Fr3d Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 I'm looking at getting something like a Supermicro X7DVL-E i5000V for a new server, however, every single socket 771 motherboard I've found wants DDR2 ECC Registered and/or Fully Buffered RAM, which is two to three times (or a lot more) the price of normal "desktop" (non-ECC, unregistered, unbuffered) DDR2 :( If I got some standard DDR2, like 2x2GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 PC2-6400, would it work in the above motherboard (or a similar board)? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budious Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 I believe the pin count is different, because you basically have 9 bits for every byte, the extra bit for parity. The ram slots also have a second notch to prevent regular modules from being inserted. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589874526 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr3d Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 Budious said: I believe the pin count is different, because you basically have 9 bits for every byte, the extra bit for parity. The ram slots also have a second notch to prevent regular modules from being inserted. Are you sure? The spec says: Quote Six 240-pin DIMM sockets I also found this photo of ECC DDR2, which looks the same as normal DDR2 (apart from the extra chips in the middle): http://picasaweb.google.com/opteron.delive...403549514366994 (direct image link). Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589874584 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budious Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Well, in the case of the board you are linking to, I believe you can only use FB-DIMMs (buffered memory). If the board support unbuffered ECC, then you could substitute standard non-ECC unbuffered memory in it's place. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589874710 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr3d Posted September 28, 2008 Author Share Posted September 28, 2008 Budious said: If the board support unbuffered ECC, then you could substitute standard non-ECC unbuffered memory in it's place. Something like this then: Tyan Tempest i5100X (S5375) ? Quote Memory • Eight (8) 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets • Supports Registered ECC DIMMs • Maximum of 32GB DDR2-533/667 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589876706 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budious Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 Quote Up to 8 ranks (8pcs single rank DIMM or 4 pcs dual rank DIMM modules) The specifications and design of that board are bit misleading, you get 8 slots but unless they are all single bank modules, you can't utilize all of them. Why are you in the market for a high-end board? A consumer workstation or high-end enthusiast would probably have similar features for standard memory and performance differences between 771 XEON and 775 Quads are negligible. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589880194 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr3d Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 Budious said: The specifications and design of that board are bit misleading, you get 8 slots but unless they are all single bank modules, you can't utilize all of them.Why are you in the market for a high-end board? A consumer workstation or high-end enthusiast would probably have similar features for standard memory and performance differences between 771 XEON and 775 Quads are negligible. Single bank? Meaning single-sided? They still make that stuff? It's for a new 1U co-located server I might build (or buy pre-built; I'm speccing/pricing up the build route before deciding). And sure, one 771 Xeon is probably more-or-less the same as the equivalent 775 Core 2 Quad, but two 771s? ;) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589885360 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budious Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Fr3d said: I'm looking at getting something like a Supermicro X7DVL-E i5000V for a new server, however, every single socket 771 motherboard I've found wants DDR2 ECC Registered and/or Fully Buffered RAM... Ok, well I had the impression from your OP that you were in the market for a single socket solution. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/674832-non-ecc-ram-on-an-ecc-motherboard/#findComment-589885780 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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