I need to know information on RDRAM 1066 / ecc or non ecc

[daggett42]

OK, I"m not all that good with the Ram part of the computer, so I need some help. I have a Gateway that has 2) 256 chips of Rambus RD 1066 NON-ECC ram. I want to put in more, so I bought 2) 512 chips RAM but it was ECC. Couldn't get the machine to work. I understand that this RAM must work in pairs, but, IS there any other type of Ram that will work WITH Non-ECC? IS there a way to change out the original RAM and put in DDRAM? would the Bios need to be changed? IS there anywhere someone can suggest to get the correct RAM I need. I've tried computer shows but it's hard to find. Is this an OUTDATED type of RAM? Iv'e kinda gotten that impression from reading threads. Anyway, thanks...

 

[theaxemaster]

A) there is no bios change or anything you can do to change the ram type short of replacing the motherboard.

B) it is an outdated type of ram, fortunately it holds its value pretty well so you should be able to get rid of it without losing too much (if you can't return it).

If you don't want to change the motherboard, then send the ECC ram back and get non-ECC. I would highly recommend changing the motherboard and getting DDR, it'll cost you about the same amount of money (or less) as a gig of 1066 RDRAM.

 

[mesarectifier]

Outdated, rubbish, not worth the CB it's P'd on....pretty much, yeah.

If you've got NON-ECC RAM then just get more NON ECC RAM, it's pretty much as simple as that. If your problem is that you can't find it it's because nobody uses it anymore. Actually pretty much noone used it anyway. Try eBay.

 

[chunkymonster]

OK, I"m not all that good with the Ram part of the computer, so I need some help. I have a Gateway that has 2) 256 chips of Rambus RD 1066 NON-ECC ram. I want to put in more, so I bought 2) 512 chips RAM but it was ECC. Couldn't get the machine to work. I understand that this RAM must work in pairs, but, IS there any other type of Ram that will work WITH Non-ECC? IS there a way to change out the original RAM and put in DDRAM? would the Bios need to be changed? IS there anywhere someone can suggest to get the correct RAM I need. I've tried computer shows but it's hard to find. Is this an OUTDATED type of RAM? Iv'e kinda gotten that impression from reading threads. Anyway, thanks...

Hmmm...afraid your options are limited. If you really want to upgrade the memory, the only real choices are RDRAM 1066 non-ecc. As you've noticed, ecc ram doesn't work in a mobo/BIOS/cpu that isn't made to recognize it. See if you can return the ecc for non-ecc. Unfortunately, even though RDRAM and DDR are 184 pins, they use different configurations and are not interchangeable. You should be able to find the correct RDRAM at Pricewatch. Yes, RDRAM is outdated, the technology fell by the wayside due to lawsuits, poor management, way too expensive compared to DDR, and RDRAM was not as widely accepted as a standard.

Good luck!

 

[daggett42]

Thanks for the replies. I now know that I need Non-ECC (don't know what it means, but I know that I need it) and I DID return the ECC RAM. Thanks for the tip on Pricewatch, they sure do have it and less expensive than other sites. Next computer, better RAM!!

 

[nobly]

Just FYI, ECC is error-correcting code. Its basically a hardware error checking system that's built into the RAM and motherboard. Typically used in servers and the like to ensure that they get the correct data from RAM.

RDRAM is really expensive. If you're looking for upgrading, you either have to eat the price or upgrade other parts of your computer (motherboard primarily). On the plus side, you can sell the RDRAM you currently have to defray the upgrade costs if you decide to upgrade.