Server and workstation components are designed to not be shut down under normal circumstances and to maintain a higher degree of data integrity than components used in PCs. For those reasons, server components are generally more expensive than PC components. But if you're building your own PC or looking to upgrade a server and need more robust components with a higher level of data integrity, consider server-level components.

ECC and non-ECC memory

Server and workstation memory can be ECC or non-ECC and registered or unbuffered. ECC stands for error-correcting code. ECC memory has software that corrects errors that can creep in to volatile memory.  ECC memory is used in mission-critical industries that cannot tolerate data changes. Most PC memory is non-ECC, errors happen about one time per one gigabyte of memory per month of uninterrupted operation. Because most PCs do not operate continuously the way servers do, the chances of an error are not as high.

Registered and unbuffered memory

Memory can also be registered or unbuffered. Registered memory has a register between the DRAM modules and the memory controller. The register holds requested data for one clock cycle before it's sent on. This places less electrical load on the memory controller and allow the system to remain stable with more memory modules than would otherwise be possible. This causes a slowdown in data rates. You can increase server performance by choosing memory that interleaves the data across three channels. There are also fully buffered memory modules, which buffer data lines, in addition to the control lines.

The opposite of registered is unbuffered, meaning that there is no buffer between the system and the DRAM. Buffered is an older term for registered. It is possible to buy unbuffered ECC memory, but its use is limited to very small servers that need an insurance policy against the possibility of flipped bits.

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