Experiences using unbuffered ECC ram with a desktop motherboard/CPU

[GotNoRice]

Does unbuffered ECC ram generally work with desktop motherboards/CPUs?

Note that I'm not talking about registered memory. I'm talking about unbuffered ECC modules.

 

[Starfalcon]

Generally to use it, both cpu and mobo have to support it. To just use it as regular non ecc memory, it depends.

 

[GotNoRice]

Yeah I'm not trying to use the ECC functionality, just the ram itself, without ECC. Trying to research this myself has proven difficult. Registered and ECC go together in so many cases, that it seems like many have trouble separating the two. I've found examples of people saying that it will work, and examples of people saying that it won't work. But, in many of the cases where people say that it won't work, it seems like they are automatically assuming that it's registered memory that is being asked about. It's still enough to make me nervous about actually spending money to try it.

 

[Zedicus]

it is honestly down to the board. IN GENERAL, ECC NON-REG will work in any board, rather the ECC function is supported is a board and CPU function. (i have used, and i am currently using a threadripper with NON-REG ECC. i have a fair amount of experience with random iterations of ECC.)

the question is, whey would you want ECC non-reg if you are not even going to use the ECC function?

 

[GotNoRice]

the question is, whey would you want ECC non-reg if you are not even going to use the ECC function?

Because eBay is flooded with dirt-cheap unbuffered ECC modules, probably pulled from old servers. I have a number of older DDR3 computers (mostly first, second, and third gen i5/i7 systems) that I would like to put more RAM in - if it's cheap enough.

 

[larrymoencurly]

It works fine because the extra chip that holds ECC data will simply be ignored.

Really be sure that the memory is unbuffered because sellers don't always give accurate descriptions, so read the markings on the photo and verify the part number from the manufacturer's datasheet. I'm assuming the whole module was made by a chip company and has a datasheet available because almost all the ECC memory on eBay is like that.

I got this 72-pin SIMM for the 1st motherboard I bought (as opposed to find), a PA-2007. Actually 2 SIMMs had to be used together:

Motorola chips for the data, Texas Instrument chips for the ECC/parity.