Acer 6935 4GB to 8GB ram upgrade possible?

[attacus]

Acer's website says that the 6935 and 6935g have a limit of 4GB ddr3 1066Mhz ram. However, the P45 chipset takes 8GB. Is there a surefire way to know if I can upgrade the ram without actually buying it?

I have an unlocked bios version 1.20. The pictures shows a list of the menus that come with it. I've read that the 4GB limit is a software restriction. Is there something in the bios I can change to get the ram to work?

I've reinstalled Windows 7 HP 64 bit. Alternatively, is there a restriction in the operating system itself that I need to correct?

Lin to image: https/www.dropbox.com/s/jsuvxexvhftu6rr/WP_20130712_002.jpg

 

[bryonhowley]

Searching I got some conflicting results some site's say max memory is 4gig and some say 4gig per slot so two slots would be 8gig max. Best guess would be 8gig max so 4gig per socket. I can't see Acer crippling the laptop in that way but it is possible. I personally have not ran into a laptop in a very long time that would not work with 8gig ram. My Asus has 16gig in it right now and works great. Since it uses DDR3 you should be fine with 2x 4gig.

 

[attacus]

Searching I got some conflicting results some site's say max memory is 4gig and some say 4gig per slot so two slots would be 8gig max. Best guess would be 8gig max so 4gig per socket. I can't see Acer crippling the laptop in that way but it is possible. I personally have not ran into a laptop in a very long time that would not work with 8gig ram. My Asus has 16gig in it right now and works great. Since it uses DDR3 you should be fine with 2x 4gig.

I was wondering though - if laptop manufacturers were to restrict how much ram gets installed, what mechanism would they use to do it?

 

[Prostar Computer]

I've read that the 4GB limit is a software restriction. Is there something in the bios I can change to get the ram to work?

I've reinstalled Windows 7 HP 64 bit. Alternatively, is there a restriction in the operating system itself that I need to correct?

No, you're limited to the interface and there is no option to "unlock" the RAM cap, if there is a cap per BIOS. If it is a BIOS/firmware restriction, the only way to circumvent the limit is to write new firmware to the machine - and if it's not provided by the OEM (Acer), then you're looking at potentially using a 'modded' BIOS, which are somewhat precarious.

The only restriction in the OS is dependent on the version and edition. 32 bit operating systems will not address more than 4 GB, and you need anything above the Starter editions also. When trying to exceed 16 GB, you need to have Windows 7 Pro or better, as another example.

You can ask over here about whether a limit is enforced or not: http/forum.notebookreview.com/acer/

I was wondering though - if laptop manufacturers were to restrict how much ram gets installed, what mechanism would they use to do it?

Usually firmware (e.g. BIOS). When the system is first turned on and goes through POST, it will check the RAM installed and if the system BIOS is programmed to only acknowledge a specified amount, the board won't loop and will not proceed through POST.