YahoKa Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Ok ... two questions: Is ECC ram really required on a desktop, and what does it mean for ECC ram to be "registered?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
=NickJ= Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 ECC is something about Error Control or somethin like that, only needed on big servers with large amounts of data throughput. Basically any errors in the RAM the RAM sorts it out itself rather than going back to the processor and having that sort it. I think :ponder: Registered RAM is different, registered RAM means there are little chips that control data entry into the RAM (registered RAM sticks are taller than standard RAM sticks), i believe the benefits of registered RAM is that on some boards, their maximum RAM value may only be obtained by using registered RAM from a certain point upwards, as the chipset itself cannot reference the RAM locations high enough, or something like that. Again, i'm not too sure, but registered RAM is more efficient. Anyone else like to verify what i just said?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyfrog Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 You do not really need ECC for you home computer, unless data integrity is absolutely crucial. For general use this really isn't necessary. As for the term "registered", this is another term for buffered memory. This is another thing you probably don't need to worry about as it's intended mainly for servers and large workstations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YahoKa Posted July 22, 2002 Author Share Posted July 22, 2002 Its error correction coding i think. I mean you exactly want to have your home computer crash because 1 bit was set wrong, do you? How often do memory write errors occur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyfrog Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 ECC memory uses an extra chip to check for bit errors. If it is a single bit error it can correct it, otherwise it just reports the error to you. It's not very probable that you would even notice a single bit error, and it certainly would be unlikely to bring down your system. It does have some drawbacks also. You cannot mix ECC and non-ECC memory, it is more expensive, and it is a bit slower. So if you are just using your computer to play games or browse the web, I really don't think ECC is the best way to go. On the other hand if you are working with important data, running a server, or something like that, definately go with ECC. Hope that helps :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vraa Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Oh and btw.. some boards only take ECC ram like mine.. argh tyan tiger mp s2460.. :( but its worth it.. gig of ram here ! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
username Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 ECC also uses 3%-5% of you CPU time for the error checking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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