How much RAM can you have on a 32 bit computer? How many bytes is typical in RAM?

Answer 1

No Chickster, you can't use a 32 bit processor and 8GB of RAM with that motherboard. I know you were trying to be sarcastic there, but you should really know what you are talking about before you try that.

The limit on RAM is a combination of whichever part has the smallest limit. Yes that motherboard can use 8GB, but a 32 bit OS can only use 4GB, hence the limit is 4GB. Now someone said a 64 bit OS can use 8GB, actually it can use a hell of a lot more. From a technical standpoint, a 64 bit OS can use 16 exabytes (16 billion GB), though most are limited for other reasons to a number much smaller than that. Some versions of Vista support up to 128 GB. But even if you used that version, then you would have to look at the motherboard to see how much it would support, most new ones are at 8GB, some at 16.

As for how much is typical, at the moment 2GB is pretty much the average amount for a new and fairly good computer.

Answer 2

32-bit address space comes out as 4096 megabytes, or 4 GB exactly. (2 ^ 32 / 1024 / 1024 = 4096 )

No such thing as "typical in RAM" without specifying the platform or operating system.

If you mean Windows XP, 1 to 1.5 GB is common. With Vista, it's up to 2 GB nowadays.

Please note that PC architecture uses segments to bypass some of the limits. While 8086 is a 16-bit processor, it actually has a 20-bit address bus thus can access 1 megabyte in memory. Again, one must specify platform and operating system.

Answer 3

So I guess I can't use this motherboard; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121057 with my 32 bit Pentium4 3.2GB cpu? This motherboard takes up to 8GB's of ram, and can support a 32 bit Pentium4. The bytes in a typical ram 'stick' is around 1GB, but 'typical' is starting to go thru the roof. 2GB's,(Gigabytes), are starting to be the norm for serious gamers, in a single stick, at 1033 to 1333MHz speed. If this is a school question, I suggest you peruse:
1.Hardwaresecrets.com
2.Sysopt.com
3.Tomshardware.com
4.Extremetech.com
5.PCmag.com
(check their reviews also)
for starters to help guide you with the typical ram byte size nowdays. Tell the instructor/teacher the roof's open.

Answer 4

A smidge over 3gb is the most that a 32-bit OS can address.

So to keep dual-channel performance you need 2 x 1gb sticks and 2 x 512mb sticks. Just look at Dell/Hp/etc., the most they come with is 3gb.

Answer 5

check ur motherboard, normal motherboard have 2 or 4 slot for RAM, to support up to 4G only.

Answer 6

It depends how much RAM your motherboard takes in. Check your MB specifications. Typically, 4GB nowdays.

Answer 7

4 gigs. 64 bit OS can have 8 gigs. many laptops can only have 2 gigs though. check your pc maker's website for your laptop's details