So yeah, I caved in and didn't go with building a custom CPU. It turned out that with what I needed, it would have been more expensive than to get one of the deals from a local store. Not to mention a deal came up with a friend I knew selling the exact same system for 500 dollars instead of 800, thus, here we are.

So I'm using my new computer... And after fiddling around with it I've noticed a couple things I wanted to clear up/get help with..

1. I am using a Quad Core CPU, running Windows 7 64 Bit. If I head on into msconfig and look under the boot options, the box for "Processors" is unchecked, and in the box it says "1". I was wondering if this was normal, or if it (the processors box) should be selected and moved to "4", since I am using a quad core. It makes sense to me but then again I have no idea about this kinda thing so any help with that would be appreciated.

2. Shared Memory. I know all about this ****, and it annoys the **** out of me, but I can't figure this one out. I have the most up to date version of my BIOS, yet there is NOTHING in the BIOS menu when I go into it that gives any hint to a frame buffer size, video size, allotted shared memory, etc. The only graphics option in the BIOS is to select which device I want to boot, either onboard, PCI or PCI E. It was set to auto and I changed it to PCI E and it did nothing. So.... How am I supposed to turn off this shared memory? I have an ATI 4350 card installed, now it did come with the computer but I was under the impression that the 4350 was NOT an onboard card, regardless of it coming with a CPU or not. Not to mention that I literally looked inside the computer and there is a 4350 sitting inside the PCI X slot (although I will admit it looks really small, which I am unsure is normal in itself..but it is a physical card in the slot nonetheless).. How do I get this damn shared system memory turned off?

Not sure if it has something to do with the shared memory or not, and it probably does.. But also I know for a fact I have 4 2 gig sticks in my machine, yet it reports only 6GB under system information and CPU Z. CPUZ actually lists the 2 GB sticks as only having 1GB of RAM (which I know is not true).. Could that be because there are 2 GB being dedicated to system memory (and it's being taken from these sticks)?

A 4350 isn't a big card. Do you have a link to that system? 6Gb is very common, and if CPU-z is reporting 1Gb sticks I'm going to say they're probably 1Gb sticks. CPU-z will tell you exactly what is installed, regardless of how it is utilized.

I do not have a direct link.. The best I can get is the series, apparently they don't have my exact one on their website.. It's a Gateway DX4822-01C, they have everything but the "C" listed there.

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668313.php This is NOT my computer but it's similar.

I've been searching through all the menu options as well from within the OS, nothing so far that I can see with regards to turning off this damn shared memory.

What about the processors thing I mentioned?

Also, regarding the RAM, I know why they were saying 1GB each, apparently when I was doing this I put the wrong RAM sticks in. I've got four of the exact same kind, and the only difference are the fact that two are 1GB sticks and the others are 2GB sticks... I just popped them in and it says what it should. That part is remedied

Why are you so worried about some elusive shared memory setting?

Well, I will be using this computer for a lot of video editing, mainly in Avid. In which the more RAM, the better. Our Mac's at school have 8GB's in them each and they still slug with the footage we use (RED Cam, etc) at certain times. I need to have every bit of my RAM available to me as possible, not shared with my graphics card which can handle the video itself.

I have heard it could be simply reporting it incorrectly, but I wanted to be absolutely certain.

Maybe they're chugging because you disable shared memory and when the gfx card memory gets full it has to swap? I thought it was a good thing to share system memory since that's what it should do when the gfx card memory gets full?

I thought it was the other way around. When the graphics card has to access system memory it bogs down the system because it's accessing RAM, no? I'm not 100% sure how it works but regardless of my reasons, I want to unshare the memory. Simple. Whatever video editing I am doing currently, a 512 MB card can handle.

The video card is crap, and basically needs that extra system RAM in order to function at any decent speed. Basically, you got what you paid for.

Edit: CPU-Z should show accurately what your RAM is regardless of shared memory setup. If it says you have 6GB, it's highly likely you do.

Edit2: Don't turn on that processors box in MSConfig. That tells windows to LIMIT the number of processors/cores to the number you picked. It does not boost boot time whatsoever.

My old Rig has a 3870, originally had a 2900 XT... Neither of them had any shared memory at all, nor did they require it at all for any of the games I was playing (yes, even Crysis). Not to mention that both of them only had 512 MB of RAM I believe, the same as this 4350.

Is there a way to get rid of this shared memory, or not? That's all I really wish to know. My reasons for it, why I want to do it or whether or not I will, are beside the point.

Furthermore, a quad core processor is still only one processor.

I think you're fundamentally misunderstanding what "shared memory" means. Also, what makes you think it's using shared memory in the first place?

It sounds like you got something like THIS.

If you still have your old rig, I would swap the PSU and 3870 into this new PC.

1. The box is unchecked, meaning the value doesn't matter. Leave it. That checkbox can only LIMIT the number of cores utilized, the default is to use the maximum.

2. System control panel will tell you how much memory you have installed. If it says 6gb, you have 6gb.

PCI-X slot? Do they even still use those anymore?

If I had to guess, I'd say your motherboard has integrated video.