controllers, may use hundreds of MB for their own support.)
Pentium Pro from 1995 could address up to 64 GB RAM. As could the most Intel CPUs after that release.
Of course you still get only 4 GB virtual address space per process in a 32-bit system. That also includes I/O memory mapped ranges, like a graphics card aperture. Different processes can have different sets of 4 GB mapped to them.
- AshamedCaptain 6y agoYeah, the issue with Windows 32-bits showing "3.3GB available" is another MS political/licensing decision. PAE as a technology is decades old. Windows 32-bits _server_ editions have no problem showing and using 64GB of RAM, and you hack licensing checks on workstation editions to do that too.
- SwimSwimHungry 6y agoThere is a way around this limitation on consumer versions of Windows. There's a patch by Wen Jia Liu and it works even to this day on the very latest build of Windows 10 (20H2). https://wj32.org/wp/2016/02/01/pae-patch-updated-for-windows-10/ https://wj32.org/wp/2016/02/01/pae-patch-updated-for-windows... Granted, in 2020, I can't imagine why you'd still want to run a 32-bit version of Windows these days outside of select scenarios, like IoT or embedded systems.
- vardump 6y ago"Granted, in 2020, I can't imagine why you'd still want to run a 32-bit version of Windows these days outside of select scenarios, like IoT or embedded systems." There is a ton of old hardware and software that only supports 32-bit Windows for a reason or another. So some organizations are perpetually stuck to it. Then there are those who are still running 2000 or XP. Or even DOS...
- SwimSwimHungry 6y agoI should clarify my statement for "new" installs of Windows. Typically older set ups are already running specific configurations where a 32-bit install makes sense and are left alone until the next upgrade cycle. This PAE patch is more of a bandaid though than a long term solution.
- vardump 6y agoI don't think anyone is arguing that 64-bit is not the way to go. :-) If you have $200k hardware (like some sort of machine) in daily use that requires that old Windows, you're going to skip more than one Windows upgrade cycle.