XP will only use 1 gig?

I'm looking to build my first machine in a few weeks (once I get all of my ducks in a row) A friend of mine told me that XP will only recognise up to 1 gig of ram. From what I've been reading, that's not true. It doesn't make sence that they would make 4 and 8 gig compatible boards if you couldn't use it. But, none-the-less, I have to make sure. I read the entier FAQ and thiers no mention to his claims. If someone could give me a final say so that I can rest easier, that'd be great. Thanks.

It can use more then 1GB of ram, although i cant remember the exact figure, it does limit it. X64 however, has a much higher capacity for ram

The limit is NOT 1 gig that's for sure, I have 1.25 in one and 2 gig in another.

ok, after reading more about x64, i've come to another question. Windows claims that x64 will be faster with a 64 bit dual core processor. Does that mean a dual core processor (specifcly the AMD 64 X2 4400) will only give you great performance on a 64 bit dual core specific OS? - opposed to XP Pro that i have now?

No, it may give slightly better performance, but for now, XP pro/home is a much better choice, due to lack of working drivers for x64

I found this on MS's website:



Here's a list of how much RAM the various Windows versions and editions support (as of Nov 2004):



Windows NT 4.0: 4 GB

Windows 2000 Professional: 4 GB

Windows 2000 Standard Server: 4 GB

Windows 2000 Advanced Server: 8GB

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server: 32GB

Windows XP Professional: 4 GB

Windows Server 2003 Web Edition: 2 GB

Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition: 4 GB

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition: 32 GB

Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition: 64 GB