Memory size, BIOS or system info??

[bigbrat41]

I am refurbing my son's "old" Dell (I know, I know) for the ol' lady and all went well until it came time to check my RAM numbers.
At boot the BIOS reads all 768 mb (1-512 and 1-256) but the Control panel-System displays a number that 1-seems to change and 2-reflects a much smaller quantity.
Should I be concerned?
Just on a lark, I tried Bel-Arc Advisor and again got a small (274 mb) number. Bel-Arc did reflect the 2 sticks and their respective sizes
Before I go to pulling sticks and tracking serial numbers
Which is correct????

Thanks for your time.

 

[Tedster]

most laptops contain integrated video which means the video card "steals" system ram for it's own use. That's why it is vital to always maximize ram in laptops. 1. You increase battery life and system speed. 2. you have more ram leftover even after video takes some of it.

bottom line - nothing to worry about for now.
add more ram. Before you do - read: https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic65114.html