Displays only 3,99 GB of available memory out of 8 GB total.
Displays only 3,99 GB of available memory out of 8 GB total.
Hello everyone, I'm just starting out on this forum. Coming from Germany, my English isn't always clear. Sorry if that's the case. I hope you're more willing to assist me than the German tech discussion boards. The issue seems old. Most of you have probably read about it or dealt with it yourself. Windows 10 Pro (64 bit) tells me my PC can only use 3,99 GB of my 8 GB DDR3 RAM. But my BIOS recognizes all the RAM I install (I've tried different ones). My system is an i7 860 ASRock H55M-LE Sapphire RX460 with 2 GB, two 4 GB DDR3 sticks from Samsung, a 500 GB HDD, and a WD Thermaltake 430 Watt drive. I've already tried: updating BIOS, checking the "msconfig" settings, turning on usable RAM, using different RAM modules, limiting to 6 GB total, updating Windows, setting BIOS video mode, and changing PCIe settings. I found many discussions about this problem, but none of them worked for me. Do you have any other suggestions? Maybe a fresh install of Windows 10? It's brand new, I installed it yesterday. Or could there be a faulty motherboard? I know it's an old LGA1156 board, but I might find it cheap on eBay and enjoy the process. Thanks in advance! Andy
64 Bit version available. Refer to the text and screenshot from my initial post.
Open Task Manager, navigate to RAM section. You're likely using around 4.1GB, but only 3.9GB is available.
When 4096MB isn't allocated for dedicated VRAM, the hardware is probably reserved. See the discussion here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...8a160fd5da or the Bleeping Computer thread.
Task Manager shows: 8 GB installed, 4 GB available. Only up to 4 GB is being used. It doesn’t display any RAM reservation. Where can I locate the IGPU settings? I couldn’t find any. It looks like the i7-860 model doesn’t support them. Sorry for this awkward question. I tried the fix in your first link, but the system says I’m not an admin. There’s only one user account on this Windows machine. Of course, I’m the admin. The solution from your second link matches point 2 of my initial message. Isn’t that right? Thanks a lot for the quick replies!
Search for MsConfig and execute it. (displays as "system configuration") Navigate to the Boot section and choose it. Open the advanced settings. Disable "maximum memory." If not already unchecked, enable it and input 8gb or "8192"mb. Save modifications and reboot the device.
It’s likely a pin is misplaced inside the socket, probably just a bit off on one side. This prevents the system from using all available RAM channels even though it identifies the sticks. Take out the CPU and inspect the pin rows in the socket for any that don’t align properly. Gently reposition them until they line up correctly—be cautious, as the pins are delicate and require minimal force. A useful tip is to examine the pin tips; misalignment will be visible and guide your adjustments. This issue seems similar to what you’re seeing with an older AMD FX-8320, which may be caused by a damaged IMC.
Thank you for sharing this suggestion. I reviewed the pins and everything seems normal. There’s nothing bent. I just observed that the Mobo loses its BIOS settings. I changed the battery, but that didn’t resolve the issue. It looks like something unusual is happening. I found another Mobo on eBay and installed the i7 and RAM there. Now it’s functioning perfectly! I plan to request the defective mainboard from the seller. He claims it works fine, but clearly it doesn’t. Thanks for your assistance! :-) Apologies for the delayed reply.