I have a MSI B450M Bazooka Motherboard and 4 sticks of GSKILL F4-3000C15D-32GVR RAM, each with a capacity of 16GB. The third and fourth sticks of RAM were installed after the system was initially set up.
The BIOS is version 7A38vH3 and the operating system is Windows 10 Home (64 bit).
Although Windows recognizes the full 64 GB of RAM, it only displays 32 GB as usable.
Any ideas? Thank you!
3 Answers
Introduction
RAM (Random Access Memory) is an essential component of a computer system. It is responsible for temporarily storing data that the CPU (Central Processing Unit) needs to access quickly. The more RAM a system has, the more data it can store and access quickly, leading to better performance. However, some users may experience issues with their RAM, such as not being able to use the full capacity. In this blog post, we will discuss why Windows 10 may only recognize 32 GB of RAM as usable, even if the system has 64 GB of RAM installed.
Memory Mapping
One reason why Windows 10 may only recognize 32 GB of RAM as usable is due to memory mapping. Memory mapping is the process of assigning addresses to physical memory. The operating system uses memory mapping to manage the system’s memory and ensure that each process has its own address space. However, memory mapping can also limit the amount of usable memory.
In a 64-bit operating system like Windows 10, the system can theoretically support up to 16 exabytes of RAM. However, the maximum amount of RAM that can be used by a single process is limited to 8 terabytes. This limitation is due to the way memory is mapped and the amount of virtual address space available to the process. Therefore, if a system has more than 8 terabytes of RAM installed, the excess RAM will not be usable by a single process.
Hardware Limitations
Another reason why Windows 10 may only recognize 32 GB of RAM as usable is due to hardware limitations. Some motherboards have a limit on the amount of RAM they can support. In this case, the MSI B450M Bazooka motherboard supports up to 64 GB of RAM, so hardware limitations are not the issue.
However, some CPUs also have a limit on the amount of RAM they can support. For example, the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, which is the CPU installed on the MSI B450M Bazooka motherboard, supports up to 64 GB of RAM. Therefore, hardware limitations are not the issue in this case.
BIOS Settings
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is responsible for initializing hardware components during system startup. It also contains settings that can affect the system’s performance, including the amount of RAM that is recognized by the system. Therefore, incorrect BIOS settings can cause the system to recognize less RAM than what is installed.
In this case, the MSI B450M Bazooka motherboard’s BIOS version is 7A38vH3. It is important to ensure that the BIOS is up to date, as newer versions may contain bug fixes or performance improvements that address issues with RAM recognition.
Additionally, it is important to check the BIOS settings to ensure that the RAM is configured correctly. The BIOS may have settings related to memory frequency, timings, and voltage. Incorrect settings can cause the system to recognize less RAM than what is installed or cause stability issues.
Windows Settings
Windows 10 also has settings that can affect the amount of RAM that is recognized by the system. One such setting is the maximum memory setting. This setting limits the amount of memory that Windows can use. If this setting is enabled, Windows may only recognize a portion of the installed RAM.
To check the maximum memory setting, open the Start menu and search for “msconfig”. Select the System Configuration app from the search results. In the System Configuration window, navigate to the Boot tab and click on the Advanced options button. In the Advanced options window, ensure that the Maximum memory checkbox is unchecked. If it is checked, uncheck it and click OK to save the changes.
RAM Compatibility
Finally, RAM compatibility can also affect the amount of RAM that is recognized by the system. In this case, the system has four sticks of GSKILL F4-3000C15D-32GVR RAM, each with a capacity of 16GB. The third and fourth sticks of RAM were installed after the system was initially set up.
To ensure that the RAM is compatible with the system, it is important to check the motherboard’s QVL (Qualified Vendor List). The QVL contains a list of RAM modules that have been tested and verified to work with the motherboard. In this case, the GSKILL F4-3000C15D-32GVR RAM is listed on the MSI B450M Bazooka motherboard’s QVL, so compatibility is not the issue.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several reasons why Windows 10 may only recognize 32 GB of RAM as usable, even if the system has 64 GB of RAM installed. These reasons include memory mapping, hardware limitations, BIOS settings, Windows settings, and RAM compatibility. By checking these factors, users can determine the cause of the issue and take steps to resolve it.
It’s possible that there may be a hardware or BIOS limitation on your system that is preventing the full 64 GB of RAM from being recognized and utilized by the operating system.
Here are a few things you can try to troubleshoot the issue:
- Check if your motherboard and processor support using more than 32 GB of RAM.
- Make sure that the RAM sticks are compatible with your motherboard and are installed in the correct slots.
- Check if there are any BIOS updates available for your motherboard that may resolve the issue.
- Make sure that you have set the correct memory configuration in the BIOS.
- Check if there are any hardware conflicts or issues by running the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
- Try booting into Safe Mode to see if the issue persists.
I hope these suggestions help! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Using a different RAM kit that is listed on the motherboard’s qualified vendor list (QVL) for supporting 4 DIMMs resolved the issue. Windows now displays all 64 GB of RAM as usable.