3 ms·

> 1) ECC is almost free if done at scale (e.g. every computer). The only reason it costs extra is that it is only done for high-paying customers and in limited

> 1) ECC is almost free if done at scale (e.g. every computer). The only reason it costs extra is that it is only done for high-paying customers and in limited volume. This is simply not true. ECC means you need to store a minimum of 11% more bits, and at scale this means that you are paying a minimum of 11% more for memory. Note that I am very pro ECC, and think that most computers should use ECC ram.

satellite2 3y ago
I don't think the price of ram grows linearly with its bits. Manufacturing, shipping, distribution etc. are major costs that are mostly fixed for a single stick I would imagine.
adrian_b 3y ago
As I have also said above, +12.5% paid by the manufacturer of DIMM for memory chips may mean +10% in the price of DIMMs when they are not marked up excessively, like the DDR5 modules today. That +10% may become +5% after adding CPU, cooler, MB, PSU, case and it may become +3% after adding SSDs, a high-quality monitor and other usual peripherals. While at work I have seen plenty of problems with computers without ECC, for my desktops and servers and even for some laptops, when I could, I have used only ECC memory, for the last few decades. That has never increased the cost as much as I have saved by choosing wisely other components in the computers that I have built myself. The main problem has never been the extra cost, but the difficulty to find them exactly when I needed them, because at retail the availability of ECC modules may be sporadic and many distributors appear and disappear, so if I upgrade systems after some years I seldom can find the same source.
sliken 3y ago
You are assuming that the raw cost of the chips are 100% of the cost of selling one to the consumer. Other costs are fixed like quality control/testing, marketing, delivery, overhead for the distributors profit, etc. I'd also expect RMA costs to be lower since you can be sure which DIMM is bad, and that it's not CPU, CPU socket, motherboard, powersupply, etc.

satellite2 3y ago

I don't think the price of ram grows linearly with its bits. Manufacturing, shipping, distribution etc. are major costs that are mostly fixed for a single stick I would imagine.

adrian_b 3y ago

As I have also said above, +12.5% paid by the manufacturer of DIMM for memory chips may mean +10% in the price of DIMMs when they are not marked up excessively, like the DDR5 modules today. That +10% may become +5% after adding CPU, cooler, MB, PSU, case and it may become +3% after adding SSDs, a high-quality monitor and other usual peripherals. While at work I have seen plenty of problems with computers without ECC, for my desktops and servers and even for some laptops, when I could, I have used only ECC memory, for the last few decades. That has never increased the cost as much as I have saved by choosing wisely other components in the computers that I have built myself. The main problem has never been the extra cost, but the difficulty to find them exactly when I needed them, because at retail the availability of ECC modules may be sporadic and many distributors appear and disappear, so if I upgrade systems after some years I seldom can find the same source.

sliken 3y ago

You are assuming that the raw cost of the chips are 100% of the cost of selling one to the consumer. Other costs are fixed like quality control/testing, marketing, delivery, overhead for the distributors profit, etc. I'd also expect RMA costs to be lower since you can be sure which DIMM is bad, and that it's not CPU, CPU socket, motherboard, powersupply, etc.