up vote 2 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

my machine is a Dell Studio XPS 9100 with 8GB of RAM installed. When I open the BIOS setup and enter the System Info, it shows that my machine got 8GB of RAM installed but only 6GB is available (yes this is from the BIOS only). In Windows 7 (64bit Pro) it shows only 6GB of RAM are available. But if I run CPU-Z then it can detect all 8GB RAM. The machine came pre-configured and I have never opened the case before.

link|improve this question
feedback

1 Answer

up vote 0 down vote

From what I can find about the now discontinued Studio 9100 is that it has two options for graphics, both of which appear to be integrated solutions. The numbers I can find show that it only has 512MB of memory for graphics, but it is possible that "upgraded" versions came with a larger chunk of dedicated video memory. 2GB seems like a lot but it is wholly possible since the graphics are integrated that 2GB of memory is dedicated to the graphics controller.

You can find out more about your card and exactly how much memory it is being allocated using the GPU-Z utility.

link|improve this answer
Thanks for the answer, but by "integrated" do you mean as in onboard graphic? If so then I don't think so, mine has a dedicated Radeon HD 5670 1GB. – Hiroshi Nov 16 '11 at 19:49
1  
Yes I was referring to integrated graphics. The only info I could find on that model referred to onboard video. You may want to check that you don't have onboard video in addition to your dedicated card, and disable it if you do. – Garrett Nov 16 '11 at 20:00
I'm pretty sure that the Radeon is the only graphic card operating on my system. What I feel kinda weird is the fact that BIOS detects 8GB of RAM but says that only 6GB is available. I know that sometimes OS allocates some of the RAM for system usage but come on, BIOS eats 2GB of my RAM? – Hiroshi Nov 17 '11 at 2:26
1  
Even if you're not using the onboard video, the BIOS will still reserve memory for it unless the onboard video is disabled in the BIOS. I've seen systems that do let you go up to 2GB (which is absurd, the onboard video can't possibly use that much). – David Schwartz Dec 10 '11 at 7:47
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.