Hey everyone, I'm having a frustrating issue with my friend's PC. The machine originally came from someone else about a year and a half ago, and after installing an SSD and doing a fresh OS install, everything was running smoothly until recently. My friend wanted to play Marvel Rivals, but the game kept crashing during matches. I initially thought it was due to installing the game on an older 5400 RPM HDD instead of the SSD, but even after moving it to the SSD, the problem persisted (though it did improve somewhat).
The main issue I'm facing is that, out of the total 8GB of RAM, about 4.1-4.2GB is showing as hardware reserved, while only 3.4-3.7GB is currently usable. This leaves him with under 300MB free, which isn't workable. I've already reseated the RAM and CPU, and both RAM sticks work fine whether used together or individually. I tested all four RAM slots, and they all function properly.
The BIOS recognizes both RAM sticks, and Task Manager shows them as well. They're paired, coming from the same packaging. The only things I haven't tried yet are updating the BIOS (as there are only beta versions available), reinstalling Windows, and possibly using different combinations of RAM.
By the way, when I use just one stick of RAM, the hardware reserve drops to about 70MB, and it only uses around 3GB out of 4GB. I'm really stumped here—anyone have any ideas about what's causing this excess hardware reservation? Here are the specs:
- Ryzen 2700
- Kingston DDR4 2x4GB 2666 MHz
- AsRock AB350 Pro4
- GTX 1660 Ti (no integrated GPU)
3 Answers
Check the operating system—did you install a 32-bit version? If that's the case, it could explain the RAM limitation. Otherwise, you might also want to ensure that the BIOS is configured correctly regarding the memory settings. Plenty of motherboards allow you to adjust memory allocation for certain features. Updating the BIOS could help, but make sure you’re cautious with beta versions. They may have bugs.
Have you thought about using cloud gaming services like GeForce Now or Boosteroid? It might be a good way to play without worrying about the hardware limitations of the PC.
Honestly, 8GB of RAM is pretty tight for gaming these days, especially for newer titles. The hardware reserved memory might be linked to the system trying to allocate for an integrated GPU, but since you mentioned there's no integrated graphics processor (just the GTX 1660 Ti), that might not be the case here. You guys might want to check if any settings in the BIOS are unintentionally reserving too much memory for hardware. Also, keep in mind the game’s system requirements; it may be demanding more than what this rig can comfortably handle. Good luck!
Yeah, I agree. The gaming requirements for titles these days are quite steep. And if the game isn't even using all of the 8GB, it might make sense to look into optimization settings too.
That’s a good point! A 32-bit OS could limit access to RAM significantly. It’s definitely worth a look.