INTERACT FORUM

Devices => PC's and Other Hardware => Topic started by: DarkPenguin on October 02, 2010, 12:15:18 pm

Title: ECC memory
Post by: DarkPenguin on October 02, 2010, 12:15:18 pm

So...

If I want ECC memory in my next system I have to get a Xeon processor?

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: newsposter on October 09, 2010, 05:10:36 pm

Support for ECC ram is implemented in the memory controller/chipset.  But mobos for that kind of ram tend to be pretty spendy, say $250- and up typically.

Why, specifically, do you think you want/need ECC ram?

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: DarkPenguin on October 10, 2010, 07:01:12 pm

I thought the memory controller was typically in the processor these days.

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: newsposter on October 11, 2010, 12:27:46 am

integrated MMUs only came into the Intel world with the iCore series and with some advanced Xeons (the most recent ones that are pretty much copies of Opterons).

AMD has had on-board MMU for about 10 years now.

Neither require EEC ram so the question remains; why do you want/need EEC ram in your applications?  It's costly on the mobo and in the memory sticks themselves.

Most (all?) computers are i/o bound.  You'd be a lot better off spending some significant $$ on upgrading your disk i/o before spending any $$ on 'faster' ram if that is your goal.

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: DarkPenguin on October 11, 2010, 08:31:28 am

ok

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: bob on October 28, 2010, 04:45:38 pm

Normally you put ECC memory into a server MB where reliability is more crucial.

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: DarkPenguin on October 28, 2010, 07:37:10 pm

Quote from: bob on October 28, 2010, 04:45:38 pm

Normally you put ECC memory into a server MB where reliability is more crucial.

Or workstations.  Same reason.

Title: Re: ECC memory
Post by: Matt on October 28, 2010, 08:37:27 pm

I've had bad memory a few times, and it's not fun.  Most recently a stick on my i7 started making mistakes, and I caught it when some of my APE files failed a routine verify.

But once you realize you've had bad memory, it means anything you've copied, saved, or created on your computer before you caught the problem could be corrupted.

So I'm all for getting ECC to desktops.