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220-1201 Practice Question: That their PC, which has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM,…
A user reports that their PC, which has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, suddenly shows only 8 GB in Windows. The system boots normally. The technician checks the BIOS and sees 16 GB detected. What is the most likely cause of this discrepancy?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Integrated graphics is reserving 8 GB of system RAM for video memory.
When the BIOS detects full RAM but Windows shows less, it often indicates that a portion of RAM is reserved for hardware or is being used by the integrated GPU. This is common if the system uses integrated graphics and the BIOS allocates a fixed amount of system RAM for video memory. Another possibility is a 32-bit OS limitation, but that is rare with modern systems.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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One of the RAM modules is faulty and not being recognized by Windows.
Why it's wrong here
If a RAM module were truly faulty, the system's Power-On Self-Test (POST) performed by the BIOS/UEFI firmware would likely detect the issue during boot-up. This would typically result in a system that either fails to boot entirely, displays specific error codes, or reports a lower *total* amount of installed RAM (e.g., 8GB total) in the BIOS and subsequently to Windows, rather than showing 16GB installed with only 8GB usable. Windows reports the memory quantity that the BIOS makes available.
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The system is using a 32-bit version of Windows, which has a 4 GB limit.
Why it's wrong here
A 32-bit operating system is inherently limited to addressing approximately 4 GB of physical memory due to its 32-bit memory addressing scheme. Even if 16 GB of RAM is physically installed, a 32-bit version of Windows would only recognize and make available up to 4 GB (often reported as 3.x GB usable). The symptom of 8 GB usable directly contradicts this fundamental architectural limitation of 32-bit systems.
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Integrated graphics is reserving 8 GB of system RAM for video memory.
Why this is correct
Modern integrated graphics processing units (iGPUs) do not have dedicated video memory (VRAM) and instead share a portion of the system's main RAM, utilizing a Unified Memory Architecture (UMA). The BIOS/UEFI firmware allows configuration of how much system RAM is reserved for the iGPU's exclusive use, effectively reducing the amount available to the operating system for general tasks. Reserving 8 GB for video memory from a 16 GB total would precisely result in 8 GB remaining for Windows.
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Windows has a memory leak that is using 8 GB of RAM.
Why it's wrong here
A memory leak occurs when an application or the operating system fails to release memory that it no longer needs, leading to a gradual increase in RAM consumption. While a severe memory leak could consume a significant amount of RAM, it would manifest as high *utilization* of the *total recognized* memory (e.g., 16 GB installed, 14 GB in use), not a reduction in the *total amount of RAM reported as available* to the operating system. The system would still report 16GB installed, but usage would be high.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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