4GB RAM on Sony Vaio FZ190 CTO

The hardware specification says that the notebook can support upto 4GB of memory. I'm planning to use Vista Ultimate (32 bit) on it. Will the 4GB memory help? Even if the memory above 3.2Gb is not available to the OS but available to the graphics adapter, I'm fine.

I found the following notes on the sony website.

1. A portion of the system memory over 3GB may not be available to the operating system
2. Based on the amount of main memory the video memory will vary.

 

4 gb for 1000 dollars? ur better off buying a faster computer

 

Yes, a portion, say 1GB of that 4GB, will be address space allocated for I/O devices such as your graphics card*. The CPU cannot access this space. However, you will still have ~3GB to run your OS and applications in, so if you are doing something memory intensive (i.e. the program takes up 1-2GB of memory) then it will help.

*An interesting question here is, can an integrated GPU take advantage of some of the "lost" memory instead of carving out a piece of the precious 3GB available for general use. My feeling is that is is entirely possible, so long as no other device gets assigned to an address inside the GPU's VRAM space.

 

on ebay and other sites, 4gb of memory goes for $250, even less - i got mine for $250 shipped, got it today

plus, sony offers 533mhz memory - this is 667mhz. i would seriously suggest to get the lowest memory possible when customizing, and buy the memory elsewhere and upgrade

and yes the 32bit will show only about 3-3.4gb which is fine, and 64bit will show all 4

 

If you have ultimate install x64, its abit faster than x86 and its definitly the future so may as well get used to it.

You will get all 4gb of your ram to use then aswell.

Ill note that in my professional opinion 4gb of ram in a notebook will not show any real world performance gains over 2gb.

Infact you will just be using slower ram the latency is higher on 2gb dimms.

Gaming has shown improvements on a desktop with 2gb vs 4gb on desktops in vista, however desktops are on a whole diffrent level since there is more cpu and gpu power they have much higher visual settings that eat up more ram.

Vista is a funny animal in its own that the more ram you add to your system, the more ram it will use.

 

ViciousXUSMC:
Will I be able to install Vista 64bit on this notebook?

 

I'm also ordering the sony FZ190 CTO. I would like to replace the ram that came with the system with 2x2gb pc5300 memory. Do you guys know if I can put in any 200pin sodimm pc5300 memory? (I believe that's the type of memory that this system uses). I am worried whether or not the new memory will fit into the system (length, width, height). Any brands that I should try to buy/stay away from? I've seen 2gb sticks selling for $150 on newegg. Thanks!

 

yah, basically 200 pin nonecc pc5300 256x64 config is the best compatibility for the notebook

 

That extra memory will NOT be available to the graphics adapter, except possibly you have an integrated graphics adapter, but there's no guarantee of that and it's unlikely in general. The area over ~3.2GB is reserved as "virtual" addresses for accessing the graphics card's internal memory, as well as for DMA transfers and so on. The extra RAM will go completely unused by any component of the system.

The optimal configuration without spending money on hardware doing nothing is to get 1x2GB module, and 1x1GB module. Total memory will be very slightly lower than if you went with 2x2GB, and you may not get dual-channel (though it is possible, I believe, doing unmatched dual-channel), but you won't be wasting money on stuff that won't help.

Do you know why you want 3GB of RAM? 2GB is nearly overkill for most consumers. Unless you're doing heavy, heavy media work, you almost certainly don't need it.

 

I'm currently trying to make Vista x64 functional on my FZ190 - CTO. You can read my post. I'd appreciate any help I can get searching for a couple of drivers.

Specs:
T7500 @ 2.2Ghz
4GB RAM (bought from newegg.com)
250GB HD

Windows Experience Index:
Processor: 5.1
Memory: 4.8
Graphics - Desktop Performance: 5.9
Gaming Graphics: 5.2
Primary Hard Disk: 4.4