Intel GMA X3100
Hi,
I am planning to buy a Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.This model comes with Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics card. I am also planning to choose 3 GB RAM when building the system.. For OS, I am going to choose Windows Vista 32 bit edition. Will this integrated graphics card work well with vista ? The video memory, I am hoping, would come from the RAM so I was wondering if I should choose 4 GB RAM (eventhough windows 32 bit will address only 3 GB, remaining 1 GB can be used for Video memory).
What do you all think ?
Thanks
I am planning to buy a Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.This model comes with Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics card. I am also planning to choose 3 GB RAM when building the system.. For OS, I am going to choose Windows Vista 32 bit edition. Will this integrated graphics card work well with vista ? The video memory, I am hoping, would come from the RAM so I was wondering if I should choose 4 GB RAM (eventhough windows 32 bit will address only 3 GB, remaining 1 GB can be used for Video memory).
What do you all think ?
Thanks
ASKER
Hi Gary,
Here is the comment that I see in the HP website while trying to configure a laptop with Windows Vista.
"A 64-bit Operating System is required to take full advantage of 4GB memory. A 32-bit Operating System only recognizes up to 3GB memory. "
The above statement is why i said that 32 bit windows cannot use more than 3 GB memory.Since I am going to order a laptop with Windows vista 32 bit version, it struck me whether it would be an advantage to go for 4 GB.
So if the shared memory comes from addressable RAM and the addressable RAM can only be upto 3 GB (based on HP website's comment), I was wondering if putting a 4 GB of RAM may not give me any benefit ?
Here is the comment that I see in the HP website while trying to configure a laptop with Windows Vista.
"A 64-bit Operating System is required to take full advantage of 4GB memory. A 32-bit Operating System only recognizes up to 3GB memory. "
The above statement is why i said that 32 bit windows cannot use more than 3 GB memory.Since I am going to order a laptop with Windows vista 32 bit version, it struck me whether it would be an advantage to go for 4 GB.
So if the shared memory comes from addressable RAM and the addressable RAM can only be upto 3 GB (based on HP website's comment), I was wondering if putting a 4 GB of RAM may not give me any benefit ?
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It does share the memory -- HOWEVER, the shared memory comes from the addressable RAM ... so any memory not "seen" because of the need to allocate other system resources is still not useable. I'd still buy 4GB, just to maximize the available RAM.
By the way, your comment that "... everythough windows 32 bit will address only 3 GB ..." is WRONG. XP can address a full 4GB of address space; and whatever is left after assigning the system resources [PCI addresses; BIOS shadowing; video shadowing; etc.] will be available for RAM addresses. This is typically close to 3.5GB for a system using the GMA X3100.