Somewhere on teh intarweb "James Colbert" typed:
> I don't know what has happened to the MSI group, but it's dead. Thus,
> I ask here.
>
> I have the above referenced motherboard REV A3 (Pheonix BIOS version
> 6.00 PG) with two 1 GB sticks of Corsair PC3200 (200mhz) RAM (part#
> CMX1024-3200C2). This memory is unregistered and and unbuffered and is
> running at dual channel at CAS 3.0, 2.5V.
>
> The CPU is an AMD 64 X2 4400+, socket 939. All are running at default
> speeds...no OC'ing. OS is Vista Ultimate.
>
> On to the point:
>
> I recently installed Lightroom and Photoshop CS3 on my machine and
> they (esp. CS3) seem to be quite RAM hungry. Add to that that I am
> dealing with large image files and that I don't feel that Vista is
> handling memory allocation as efficiently as it could. So I guess my
> question is twofold:
> 1) Can anything be done to maximize the efficiency of my current RAM?
>
> 2) I'd like to add another 2 GB of RAM. I have 2 slots open, but seem
> to remember there being some issue either with the board or with
> Vista with the 4th GB of ram (or perhaps it's an issue with the
> slot?).
The issue is with 32-bit OSes. They can't address 4GB of RAM. If you have
Vista 64-bit them you're good to go.
> Would I do better putting two more 1 GB sticks into the slots 3 & 4
> (which, I believe, removes the possiblity of running in dual channel
> mode) or buying two 2 GB sticks and removing the existing RAM
> altogether?
If you'd Googled "MSI-7125" and hit the first link on the page you'd have
got this:
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p..._neo4_platinum
There's a lot about memory configs there.
Your mobo manual probably says the same thing. Interestingly it seems that
the southbridge has limitations when it comes to >3GB of RAM so, in your
case, it's not just OS-dependant as I mentioned above.
If I were you I'd upgrade to Windows XP Pro. It has better memory management
and is an all-round better operating system. With the release of SP3 XP's
also almost exactly half as demanding as Vista on resources for system
usage, (10% 'lighter' than XP/SP2). This would mean more RAM available for
your applications. Your Vista Ultimate licence also includes a (hidden)
licence for XP Pro* so that you can legally run XP with the current license
you hold. You may have to "obtain" a corporate install disc/ISO and use a
volume install key such as you'd find in a bittorent download but you'd be
doing so legally. The alternative is to apply to Microsoft for XP install
media (quoting your Vista number) but it's my understanding that they charge
quite a bit for that as they're trying to discourage people from running the
superior operating system for some odd reason.
(*)
There is so much ongoing demand for XP and disdain for Vista that Dell has
found a way past Microsoft's June 30th cut-off date for selling new machines
with XP**. What they will do is, if you buy Vista Business of Ultimate, they
will instead, if requested to do so, factory-install XP Pro and ship XP Pro
restore discs (as well as your Vista discs) using the above 'loophole' in
Microsoft's plan to phase out XP.
(**)
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/g...n&s=bsd&~tab=2
Microsoft aren't happy about Dell doing this but Dell learned the hard way
when, just after Vista came out, they had many, many requests for XP and
after initially refusing (in line with Microsoft's guidelines) they realised
that they were losing market share, especially corporate, because of it.
They've learned their lesson now and are pushing the boundaries and
Microsoft's patience by taking the path they have chosen. Microsoft aren't
closing the loophole yet as they can chalk up the whole thing as a sale of
Vista, making their lemon of an OS, look better than it actually is.
Cheers,
--
Shaun.
MSI-7125 memory modules 
Linear Mode
