NVidia under 32 bit OS?

[doulos2]

Hello all,

I remember reading elsewhere that graphics memory is mapped into the available address space of the OS, thus reducing the already limited space under 32 bit OSs. In particular the 2 GB that come with NVidia card, subtracted from the addressable 3.5 GB under Win32, would leave me with a rather crippled system. My question is therefore, whether it is at all advisable to activate the NVidia card under 32 bit OSs. Any comments?

thanks,
chris

[Colonel O'Neill]

I think you'd be able to use around 2.9GB with a 32-bit OS. If you have discrete only, I suppose you can hit it with ReadyFor4GB, which doesn't play nicely with integrated graphics.

[craigmontHunter]

the dedicated card has its own memory, and does not subtract any from the system ram. Intergrated graphics use system memory, but they are limited to a certain amount to ensure that they do not interfere with performance, and they do not "lock" it - if you need more ram, it will lower the amount allocated to the video card. with 32-bit, you will have 2.99gb of ram max, and the video card does not affect that.

[Colonel O'Neill]

Indeed. If you don't plan on using Optimus, then you might want to consider ReadyFor4GB. It's a quick and painless patch that is easy to reverse (choose a different option in the bootloader). Breaks XP mode though.