You certainly know how much memory you installed. The issue here is how much memory you can actually use. The question is relevant if you want to solve large technical problems with programs like ours or MatLab?. For this type of software, limitations may arise from the maximum memory that can be allocated to a single task.
There is no problem with 64-bit programs running under 64-bit Windows XP or Vista. Here, you can install a large memory configuration (> 4 GB) and also allocate the full resources to a task. On the other hand, there is a significant but not well-publicized limit in Windows XP. The OS will not allocate more than 1.2 GB to a task. The problem does not seem as acute in 32 bit Vista, although the operating system has it own issues. Vista grabs about 400 extra MB of memory without offering any apparent advantage.
You can use our utility to test allocation limits on your Windows operating system. Here are links to programs for 32 and 64 bit systems:
memtest32.exe
memtest64.exe
Turn off other executables and run the program. It will report the largest block of memory that can be allocated.
In summary, here are some conclusions and recommendations:
- If you have 32-bit XP, the 1.2 GB limitation isn't a disaster. I do most of my consulting work with the 3D AMaze programs on such a machine.
- If you plan to use large meshes with our programs or do heavy-duty number-crunching with other software, get 64-bit Windows even if you don't plan to install more than 4 GB of memory. If you order one of our programs, be sure to specify that you want a 64-bit compilation.
- If you have a 32-bit XP machine, you will probably be wasting your money if you buy more than 2 GB of RAM.
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