Maximum memory on intel 915 chipset (X41)

[Termo]

I have an IBM X41, which has the intel 915GM chipset. The motherboard has 512Mb memory "onboard" and only one memory slot...

So I have just installed a 2Gb module in the slot, which means that I have a total of 2.5 Gb of memory in my labtop. This is also shown in the BIOS. But running sysinfo or "free -m" in Ubuntu 8.10 shows only 2015 Mb memory?!?

Code: Select all

Termo@X41-Linux:~$ free -m
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:          2015       1199        816          0         98        658

Is this just an "misprint" or is there only 2Gb memory available in Ubuntu??

Any ideas to a solution or an explanation?? I guess this has nothing to do with the 4Gb limit that 32bit OS's have - I haven't tried Ubuntu64 on the X41 though...

[basketb]

I believe this question has been discussed here before (though in the context of Win XP). A search may find the relevant posts.

[foehammer]

the long and short is that the bios does not support more than 2gb of ram, (video card can eat a maximum of 128 mb), Technicaly the bios doesnt support more than 1.5gb, so when confronted with 2+.5 the bios "forgets" some of it. At least that the way it was explained to me.

[Termo]

Yes it's true that it have been discussed earlier, here for instance:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=30

But the final post there (almost a year a go) states that Vista SP1 shows 2.5Gb ?!? So is it a BIOS related issue or an OS??

Can someone confirm more than 2Gb in Vista SP1...

[aaa]

It is a chipset issue, nothing to do with OS. I think it only takes 2gb. Vista SP1 was changed to show the installed memory instead of useable, for example Vista 32-bit would show 4gb instead the actual 3.3 or so that was available.

[Maccess]

Same thing with the T43, which also uses the 915 Chipset.

That chipset will only support 2GB, regardless of operating system, BIOS. Etc. It's 2GB and that's set in stone for that chipset.

A Chipset which supports more RAM, say 4GB or 8GB, will show less than 3GB in Windows XP, the full amount for 64-bit OSs, etc.

If the BIOS supports creating a BIOS RAMdisk, the motherboard, independent from the OS can use extra RAM to create a RAMdisk that the OS can use. (e.g 8GB RAM on Board, 3GB for WinXP, 5GB for BIOS RAMdisk, etc.) Note this is diferent from a software RAMDisk created within the operating system.

[globalkiwi]

As others have said, the 915 chipset limits you to 2GB max. on the X41 (a combo of 2GB in the single memory mode & 512 on the board). Vista will "see" all 2.5 GB but is only able to access 2 GB, updating the BIOS allows you to use 2GB in XP Pro also.