4GB RAM shows only 3GB on a 3.2.0 686-pae kernel (using LMDE)
Hey guys
It's not a new one. I did quite some research but can't find any related thread about this, sorry if it's only a simple one~ I can get only 3GB out of 4GB of my RAM. I'm listing down the things I found on my machine: * CPU supports PAE: Quote:
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dmidecode only shows that the motherboard recognizes the RAM modules, not that it is able to effectively use that memory.
Some of the addressing space between 3 and 4 gigabytes is always occupied by system resources like the PCI bus and the BIOS. The video card also uses some of this memory area for an "aperture", where blocks of video card memory can be mapped in and out as needed. In order to make use of 4 gigabytes of physical RAM, the chipset must be able to remap physical memory in the 3-4G area to an area above 4G. Not all chipsets are able to do this. Look for a BIOS setting that activates memory remapping. If no such option exists on your system, I'm afraid you're out of luck. |
It is possible the BIOS, chipset or motherboard does not support a full 4GB and there is nothing you can do about it. The fact that the motherboard can recognize 4GB via DMI info does not imply the motherboard can use 4GB.
It is possible there is a "memory remap" or other option in BIOS setup that must be enabled in order to support a full 4GB. Reboot into the BIOS menu and look around for anything that looks like it might enable "memory remap" or some similar name or anything else related to extra ram. |
Thanks dudes for the hints
This Thinkpad X60 supports up to 2x2=4GB as stated in their specs. I saw the RAM mapping in dmesg: Code:
$ !dmesg Thanks |
This thread seems to confirm that a 3Gb chipset limitation exists on the x60.
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Most systems that claim to support a max of 4GB have no remapping option and thus support much less than 4GB. By apparently blaming that 3GB limit on Windows XP, that spec appears to be an even more vicious lie than the typical ones. There are some systems in which 32-bit XP is limited to 3GB while PAE Linux can use more. But this does not appear to be one of those systems. It appears that all OS's are limited to the same 3GB. |
forget it ...
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I just updated the BIOS, but nowhere I can find an option related to remapping memory. So, there is no way to override the BIOS' mapping settings when loading the kernel? I'm totally fine with 3GB but I am actually expecting after taking over the control from BIOS, the kernel should be configurable. |
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Thanks Ser Olmy
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