[jollyr]

Hello there GtG team,

Have an older P-III based system running XP Pro at 600Mhz with 512 meg of non-ECC SDRAM. The processor's 2° cache is 256k, on-board. One slot has a 256 meg module and the remaining two both have 128 meg modules. All three modules are non-ECC. Would there be a significant performance gain by replacing all modules with 256 meg ECC modules? (the max for this machine is 768 meg)

I don't mind spending the extra money for ECC modules if they are worth it. Otherwise I will just get two more 256 meg non-ECC modules to max-out my RAM. (I do get the occasional BSoD, which happens every couple of months or so)

Thanks for your advice.

JR

Edited by jollyr, 09 April 2007 - 02:39 PM.

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Here is a snippet from a good discussion on this subject....My opinion is it is definitely NOT worth it.

"ECC memory can be slower than non-ECC as it has more to do each cycle. It isn't really necessary for home or small office use. It is really for when you have large database servers running 24/7 constantly accessing and changing large amounts of memory."

Read the thread here:

http://photo.net/bbo...?...007OGq&tag=

[Tyger]

The advantage is negligible for most users, which is why it is very rarely used. What it does is use the old 9-bit parity check system for detection of errors in memory. It's used in what some call "mission critical" applications where any possibility of error at needs to be removed. So save your money and use it to buy a new machine someday.

[dsenette]

as an FYI....not all motherboards are compatible with ECC ram...you'd be surprised at how many aren't...and if you put ECC ram in a board that isn't compatible...it has a high chance of actually damaging the board

[jollyr]

jwinathome / Tyger / dsenette ,

OK. Looks like the ECC is a waste of money (BTW, I did verify my unit can handle ECC). Do you think by adding 50% more of what I already have would signficantly enhance performance of my old unit? (Want to keep it for one more year or so, at least until the worst of Vista's bugs are fixed.)

Thank you.

JR

Edited by jollyr, 09 April 2007 - 02:55 PM.

[jollyr]

Really depends on what you are doing with the PC. Can you give us a bit of an idea of what you use it for?

I would normally elect to skip making that purchase unless I could find a GREAT deal online somewhere. And I mean GREAT deal.

The unit is pushed hardest by my kids. They complain that "it's slow". Their typical use is to play music or surf some Vid sites while PM-ing several of their friends at once and maybe working on a school project with an MS Office app. They typically have 10-15 open windows at a time and reserve gaming for the consoles hooked up to the TV. The unit has a 128 meg ATI Radeon 9000 card hooked up to a 2X AGP.