There have been lots of discussions of this issue on the Vista forums, but as they say, seeing is believing.
I ordered my ThinkPad T61 with 1 stick of 1 GB RAM.
Separately ordered 2 sticks of 2GB RAM.
When machine came, I installed different amounts of memory and came up with:
2 x 2GB RAM = 3,070 available1GB + 2GB RAM = 3,050 available
So, I'll save the 2nd 2GB module for the backup ThinkPad I'm ordering later this month.
Bob
Hi, Bob.
The critical bit of information you left out: Which version of Vista? Specifically, is it Vista x86 (32-bit) or Vista x64?
Vista x64 can see many GB of RAM. I don't recall how much; 128 GB I think.
Vista x86 can normally see only 4 GB MINUS some for "overhead", such as drivers and other stuff. Most users with Vista x86 and 4 GB of RAM are reporting something over 3 GB, maybe 3.7 GB or thereabouts.
Some of the limitations may be imposed by the specific computer hardware, too. I'm surprised that your machine sees only 3,070 MB of your 4 GB RAM.
This obviously is not a technically-correct response. I have only 2 GB in my 64-bit system, so I haven't had to actually deal with the limitations yet, and haven't paid that much attention to the reports I've read. But as you must have seen in the Vista forums, some users running Vista x64 are using much more than 4 GB RAM.
RC
R.C.
Thanks for the correction, YES, I should have specified 32-bit Vista:
The critical bit of information you left out: Which version of Vista? Specifically, is it Vista x86 (32-bit) or Vista x64?
Vista x64 can see many GB of RAM. I don't recall how much; 128 GB I think.
Vista x86 can normally see only 4 GB MINUS some for "overhead", such as drivers and other stuff. Most users with Vista x86 and 4 GB of RAM are reporting something over 3 GB, maybe 3.7 GB or thereabouts.
Some of the limitations may be imposed by the specific computer hardware, too. I'm surprised that your machine sees only 3,070 MB of your 4 GB RAM.
This obviously is not a technically-correct response. I have only 2 GB in my 64-bit system, so I haven't had to actually deal with the limitations yet, and haven't paid that much attention to the reports I've read. But as you must have seen in the Vista forums, some users running Vista x64 are using much more than 4 GB RAM.
RC
How do you like the Thinkpad T61?
I'm getting a T61p (with XP instead of Vista).
I like the T61 a lot.
The T61p is an even better machine, but I just got progressive lenses, and I needed the lower screen resolution :-)
Some thoughts:
1) I actually REALLY like Vista Ultimate 32-bit on this machine (See my reply to Laura about battery conditioning) 2) Got both the 6-cell and 9-cell batteries, the latter sticks out ~1" from the back, not very user, or fold-down tray friendly. 3) Even the 6-cell lasts a full 4-hour flight, of course, that's w/o Wi-Fi. 4) Definitely get the Intel Turbo Memory option (For Vista, registry tweak needed to disable low disk warnings on the 500MB cache drive D:) 5) Fingerprint reader is sort of a gimmick, but hey, it's only $40 ;-)Have fun with your new toy, I mean, PRODUCTIVITY TOOL :-)
Bob
How do you like the Thinkpad T61?
I'm getting a T61p (with XP instead of Vista).
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