Question

Intel GMA X3100

Asked by: sunray_2003

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

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Asked On
2008-09-20 at 16:55:07ID23748835
Topic

Video Cards

Participating Experts
1
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: garycasePosted on 2008-09-20 at 20:51:00ID: 22533188

The X3100 works fine with Vista --> not a "gaming" video adapter; but it runs Aero fine and will work well with typical office applications; playing DVD's; etc.

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.

 

by: sunray_2003Posted on 2008-09-21 at 08:29:41ID: 22534995

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 ?

 

by: garycasePosted on 2008-09-21 at 09:57:32ID: 22535282

The comment about "up to 3GB memory" is WRONG.   It's not a fixed limit -- it depends on how many addresses are left to assign to RAM after the system functions have been assigned addresses (starting from the 4GB point and downward for a 32-bit OS).   Unfortunately, the "3GB limit" is rapidly becoming an "urban legend" passed around by folks who know that (a) you can't "see" all of 4GB; and (b) it's usually in the range of 3GB that you do see [It's generally around 3.2 to 3.5GB ... less with video cards that have a lot of memory -- and a LOT less with 2 or 3 card SLI systems.  I've seen as little as 2.2GB available on a triple SLI system].

I'd still get 4GB ... that way you're guaranteed to have all the memory it's possible to use available to you -- and if you should ever switch to an x64 OS you'll have a full 4GB (less, of course, the amount that's shared with the video adapter).

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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