[zdw]

This.

For desktop computers, Intel charges a premium on any ECC-capable gear (their Xeon line), so it's really only available in workstation class computers. Most AMD gear (AM2/3/3+ sockets, not A-series) can take ECC RAM, if there is BIOS support.

ECC RAM costs about 10-30% more per DIMM, but as memory is so incredibly cheap these days, its probably the cheapest safety net you can buy.

[barrkel]

It's a pain in the neck. By not supporting ECC RAM, Intel is IMO indirectly responsible for millions of dollars worth of lost work from crashes on consumer hardware in workplaces worldwide. ECC RAM should be standard, given modern memory capacities.

The last two machines I built had bad modules that needed weeding out, and I follow anti-static precautions fairly carefully. I used to be a PC technician and I built probably over a hundred PCs in the 90s. Memory was never as fragile and fault-prone as it is these days.