Only 8gb of usable but i have 16gb. Troubleshooting. yesterday i just discovered that i was using only 7.95gb of instead of 16. I tried the fix of msconfig, unticking the limit of memory to use (this works for everyone). It didn't worked for me, because the system doesn't apply my changes (i clicked on "apply" and "restart now"). Right-click the Windows icon in the bottom left and select Run. Type MSConfig and click OK. Navigate to the Boot tab and click Advanced options. Uncheck the Maximum memory option and click OK. Restart your computer and check if the RAM usage has improved. 3. Ebear225. For college I would definitely say 16gb. 8gb I would recommend for reading emails and web browsing. 16gb will save you lots of headaches later on. MattAdmin444. • 2 yr. ago. Personally, I'm always a fan of futureproofing. Spending a little money now can potentially save you more money later. 0. 10,510. Aug 7, 2013. #1. Hey all, just built my new computer (gaming primarily), including one stick of 8gb crucial ballistix ram @1600. I was told at microcenter that A) I really should have at least 2 sticks of ram, even though it is already 8gigs. and B) The other module really should be the same size (8gb) as well as speed, etc. For the dual-channel memory that most motherboards support today, it’s better to use two 8 GB RAM sticks. Motherboards With Four RAM Slots. You should remember that reading your motherboard manual will help you the most because the RAM slot order can be different for every motherboard. However, there are general rules you can follow: . The CPU may be able to support up to 16GB but if the motherboard can only take 8GB then that's your limit. In Ubuntu if you're running 32-bit then your limit is 4GB and if you're running 64-bit it's much higher (can't remember for certain but it's way way above 16GB. But you will always be restricted by your hardware. 1. In that link above, you can find a kernel patch to remove the Windows memory lock (limiting you to 4GB of memory), which will allow you to use the full 8GB. – Breakthrough. Feb 27, 2012 at 18:25. The chipset and bios must also support 8gb or no patch will work. – Moab. When creating the RAM disk, you can even use your "missing" RAM (the memory between the 3.25 GB used by Windows and the 4 GB actually installed), but only if the hardware is compatible. The short answer is yes, you can pair 8GB and 16GB RAM in a laptop. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when doing so. First, your laptop’s motherboard will need to support dual-channel memory in order for this configuration to work properly. Second, it’s generally best to use matching pairs of RAM sticks for optimal performance If you have a pair of spare memory slots, can you add two more 8GB chips to get to 24GB? Generally, this should be OK, subject to sticking to one brand and spec.

can you use 8gb ram with 16gb ram