vega only has 380MB of ram, not 512MB

[Guest Mark_L]

I am hoping that I am wrong, and that some one can point out my stupidity....

But when I open SetCpu and look at Info it says that my vega only has 380MB total Ram?

Is this correct?

I have tried several apps like 'mini info' and they all report the same, about 380MB.

The vega is meaant to have 512!?!?!?!?

Aanyone else seeing this?

I am using the new vegacomb 1.5.1 ROM

[Guest NeilLewis22]

I am hoping that I am wrong, and that some one can point out my stupidity....

But when I open SetCpu and look at Info it says that my vega only has 380MB total Ram?

Is this correct?

I have tried several apps like 'mini info' and they all report the same, about 380MB.

The vega is meaant to have 512!?!?!?!?

Aanyone else seeing this?

I am using the new vegacomb 1.5.1 ROM

I could be wrong but im sure what ever hc uses doesnt get shown only what is left for programs to access.

[Guest Mark_L]

I could be wrong but im sure what ever hc uses doesnt get shown only what is left for programs to access.

That would explain it.

Although.. even if i kill off everything using a task killer i cant get more than240 MB free out of 380MB?

[Guest mckal13]

My ZTE blade has 423mb... Any reason for the significantly less usable RAM?

[Guest leosun]

I also found it only have 380M RAM both in android2.2 or vegacomb1.4 and 1.5,seems so called RAM and ROM shared 512M NAND.

[Guest mckal13]

I also found it only have 380M RAM both in android2.2 or vegacomb1.4 and 1.5,seems so called RAM and ROM shared 512M NAND.

Jesus, thats ridiculous. A ZTE blade has that...

[Guest leosun]

Jesus, thats ridiculous. A ZTE blade has that...

I use ADVENT VEGA right the moment.

[Guest Mark_L]

This is a copy and paste straight from the specs of the official myadventvega.co.uk website, it deffinatly says that the vega should have 512MB RAM and seperate 512MB NAND.....

But that is not what I'm seeing.. wtf?

•Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)

Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) is the latest mobile operating system from Google Inc.

•512Mb Ram memory

•512MB NAND + 4GB Micro SD card

•nVidia Tegra 2 T20

•Webcam

•Wi-Fi

[Guest peter a]

This is a copy and paste straight from the specs of the official myadventvega.co.uk website, it deffinatly says that the vega should have 512MB RAM and seperate 512MB NAND.....

But that is not what I'm seeing.. wtf?

•Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)

Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) is the latest mobile operating system from Google Inc.

•512Mb Ram memory

•512MB NAND + 4GB Micro SD card

•nVidia Tegra 2 T20

•Webcam

•Wi-Fi

I would say 512mb of ram is the start off total, but like any computer some is used for buffers and to hold the screen etc.

You never get the full amount of ram, some ram is always used to other things.

[Guest Victor von Zeppelin]

But it DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER

Android runs better when it has it's RAM slightly full. Apps are cached to RAM when they're closed, which speeds up responsiveness when they're reopened.

And think about it, how many Android apps (other than intensive 3d games) will use loads of RAM? We're not talking Photoshop here.

Either way, the posting isn't wrong, you're Vega does have a 512MB memory chip installed, it's just the way android displays RAM.

[Guest Mark_L]

I would say 512mb of ram is the start off total, but like any computer some is used for buffers and to hold the screen etc.

You never get the full amount of ram, some ram is always used to other things.

Thank you, I see what your saying but I'm not sure. The specs say 512MB of RAM and 512MB of NAND.

So the NAND is for the OS immage, app storage, cache etc and thats fine I understand that.

But what of the 512MB of RAM? Why does it only say there is a TOTAL of 380MB?

I agree that 380MB - 240MB = 140MB which is possibly in use all the time by stuff task killers dont show (buffers, screen etc)... but shouldn't it be starting with 512MB not 380MB?

I get the suspicion that we have been diddled out of 132MB of RAM somewhere. If thats the case my Vega is going back for a full refund on the principal of the thing.

But it DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER

Android runs better when it has it's RAM slightly full. Apps are cached to RAM when they're closed, which speeds up responsiveness when they're reopened.

And think about it, how many Android apps (other than intensive 3d games) will use loads of RAM? We're not talking Photoshop here.

Either way, the posting isn't wrong, you're Vega does have a 512MB memory chip installed, it's just the way android displays RAM.

" you're Vega does have a 512MB memory chip installed, it's just the way android displays RAM" = could you please explain a bit further..?

Is there

A) seperate 512MB of NAND and 512MB of RAM like the product specs say there is, but its only displaying 380MB of the RAM as usable by programs for some reason? If so why is it doing this? Theres 132MB difference between 512MB and 380MB, and even then theres ALWAYS 140mb of that 380MB in use..

This means that theres only ever 240MB available for programs to run in. Thats not a lot and It's going to limit the lifespan of the Vega IMHO.

If there is no advantage to Android hainvg more RAM then why do devices like the XOOM and Galaxy S II come with 1GB of RAM?

Its because it does matter... clever memory management can only take you so far.

There may not be many apps now that need it right now, but there will be. The past 60 years of the evolution of the computer has taught us that lesson over and over again.

:P Its actually some kind of shared NAND/RAM setup, maybe 132MB of NAND and 380MB or RAM, they just got tthe specs wrong.

C) Something else? If so.. What?

Edited May 26, 2011 by Mark_L

[Guest buyadroid]

This is the different between 1000 and 1024

Million bytes and mega

[Guest Mark_L]

This is the different between 1000 and 1024

Million bytes and mega

BINGO!!!

Yup your right.. the RAM size is quoted in Mb NOT MB, that explains it!

Thank you, now it makes sense :P

[Guest peter a]

But it DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER

Android runs better when it has it's RAM slightly full. Apps are cached to RAM when they're closed, which speeds up responsiveness when they're reopened.

And think about it, how many Android apps (other than intensive 3d games) will use loads of RAM? We're not talking Photoshop here.

Either way, the posting isn't wrong, you're Vega does have a 512MB memory chip installed, it's just the way android displays RAM.

With windows 7 32 bit, if 4gb of ram is installed, it at first showed 3.2 gb which is the maximum ram that can be accessed due to the limits of a 32 bit os, but had to be changed because people was saying where did missing ram go.

It is the same problem, installed or useable Ram?

[Guest Mark_L]

With windows 7 32 bit, if 4gb of ram is installed, it at first showed 3.2 gb which is the maximum ram that can be accessed due to the limits of a 32 bit os, but had to be changed because people was saying where did missing ram go.

It is the same problem, installed or useable Ram?

I'll be completely honest and say that I really dont know what is going on now..

But I do know that the windows issue was a very specific one to Windows, its not applicable to Android.

I believe that Android should be able to access the whole 512MB without any problems, IF indeed the Vega has 512mb of RAM.

All I know for certain is...

1 ) Various utilities are saying that it has 380MB of total RAM. This should be seperate from the 512MB of NAND memory.

2 ) The technical specs say 512Mb (MegaBits) of RAM and 512MB (MegaBytes) of NAND. We must assume that 512Mb (MegaBits) of RAM was a typo because that would mean it had 64MB (MegaBytes, e.g. MegaBits / 8) of RAM which clearly isn't the case.

3 ) No matter what you do you cannot get more than 240MB free out of the 380MB. This suggests that the system is running in the 140 MB that cannot be freed up.

One then has to ask, whats happend to the missing 132MB??? 132MB being the difference between 380MB and 512MB that the specs say it should have....??????

Edited May 26, 2011 by Mark_L

[Guest Snowdan]

I will throw in a guess that the tegra is using an allocation of the ram for the graphics core and that will never be displayed to the OS. Much like cheaper laptops have onboard graphics and they share the CPU's DDR. As I understand it a SoC like the tegra will have one memory interface and share this as a resource to all internal components that need memory i.e GPU,CPU's, Display Pipe.

Edit:- A quick serach of terga2 gpu memory suggest 128Mb is the default allocation, which is a large chunk of your 132Mb. As I say the last few Meg maybe used by other parts of the SoC.

Snowdan

Edited May 26, 2011 by Snowdan

[Guest mintvilla]

I will throw in a guess that the tegra is using an allocation of the ram for the graphics core and that will never be displayed to the OS. Much like cheaper laptops have onboard graphics and they share the CPU's DDR. As I understand it a SoC like the tegra will have one memory interface and share this as a resource to all internal components that need memory i.e GPU,CPU's, Display Pipe.

Edit:- A quick serach of terga2 gpu memory suggest 128Mb is the default allocation, which is a large chunk of your 132Mb. As I say the last few Meg maybe used by other parts of the SoC.

Snowdan

i only just noticed this thread, i actually knew the answere to this lol, i have the LG optimus 2x with the same tegra 2, the tegra 2 GPU takes 128mb. Leaving the user with whatever is left over as "useable" ram.

There is a "ram hack" on the LG o2x thread that gives you back 64mb of ram, as it apparently the tegra 2 only requires 64mb of ram, but 128 is set as default.

[Guest Mark_L]

Fantasic result, at last it makes sense ! :P

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you ..

Of course, now we could do with this RAM mode being included with the stock ROM's ....

[Guest trevor432990]

i only just noticed this thread, i actually knew the answere to this lol, i have the LG optimus 2x with the same tegra 2, the tegra 2 GPU takes 128mb. Leaving the user with whatever is left over as "useable" ram.

There is a "ram hack" on the LG o2x thread that gives you back 64mb of ram, as it apparently the tegra 2 only requires 64mb of ram, but 128 is set as default.

Tried searching for this hack in the LG thread but couldn't find it so any chance you can post us the link please? If we can really save 64mb of RAM shouldn't the Vega gurus like Paul, Corvus & newbe5 be incorporating this hack into their ROM builds ? :P

[Guest Dave Marchant]

Tried searching for this hack in the LG thread but couldn't find it so any chance you can post us the link please? If we can really save 64mb of RAM shouldn't the Vega gurus like Paul, Corvus & newbe5 be incorporating this hack into their ROM builds ? :P

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1078846

[Guest trevor432990]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1078846

Thanks Dave was looking in Modaco for it :P Has anyone actually tried this hack on the Vega yet and what were the results ?

[Guest rferrett]

Mental! More prospects of goodness!

Yaya!

[Guest mahousaru]

This is the different between 1000 and 1024

Million bytes and mega

i think popular media has already hijacked mega, giga etc... so for 1024 it is:

kibi, mibi, gibi tibi etc etc etc :D

[Guest warriorscot]

They represent orders of magnitude the terms are universal its simply a question of bit versus byte. They only round to a 1000 for advertising and its not actually relevant in this case as it is not the issue.

[Guest peter a]

This is the different between 1000 and 1024

Universal it’s simply a question of bit versus byte. ?

Sorry warriorscot , but do you have clue what you are talking about ?

1000 and 1024 , is about human or computer related values.

We humans like to get things which are multiples of ten, that’s why we have the metric system,

and have weights, lengths, money ,etc in that system.

Computers are binary so their system of counting is to the power of two

Eg 2 , 4 , 8 , 16 , 32 , 64 , 128 , 256 , 512 , 1024

So computers values are normally shown this way, K being 1024 and not 1000 , But hard-drive makers being evil still like to use to metric system ( SI units ) for computers .

Edited June 2, 2011 by peter a