Windows XP and Maximum Useable Memory
When I advise people with their new computer purchases, two of the questions I most often get are:
1) “How much memory (RAM) should I get for Windows XP?”
and
2) “What is the maximum amount of RAM that Windows XP can use?”
Here are the answers:
In general, you should aim to purchase the most RAM available that’s at a good price. For most new machines, 1GB-2GB of RAM should be fine for Windows XP. You could always add more if you need to later.
If you plan on doing any type of work that is processor intensive, however, such as video editing or heavy multimedia work, get the maximum amount of 4GB.
Note that Windows XP comes in two flavors, a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. The mainstream version of Windows XP is the 32-bit edition, and this is the edition that has the 4GB memory ceiling. For the 64-bit edition the rules are a little different, but these details don’t generally affect the regular user.
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