Notebook Makers Moving to 4 GB Memory As Standard

akintayo writes "Digitimes reports that first-tier notebook manufacturers are increasing the standard installed memory from the current 1 GB to 4GB. They claim the move is an attempt to shore up the costs of DRAM chips, which are currently depressed because of a glut in market. The glut is supposedly due to increased manufacturing capacity and the slow adoption of Microsoft's Vista operating system. The proposed move is especially interesting, given that 32-bit Vista and XP cannot access 4 GB of memory. They have a practical 3.1 — 3.3 GB limit. With Vista SP1 it seems that Microsoft has decided to fix the problem by reporting the installed memory rather than the available memory."

Comments

I'm shocked Vista doesn't 'consume' more

[gelfling]

Standard operating practice for Redmond is to rollout each new OS with a strict requirement that bumps up against the current hardware maximum generally available. Just because Vista can't address 4GB doesn't mean they can't check for it and require it anyway. Redmond and hardware companies have always had an incestuous relationship - a more than gentleman's agreement that hardware and software will bloat up hand in hand. Everyone knows that.