Will a core 2 duo processor be able to use all of an 8 GB RAM upgrade with Windows?

[grastafaram]

Hi, I am planning on upgrading to 8 GB RAM in order to run Arc GIS on a Windows partition. A friend, that works as an IT, told me that with a core 2 duo processor the most I would be able to actually use would be 3.5 GB. This doesn't really make sense to me, as the 15" 2.53 ghz, mid 2009 MBP I have can take up to 8 GB. Is there any reason I would only be able to use 3.5 GB on the Windows partition?

Thanks

 

[GGJstudios]

You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:

• By visiting EveryMac.com: Actual Maximum RAM
• By using Mactracker
• By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model. (Be aware that some models can use more RAM than Apple shows. Check EveryMac or MacTracker to verify.)

 

[Intell]

Most C2D systems can use 8Gb of ram, you're can. But Windows must be a 64-bit version. A 32-bit version will only be able to use 3.5Gb of the total amount.

 

[nicklad]

Hi, I am planning on upgrading to 8 GB RAM in order to run Arc GIS on a Windows partition. A friend, that works as an IT, told me that with a core 2 duo processor the most I would be able to actually use would be 3.5 GB. This doesn't really make sense to me, as the 15" 2.53 ghz, mid 2009 MBP I have can take up to 8 GB. Is there any reason I would only be able to use 3.5 GB on the Windows partition?

Thanks

Only if you install a 32-bit version of Windows will you be limited to a maximum of 4GB of addressable memory. (As discrete graphics memory needs to be addressable, if you have a 512MB there and 4GB of standard memory, you'll only have 3.5GB left over.)

This is due to Microsoft artificially limiting 32-bit consumer versions of Windows versions as of XP SP2 so that even with PAE, a mechanism to address memory larger than 4GB in size, they're still limited to 4GB.

Install a 64-bit operating system and you won't have the issue and will be able to use the full 8GB.

 

[grastafaram]

Thanks for the speedy reply. So if I want to use all 8 GB of RAM then I have to install a 64 bit version of windows, meaning windows 7 or vista, correct?

 

[nicklad]

Thanks for the speedy reply. So if I want to use all 8 GB of RAM then I have to install a 64 bit version of windows, meaning windows 7 or vista, correct?

In practical terms, yes. (In technical reality, there is a 64-bit edition of Windows XP and Server 2003 but you wouldn't want to use them in most circumstances.)