ECC Help

sceensaver · 03-01-2007, 01:50 PM

hi
i am new to computers and two weeks ago bought a ACER ASPIRE T180 3200 512 MB RAM and wanted to upgrade ram to 2gb so yesterday bought what i needed from ebay after a few tries i relised i could not get the new ones to work with what i already had in it so just kept the new ones in but still confused i went online to have a read why and relised that the ram i had in was NON ECC but what i bought was ECC Ram and after checking to see if my motherboard was compatiable and of course was not was shocked that the computer runs ok with ECC Ram in please can you tell me if this is going to cause problems with my computer and and if i need to remove them ASAP
thanks
SCEENSAVER

ps i used www.crucial.com to check motherboard

**Doby** · 03-01-2007, 07:11 PM

I am supprised the computer will boot with ecc ram installed if the board don't support it and that is why it won't work with the old ones, I would but the old back in becuse I suspect somewhere along the line you will experiance some sort of errors.

Its good practice to use some sort of memory configurator such as at crucial to check what ram is compatible with motherboards before ordering

**crazijoe** · 03-02-2007, 05:53 AM

Most the times ECC memory will work and function normally. ECC memory is a little slower because of the error correcting, but this if often negligible. What will definitely not work in your system is ECC registered.

**MaverickUK** · 03-05-2007, 05:59 AM

This is a common fault of people who upgrade their systems where RAM is concerned. You must check with the motherboard manual or manufacturer website to see what is or isn't compatible with your motherboard before upgrading any part of your system.

ECC stands for error correcting code, this means an added chip on the RAM to compensate for the correcting. Due to the structure and organisation of the chip it means that the RAM will not work with in incompatible motherboard. ECC is now becoming rare and if your system is new, chances are that your system will not use ECC RAM modules, but always check.

If you run these modules at the same time at some point your system will halt and no longer work, which means you will just have to go out and buy more RAM. If i were you i would sell the RAM you purchased and purchase NONE-ECC RAM.

Regards,
Nick.

03-01-2007, 01:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
sceensaver Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1 OS: winxp	ECC Help hi i am new to computers and two weeks ago bought a ACER ASPIRE T180 3200 512 MB RAM and wanted to upgrade ram to 2gb so yesterday bought what i needed from ebay after a few tries i relised i could not get the new ones to work with what i already had in it so just kept the new ones in but still confused i went online to have a read why and relised that the ram i had in was NON ECC but what i bought was ECC Ram and after checking to see if my motherboard was compatiable and of course was not was shocked that the computer runs ok with ECC Ram in please can you tell me if this is going to cause problems with my computer and and if i need to remove them ASAP thanks SCEENSAVER ps i used www.crucial.com to check motherboard

03-01-2007, 07:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
Doby Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Central PA (USA) Posts: 7,072 OS: XP sp2/ Vista	I am supprised the computer will boot with ecc ram installed if the board don't support it and that is why it won't work with the old ones, I would but the old back in becuse I suspect somewhere along the line you will experiance some sort of errors. Its good practice to use some sort of memory configurator such as at crucial to check what ram is compatible with motherboards before ordering __________________ Would you like to help TSF fight cancer and other diseases??? JOIN TEAM TSF

03-02-2007, 05:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
crazijoe Moderator, Hardware Forums Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,632 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	Most the times ECC memory will work and function normally. ECC memory is a little slower because of the error correcting, but this if often negligible. What will definitely not work in your system is ECC registered. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

03-05-2007, 05:59 AM	#4 (permalink)
MaverickUK TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Cheshire, England. Posts: 710 OS: XP Home My System	This is a common fault of people who upgrade their systems where RAM is concerned. You must check with the motherboard manual or manufacturer website to see what is or isn't compatible with your motherboard before upgrading any part of your system. ECC stands for error correcting code, this means an added chip on the RAM to compensate for the correcting. Due to the structure and organisation of the chip it means that the RAM will not work with in incompatible motherboard. ECC is now becoming rare and if your system is new, chances are that your system will not use ECC RAM modules, but always check. If you run these modules at the same time at some point your system will halt and no longer work, which means you will just have to go out and buy more RAM. If i were you i would sell the RAM you purchased and purchase NONE-ECC RAM. Regards, Nick. __________________ Currently studying: CompTIA A+ CompTIA N+ Cisco Certified Network Associate Last edited by MaverickUK : 03-05-2007 at 06:01 AM.