Usable RAM is less than half of what is physically installed

[Omnijax]

Hello , everyone.

Recently, my computer has been locking up running some programs (stops sending a signal to the monitor, audio output is a sustained, corrupted version of whatever was playing before the crash), so I bought new memory in a higher capacity than what the computer came with (2 new sticks of 8 GB each,  PC3-12800, DDR3-1600 (like the sticks that were previously installed in the system)) and installed it earlier today.

I've yet to try out said programs, however, System in Control Panel (as well as task manager) says that only 6.95 GB of memory is actually usable out of the 16.0 GB on the machine.

Does anyone know how I can rectify this?

I haven't changed any drivers or upgraded the BIOS.

[Omnijax]

To clarify: yes, the full 16 GB is recognized by the operating system.

[Echo_Lake]

@Omnijax

Thank you for posting on HP Support Community.

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help,  I understand that your HP desktop is not working correctly. Resolve many common issues using HP Support Assistant’s troubleshooters and automated fixes. 
 

Firstly, perform Windows Update and HP Support Assistant: (do not skip any troubleshooting steps if you feel steps are repeating) 

To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings  > Update & security  > Windows Update, and select Check for updates.

Install updates from HP Support Assistant: Go to Download HP Support Assistant to install the tool.

1. To open HP Support Assistant, double-click the HP Support Assistant icon .
2. Click My devices in the top menu, and then click Updates in the My PC.
3. Click Check for updates and messages to scan for new updates.
4. Review the list of updates. Updates with a yellow information icon are recommended. Updates with a blue information icon are optional.
5. Click the update name for a description, version number, and file size.
6. Select the box next to any updates you want to install, and then click Download and install.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.