Ram decrease?

Vash2000 · 07-17-2008, 06:32 PM

Me and a friend of mine are both PC online gamers and theres thins game we play called Soldier Front, he claims it slowed down his Ram. He use to have 512MB of Ram and it decreased to 256MB. I was like how is that possible??? well.. he said it pretty much is and he says it gave him a ram decrease and he's really the only one that touches his PC rather then his older brother and I and I don't believe anyone took any ram. Can ram really decrease like this from multitasking and playing online games???

Clockwork · 07-17-2008, 06:43 PM

It depends on what you mean. Ram can be used, but physical ram cannot decrease without removal.

Vash2000 · 07-17-2008, 07:00 PM

Wow.. not really sure but its ram installed in PC.. DDR2 I believe and he's using HP Pavilion and I heared with those PC's it's known to happen.

magnethead · 07-17-2008, 09:33 PM

is he using onboard graphics? It's liely stealing hard memory for use as VRAM.

Vash2000 · 07-18-2008, 02:06 PM

Umm.. not necessariliy sure but the name if his graphics card is PCI Xpress 2100 or something similar to that used in the HP desktops that were made in 2007.

Clockwork · 07-18-2008, 02:31 PM

If its got PCI in the name, its probably not an onboard graphics card, which means it has its own ram. I could be wrong, but if it happened suddenly, I doubt that is it. Also, i doubt HP would put 512 on a computer that uses 256 of it for its vram.

Vash2000 · 07-18-2008, 05:43 PM

Another question.. for PC's you have a limit to the amount of ram you can have because some cases if you add to much I hear it isn't good because thats not the limit for your PC. How would you know the maximum amount of ram to add to your PC?

**grimx133** · 07-18-2008, 06:44 PM

Go to the manufacturer's website (hp, dell, etc.) and put in your model number in whatever sort of help and support section. Go to the page for your specific model and it will tell you how much the maximum amount of ram for your model is, and what type of ram to use.

Clockwork · 07-18-2008, 06:52 PM

I doubt it if it was working at 512 at one point.

Vash2000 · 07-18-2008, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grimx133

Go to the manufacturer's website (hp, dell, etc.) and put in your model number in whatever sort of help and support section. Go to the page for your specific model and it will tell you how much the maximum amount of ram for your model is, and what type of ram to use.

I had a friend help me build my PC. My processor is AMD Sempron

Clockwork · 07-18-2008, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Soldier Front, he claims it slowed down his Ram. He use to have 512MB of Ram and it decreased to 256MB.

In Short, this is impossible. the only thing that would take up ram so that your computer doesn't see it is a built in video card. Seeing as you think yours is PCI, That is impossible.

Vash2000 · 07-19-2008, 11:42 AM

Well.. He also told me that he overclocked it, does that make a difference?

Clockwork · 07-20-2008, 12:59 AM

It shouldn't. The only thing i can think of is that he overclocked his ram way to far, and he destroyed one stick. if this were the case, it would happen will doing something ram intensive, like playing a demanding game.

07-17-2008, 06:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Vash2000 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 115 OS: Windows XP	Ram decrease? Me and a friend of mine are both PC online gamers and theres thins game we play called Soldier Front, he claims it slowed down his Ram. He use to have 512MB of Ram and it decreased to 256MB. I was like how is that possible??? well.. he said it pretty much is and he says it gave him a ram decrease and he's really the only one that touches his PC rather then his older brother and I and I don't believe anyone took any ram. Can ram really decrease like this from multitasking and playing online games???

07-17-2008, 06:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
Clockwork Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southeast MI Posts: 209 OS: XP/XP-64bit/Ubuntu	Re: Ram decrease? It depends on what you mean. Ram can be used, but physical ram cannot decrease without removal. __________________ Win·dows: Noun. A thirty-two bit extension and graphical shell to a sixteen-bit patch to an eight-bit operating system originally coded for a four-bit microprocessor which was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition. -LW

07-17-2008, 07:00 PM	#3 (permalink)
Vash2000 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 115 OS: Windows XP	Re: Ram decrease? Wow.. not really sure but its ram installed in PC.. DDR2 I believe and he's using HP Pavilion and I heared with those PC's it's known to happen.

07-17-2008, 09:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
magnethead Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 2,168 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: Ram decrease? is he using onboard graphics? It's liely stealing hard memory for use as VRAM. __________________ For proper support: what are you running? video card, cpu, m/board, ram, power supply, brand, wattage, any error message? PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W PSU. Power Supply Info and Selection . Info on thermal compounds & application . TEST PSU USING MULTI-METER

07-18-2008, 02:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Vash2000 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 115 OS: Windows XP	Re: Ram decrease? Umm.. not necessariliy sure but the name if his graphics card is PCI Xpress 2100 or something similar to that used in the HP desktops that were made in 2007.

07-18-2008, 02:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
Clockwork Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southeast MI Posts: 209 OS: XP/XP-64bit/Ubuntu	Re: Ram decrease? If its got PCI in the name, its probably not an onboard graphics card, which means it has its own ram. I could be wrong, but if it happened suddenly, I doubt that is it. Also, i doubt HP would put 512 on a computer that uses 256 of it for its vram. __________________ Win·dows: Noun. A thirty-two bit extension and graphical shell to a sixteen-bit patch to an eight-bit operating system originally coded for a four-bit microprocessor which was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition. -LW Last edited by Clockwork : 07-18-2008 at 02:36 PM.

07-18-2008, 05:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
Vash2000 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 115 OS: Windows XP	Re: Ram decrease? Another question.. for PC's you have a limit to the amount of ram you can have because some cases if you add to much I hear it isn't good because thats not the limit for your PC. How would you know the maximum amount of ram to add to your PC?

07-18-2008, 06:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
grimx133 Back to the grind Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canada eh Posts: 425 OS: xp mce sp2, xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Ram decrease? Go to the manufacturer's website (hp, dell, etc.) and put in your model number in whatever sort of help and support section. Go to the page for your specific model and it will tell you how much the maximum amount of ram for your model is, and what type of ram to use.

07-18-2008, 06:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
Clockwork Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southeast MI Posts: 209 OS: XP/XP-64bit/Ubuntu	Re: Ram decrease? I doubt it if it was working at 512 at one point. __________________ Win·dows: Noun. A thirty-two bit extension and graphical shell to a sixteen-bit patch to an eight-bit operating system originally coded for a four-bit microprocessor which was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition. -LW

07-19-2008, 11:42 AM	#12 (permalink)
Vash2000 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 115 OS: Windows XP	Re: Ram decrease? Well.. He also told me that he overclocked it, does that make a difference?

07-20-2008, 12:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
Clockwork Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southeast MI Posts: 209 OS: XP/XP-64bit/Ubuntu	Re: Ram decrease? It shouldn't. The only thing i can think of is that he overclocked his ram way to far, and he destroyed one stick. if this were the case, it would happen will doing something ram intensive, like playing a demanding game. __________________ Win·dows: Noun. A thirty-two bit extension and graphical shell to a sixteen-bit patch to an eight-bit operating system originally coded for a four-bit microprocessor which was written by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition. -LW