[Solved] Windows 7 x64 says RAM 4 GB but 2 GB usable

Not sure where you get the impression the ram is disabled. System properties see's it 4gb and 2 ?available, cpu-z see's it. Where does it say disabled?
Also the 6.3 rating was from Vista not Windows 7 right? No way Win7 rates ddr2-800 as 6.3

Same thing happened to me on my last build. I simply reseated the RAM and rebooted and all 4GB were then usable

i have the same problem, 6.00gb (2.00gb usable) tried removing the ram and putting it back. updated the latest bios. tried task manager, 4.00gb hardware reserve, 2.00gb in use. anyone solve this, need help. thank in advance.

windows7 ultimate 64bit
ocz 6gb 1800mhz
gigabyte x58-ud5
intel i7 920

oliver

i tried yesterday, putting 1 stick at a time on 3 white slots. 1 stick can boot windows on 3 white slots but the 2 sticks cant boot windows on 3 white slots. on system properties it showed 6gb (2gb usable) any suggestions, maybe i have a 2 bad ram?

I had the same issue with:
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58
Intel Core i7-920
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

What I noticed was that right after powering the system on, I hid the splash screen and noticed that the RAM was only counting up to 4GB. In Windows it said 6GB of RAM (4GB usable). CPU-Z reported 6GB of RAM.

After hours of troubleshooting I followed a tip to check the pins on the socket of the motherboard. I removed the CPU, placed the mobo under a bright light, and noticed one pin was slightly bent to the side. I straightened it with a tiny flat-head jewelers screwdriver and replaced the CPU. After the next reboot, the BIOS counted up all 6GB of RAM and Windows reported 6GB.

Thank to this Forum, after many hours of checking and testing, i open my computer and took of the CPU, and look at the pin, but can't get a nice look, i am 40 years, and my eyes are tired.

What i do : use a lens from my canon EF 70-200 camera, and begin the checking, and what a surprise, i found the bad pin, it's hard to see it with only eye, use a lens magnifer.

I move the pin in right place and boot, and voila, 6Gb = 6Gb not 4Gb only from windows.

The only hard part is to found the bad pin.

Also becarful about your Cooler Fan seating, he has to be real strait pressure.

Thank again to every body write about the bad pin.

MM.

Guys,

I hear what everyone is saying about the bad pins etc. However this is mainly in the context of custom built PCs. I have a Dell XPS 9000 (aka 435 model) i7 core, windows 7 64 bit, with 4 GB RAM. I've now had this PC for exactly 2 years. It is only in the last 3 months or so that the "intermittent" problems with reported RAM have been occurring.

I've cleaned the dust out of the MB, swapped around ram modules but it is very difficult to trace which of the 4, 1GB modules are faulty (if any) since the problem occurs intermittently. At this point, I'm not sure if RAM modules are dying or if Ram slots in my MB are faulting intermittently.

Just before I see 4GB installed (1.99 GB usable) reported, the system usually crashed just before that, most likely due to a bad memory call.

Now I have never touched the actual CPU chip itself, and with the Dell working at long as it has (fault free), I am less inclined to think that all of a sudden there is a bent or damaged pin. The only thing that has ever been changed on the system is the video card which i swapped out for a 5770 the day I got the system. That's it.

Now I've tried calling Dell, and they have argued that they can't/won't attempt a service on a PC that "is still working" because when they walk you through their initial scripted procedures, they arrive at "Nothing is wrong with the PC" because as with all "Intermittent" problems, they don't show up when the person that is supposed to fix it is on the line.

I just bought a crucial memory upgrade kit of 12 GB (3 x 4GB) which I am hesitant to install if the MB if faulty (ing).

Any thoughts on the actual source of the problem?
What other tests do you think I can run to narrow the source of the problem?
Do you think it's still likely that there CPU may have issues or may be failing, or is it more likely to be RAM or the MB RAM slots?

By intermittent I might approximate 2 or 3 times per week the system will crash and on rebooting report that only 2 GB is usable, until I try reboot it several times before it reports all 4 GB as usable again.