ECC Unbuffered RAM in non-ecc mobo

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orz_nick

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Jun 20, 2014
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I have read before that you can use ECC ram in a non-ECC motherboard, and the ECC feature will be turned off. I just wanted to clarify that this is true.
For example, this (http://www.ebay.com/itm/8GB-Kit-2X-4GB-PC3-14900E-DDR3-1866mhz-240pin-ECC-Unbuffered-Mac-Pro-Memory-/201102376048?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item2ed2a2bc70) ram is "ECC and unbuffered", and I have the MSI A78M-E35 Mobo, which doesn't support ECC. Will i be able to run this type of ram (not this specifically)?

Thanks in advance

P.S.: does anyone know any good 2x4GB sets of 240pin / 1600 RAM?
 
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It depends.

There is indeed nothing fancy about ECC that would prevent it from operating if the memory controller doesn't support it. ECC just adds an additional 8 bits to...
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Pinhedd

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Aug 7, 2007
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It depends.

There is indeed nothing fancy about ECC that would prevent it from operating if the memory controller doesn't support it. ECC just adds an additional 8 bits to the data bus, called the Check Bits, or CB7 through CB0. This is usually implemented as a 9th 8-bit DRAM IC alongside the usual 8 DRAM ICs. Validation is done by the memory controller itself.

If ECC is not present on a module, the CB signals should be pulled high and the memory controller ignores their presence.

However, most manufacturers use the exact same integrated circuits for desktop and workstation platforms. The hardware that supports ECC is often present in desktop platforms but disabled for marketing purposes. For example, the Z87 chipset is most likely identical to the C22x chipset, differing only in factory programmed microcode.

AMD tends to be a bit less restrictive on the marketing side, and often supports enterprise features on consumer products, so your chances of it working (or at least working without ECC) are higher with AMD than Intel. However, I can't say for sure so contacting MSI may be the best thing to do.
 
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