I have a Dell Dimension 9200C desktop. It has 3GB ram, and I'm looking to upgrade it. The motherboard comes with an Intel P965 Chipset. Since the chipset is in charge of memory support, the P965 Spec sheet (from Intel) states it can support up to 8GB of ram. However, Dell's website states this computer can only support up to 4GB. Who do I trust - Chipset or Dell?

Just to check - you do have a 64-bit OS?

Indeed I do.

EDIT: I found this link. In the compatibility section of that page, it lists my specific type of computer.

[Edited by - RealMarkP on April 29, 2009 12:05:34 PM]

Trust Dell, or find the motherboard model and check there. Just because a piece in the hardware can do something doesn't mean the rest of the hardware built around it has implemented it.

I had a talk with a sales rep. Even though the machine's chipset can support up to 8GB of RAM, and the motherboard can support 2GB memory modules, the BIOS cannot support more then 4GB. Which is very unfortunate.

CPU-Z may be able to interrogate your PC's capabilities and figure out the maximum RAM ceiling based on your available slots and chipset.

Why do you need more than 3Gb of ram?