Should 32bit OS users avoid 4870X2?

Conman

Conman

Gawd
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
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Does a 32bit OS see the 2 gigs of memory as 2 gigs or is it 1 gig mirrored? If it's using a full two gigs of memory address space then taking into consideration other system devices, and a standard two gigs of ram something has to give.:confused:
 
If you have two gigs of ram it should show around 1-1.5 gigs of ram on the video card. It should be fine.
 
All you need is a capable CPU, 2GB of RAM and a quality PSU.
32 bit Windows is fine.
It is highly recommended to own a large monitor (>=1920*1200) in order to really appreciate the remarkable performance of this video card.
 
xBanzai89 said:
If you have two gigs of ram it should show around 1-1.5 gigs of ram on the video card. It should be fine.
Click to expand...

How would part of the ram in the video card be disabled by the OS?Wouldn't it be more likely you would lose system ram?
 
I wouldnt do it with Vista, maybe with XP but some games will suffer.
I'm going to get a single 4870 1GB for XP.
 
From my experience, you lose addressable system memory. When i was running xp 32, only about 2.5gb of my 4gb was seen due to having 2 512mb cards.
 
veedubfreak said:
From my experience, you lose addressable system memory. When i was running xp 32, only about 2.5gb of my 4gb was seen due to having 2 512mb cards.
Click to expand...

Exactly. However because of how Windows (DirectX) see's video memory, it will only load textures into the Gig on the main card, the second card's Gig is nearly useless. WIth that in mind you should still be ok (assuming 2 Gigs of system memory)... but I would still recommend a 64bit OS as the best solution.
 
I would love to know what people who promote this train of thought are smoking. I mean seriously, that is some seriously good $!@&* right there.

Back when 1GB of memory in your PC was a pipe dream, and 256MB was heaven - but pissed off your i430HX, companies like E&S and 3DLabs were putting 256MB and 384MB on PCI and AGP cards. World didn't end then. Then everyone had 512MB and out came a 640MB card. World didn't end then.

Lesson One; your video card memory has absolutely no relation to, bearing on, and just flat out doesn't matter related to your system memory. Period. The end. I don't care who smoked what. 2GB of memory on the video card is 2GB of memory on the video card. Whether your system is 32 bit or 64 bit doesn't matter in the least, never has, and never will (except when the bus doesn't support the addressable space, but just FYI, AGP can go to >2GB so hey..)

So yes, every answer above this in this thread, is an absolute load of crap and flat out wrong.
 
AreEss said:
I would love to know what people who promote this train of thought are smoking. I mean seriously, that is some seriously good $!@&* right there.

Back when 1GB of memory in your PC was a pipe dream, and 256MB was heaven - but pissed off your i430HX, companies like E&S and 3DLabs were putting 256MB and 384MB on PCI and AGP cards. World didn't end then. Then everyone had 512MB and out came a 640MB card. World didn't end then.

Lesson One; your video card memory has absolutely no relation to, bearing on, and just flat out doesn't matter related to your system memory. Period. The end. I don't care who smoked what. 2GB of memory on the video card is 2GB of memory on the video card. Whether your system is 32 bit or 64 bit doesn't matter in the least, never has, and never will (except when the bus doesn't support the addressable space, but just FYI, AGP can go to >2GB so hey..)

So yes, every answer above this in this thread, is an absolute load of crap and flat out wrong.
Click to expand...

Back in those days, the address space was still 32bit. So the 4GB limitation still existed, but wasn't even getting close to being touched. Now, the video card's memory still has to be mapped into the address space, but people are loading their systems with 2, 3, or 4GB of RAM and I/O devices get allocated before physical memory does.


here's some math for you
256+384 <<<< 4096

512+640 << 4096

4096 + 1024 = uh oh.
 
RadXge said:
All you need is a capable CPU, 2GB of RAM and a quality PSU.
32 bit Windows is fine.
It is highly recommended to own a large monitor (>=1920*1200) in order to really appreciate the remarkable performance of this video card.
Click to expand...
did you miss the point? the 2gb video card is going to come right off what little memory is available for a 32bit OS. it would kinda be silly to use this on a 32bit OS.
 
ryan_975 said:
Back in those days, the address space was still 32bit. So the 4GB limitation still existed, but wasn't even getting close to being touched. Now, the video card's memory still has to be mapped into the address space, but people are loading their systems with 2, 3, or 4GB of RAM and I/O devices get allocated before physical memory does.


here's some math for you
256+384 <<<< 4096

512+640 << 4096

4096 + 1024 = uh oh.
Click to expand...

+1 for good posting
 
cannondale06 said:
did you miss the point? the 2gb video card is going to come right off what little memory is available for a 32bit OS. it would kinda be silly to use this on a 32bit OS.
Click to expand...

one gigabyte is going to come off if I understand it right, the second gigabyte is the same as the first, I don't believe the system sees it, (in other words it only has to address one gigabyte total)

I do have to agree that is a little close though with vista, its a memory hog. I would at least like 3gb with the system memory.
 
Valset said:
one gigabyte is going to come off if I understand it right, the second gigabyte is the same as the first, I don't believe the system sees it, (in other words it only has to address one gigabyte total)

I do have to agree that is a little close though with vista, its a memory hog. I would at least like 3gb with the system memory.
Click to expand...

Vista is not a memory hog. It just borrows your unused RAM until you need it, then it gives it back near instantly. I ran Vista Home Premium 32bit with 1GB for well over 7 months with no issues.
 
ryan_975 said:
Vista is not a memory hog. It just borrows your unused RAM until you need it, then it gives it back near instantly. I ran Vista Home Premium 32bit with 1GB for well over 7 months with no issues.
Click to expand...
yes I know its usually just borrowing but it does use more ram compared to XP doing the same task. if you look at most games/apps the require 1 gig in XP, they require 1.5gb or more for Vista.
 
cannondale06 said:
yes I know its usually just borrowing but it does use more ram compared to XP doing the same task. if you look at most games/apps the require 1 gig in XP, they require 1.5gb or more for Vista.
Click to expand...

Yes, Vista does use a bit more RAM than XP, even without Superfetch. But that's been true of all OS's since... DOS. Hell, I remember some 98SE games I played that ran perfect with 64MB. Then I upgraded to XP and "Oh shit, I need more ram now." So I got 256MB and all was well again.
 
Hold on a second, Microsoft says the max is 4GB for XP 32.
So... 2 GB of system memory + 2GB of VRAM = 4GB
What's the problem?
 
That's_Corporate said:
Hold on a second, Microsoft says the max is 4GB for XP 32.
So... 2 GB of system memory + 2GB of VRAM = 4GB
What's the problem?
Click to expand...

You are forgetting all the ram for other things. Every device under Device Manager uses a little and usually adds up to at least 300+MB. You can see this when you go under Device Manager.
 
Hypernova said:
You are forgetting all the ram for other things. Every device under Device Manager uses a little and usually adds up to at least 300+MB. You can see this when you go under Device Manager.
Click to expand...


Yowsers... that's significant.
Well... still 93% utilized though...
Enough to make an impact you figure?

Hmmm... I really don't want to run Vista Ultimate :(
I like my XP 32.
 
AreEss said:
I would love to know what people who promote this train of thought are smoking. I mean seriously, that is some seriously good $!@&* right there.

Back when 1GB of memory in your PC was a pipe dream, and 256MB was heaven - but pissed off your i430HX, companies like E&S and 3DLabs were putting 256MB and 384MB on PCI and AGP cards. World didn't end then. Then everyone had 512MB and out came a 640MB card. World didn't end then.

Lesson One; your video card memory has absolutely no relation to, bearing on, and just flat out doesn't matter related to your system memory. Period. The end. I don't care who smoked what. 2GB of memory on the video card is 2GB of memory on the video card. Whether your system is 32 bit or 64 bit doesn't matter in the least, never has, and never will (except when the bus doesn't support the addressable space, but just FYI, AGP can go to >2GB so hey..)

So yes, every answer above this in this thread, is an absolute load of crap and flat out wrong.
Click to expand...
This post is a load of crap.

Back then, nobody was closing in on the 4 GB limit. Today, lots of people are exceeding the 4 GB limit. That is why the world didn't end back then, but it will end now.
 
Ugh so if you're running a OEM copy of vista 32 you will have to spend an extra 150$ upgrading to V64 just so you can spend the 550$ on the 4870x2? 700 dollars makes the 4870x2 considerably less attractive than it did before.Guess I'll be waiting for Nvidia to drop the 55nm 280.Oh well.
 
AreEss said:
I would love to know what people who promote this train of thought are smoking. I mean seriously, that is some seriously good $!@&* right there.

Back when 1GB of memory in your PC was a pipe dream, and 256MB was heaven - but pissed off your i430HX, companies like E&S and 3DLabs were putting 256MB and 384MB on PCI and AGP cards. World didn't end then. Then everyone had 512MB and out came a 640MB card. World didn't end then.

Lesson One; your video card memory has absolutely no relation to, bearing on, and just flat out doesn't matter related to your system memory. Period. The end. I don't care who smoked what. 2GB of memory on the video card is 2GB of memory on the video card. Whether your system is 32 bit or 64 bit doesn't matter in the least, never has, and never will (except when the bus doesn't support the addressable space, but just FYI, AGP can go to >2GB so hey..)

So yes, every answer above this in this thread, is an absolute load of crap and flat out wrong.
Click to expand...

Gosh, what a terrifically ignorant "HardGawd":

When RAM became cheaper and users upgraded from 2 gigs of RAM to 4 gigs, they noticed that the system would only display 2-3 gigs and many people posted the question, why?

So... a 1 second search on "XP and RAM" yields:

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=101&threadID=215216&messageID=2195987

"Here is a link to an MS article on RAM:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555223

Here is a list of RAM limits for current Windows versions:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778.aspx

Basically, the 32 bit versions of Windows can address up to 4GB of RAM. However, some of that address space MUST be used for other system tasks and resources.

On a practical basis, you can't make use of much more than 3GB of RAM with ANY 32 bit OS.
Some motherboards and system configurations will limit you even further.

Chas"
 
From personal experience, I've noticed that the equation is 3 Gigs minus video card RAM, so I've been wondering if you use a 2 Gig card, does that mean only 1 Gig of system RAM will be used?
 
MrAgmoore said:
From personal experience, I've noticed that the equation is 3 gigs minus video card RAM, so I've been wondering if you use a 2 Gig card, does that mean only 1 Gig of system RAM will be used?
Click to expand...

I dunno, do you have any copypasta from Gamespot to back you up?
 
MrAgmoore said:
From personal experience, I've noticed that the equation is 3 Gigs minus video card RAM, so I've been wondering if you use a 2 Gig card, does that mean only 1 Gig of system RAM will be used?
Click to expand...

no, it's 4GB - video ram - other devices.
 
Look this is not hard here. you can address 4gb of memory on a 32 bit system.

for a one gigabyte card...
3gb can be used in the system,
1gb on the card.

for a 512mb card
3.5 for the system
.5 for the card.

if on the 4870X2 your using 1gb of addressable memory (the other 1gb is mirrored) then your back to
3gb can be used in the system,
1gb on the card.

there will be some variations due to system configurations and such but that is bottom line of it

BTW the 64 bit home version vista can be had for around a 100 bucks, no need to buy the ultimate or whatever. if you have to go to vista for some reason I recommend the 64bit. ddr 800 is pretty cheap right now
 
ryan_975 said:
no, it's 4GB - video ram - other devices.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you are correct. I meant more on my system, the "other devices" ( I figure ) take up a gig. So in my mind I just pretend that "other devices" will always take up to a Gig, even though it varies from system to system.
 
My system with 32 bit Vista, 4 Gigs RAM and a 512 MB video card, shows as having 3327 MB RAM. If I had a 1 Gig video card would it only be 2815 MB RAM? Does Vista 64 Bit show as 4096 MB RAM?
 
Nuby1Canuby said:
My system with 32 bit Vista, 4 Gigs RAM and a 512 MB video card, shows as having 3327 MB RAM. If I had a 1 Gig video card would it only be 2815 MB RAM? Does Vista 64 Bit show as 4096 MB RAM?
Click to expand...

yes, vista 64 you can have practically unlimited amounts of ram.

would it show 2815? that is a logical assumption but not necessary so. I really am not sure why but I can tell you that it doesn't always work that way. but it would be in the right ball park.

Also just because vista/XP doesn't show it doesn't mean its not being used, the bois and other items can all claim part of it.
 
Conman said:
Ugh so if you're running a OEM copy of vista 32 you will have to spend an extra 150$ upgrading to V64 just so you can spend the 550$ on the 4870x2? 700 dollars makes the 4870x2 considerably less attractive than it did before.Guess I'll be waiting for Nvidia to drop the 55nm 280.Oh well.
Click to expand...

Maybe. Depends on whether the system "sees" it as a 2GB card, or as a 1GB card, since it's really two separate 1GB cards that plug into a single slot. The OS should only really have to map the first 1GB of memory, since the other 1GB will just be a copy of whatever is in the first 1GB of video ram.

Buying an OEM copy of Vista doesn't make much sense anyway. It's not just the switch from 32-bit to 64-bit that will cost you money - if you buy a new mobo, you'll also have to buy a new Vista license. With the retail version, you can transfer it as many times as you like, though Microsoft will do their best to pester you about it and generally try to punish you for getting a legal version of the OS instead of one with activation removed.
 
If you are still using a 32bit OS, you probably have 4GB or less in your system.

I doubt that someone with 4GB or less RAM in their system will be looking forward to buy a new $500 graphic card when he is not even bothered with another 4GB of RAM for only $90.
 
alg7_munif said:
If you are still using a 32bit OS, you probably have 4GB or less in your system.

I doubt that someone with 4GB or less RAM in their system will be looking forward to buy a new $500 graphic card when he is not even bothered with another 4GB of RAM for only $90.
Click to expand...


There are plenty of people who still use XP 32bit for gaming and have 3gb of ram and might buy a 4870x2.
 
alg7_munif said:
If you are still using a 32bit OS, you probably have 4GB or less in your system.

I doubt that someone with 4GB or less RAM in their system will be looking forward to buy a new $500 graphic card when he is not even bothered with another 4GB of RAM for only $90.
Click to expand...

I think you are confused.
I wouldnt get another 4GB for my XP 32 box cos it cant use another 4GB.
So regardless of how much a new gfx card costs, it doesnt magically allow XP32 to use more than 4GB.
 
alg7_munif said:
If you are still using a 32bit OS, you probably have 4GB or less in your system.

I doubt that someone with 4GB or less RAM in their system will be looking forward to buy a new $500 graphic card when he is not even bothered with another 4GB of RAM for only $90.
Click to expand...

You didn't get the memo: Vista went down like the Titanic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista#Criticism

Gamers drive the market, XP is still the de facto standard.
 
All usable memory needs to have memory address mapped, so this thing is going to take up 2048mb of mappable memory, the average system running a 32bit OS will only be able to detect approx 1.5Gb of system RAM.

Thats a pretty massive bottleneck for games that are using a video card that powerful.
 
MrAgmoore said:
You didn't get the memo: Vista went down like the Titanic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista#Criticism

Gamers drive the market, XP is still the de facto standard.
Click to expand...

Another XP fanboy spouting rubbish.

Here [H] forum users about 85% of votes for Vista in a "Vista or XP" poll

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1334967

Another [H] poll in XP vs Linux vs Vista and vista comes out with 67%

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1333986

And gaming specific poll about OS's and Vista32+64 gets 60%

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1325406

But hey why don't you skip Vista and get MS's newer better OS called mojave? That sounds right up your street :rolleyes:
 
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