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Possible Duplicate:
Why does Ubuntu only show 3GB of RAM?

I recently upgraded my system from 2 to 4 GB of memory. When I booted into Ubuntu, it's only recognizing 3 GB.

I followed some instructions on adding the PAE; now when I boot up my kernel has switched from generic to PAE but I'm still only showing 3 GB. How do I get it to read all 4 GB?

I went to the Software Center and found the PAE, then when I clicked "More info" it shows a few more packages with it but they aren't checked. Should I check them to be added also? Will this make Ubuntu recognize my 4 GB?

Community
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robert
  • 277

3 Answers3

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To start with, what version of Ubuntu have you installed? 32bits or 64bits? If I'm correct 32bits systems won't be able to use more than 3Gb of memory, try with the 64bits version.

Victor P.
  • 473
0

You said

lshw -short -C memory and it seems that ubuntu is showing that I can have a maximum of 4 gigs but still only reading 3 gigs.

Why do you say it is only reading 3 gigs? What do you mean by "reading"? What command are you using that shows it is "only reading 3 gigs?" My guess is that your system is recognizing all 4 GB.

The easiest command you can use to confirm this is:

top

Here is what mine shows on a 4GB system with 64 bit Ubuntu:

Mem: 3930080k total,

Here is another well-used command:

$ cat /proc/meminfo

Mine shows:

MemTotal: 3930080 kB

You can also try:

dmesg|grep Memory

Or, if you install the hwinfo package, run it:

hwinfo

Finally, if you really don't see around 4GB from those commands, and the difference is not due to an onboard video card, here is a similar question: Ubuntu detects only 3.2GB RAM on a 64bit OS

Community
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MountainX
  • 5,969
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I believe your motherboard does not support more than 3GB of RAM. Which board do you have?

This article has some pretty good info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier

Will Fong
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