Can I use ECC memory modules with this setup?

[Man]

So I'm building a cheap dual-monitor setup for my friend and I'm a bit confused about the ECC vs. non-ECC situation. First, here are are the specifications:

 

CPU: Xeon E3-1220 (Sandy Bridge, Socket LGA-1155).

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61M (Rev. 1.2).

GPU: Nvidia Quadro 600. 

Plus HDD, SSD, Wifi card etcetera. 

Memory: ?

 

Here's the problem: While the motherboard officially supports some Sandy Bridge Xeon CPUs (including the E3-1220) according to the user manual, there's no mention of ECC memory anywhere. On the other hand, Gigabyte's official website mentions only this:

 

 

I find it rather vague, to be honest. I wonder if it's mean the motherboard supports non-ECC memory "as well"? I mean, almost all motherboards support non-ECC memory so why mention it?!

 

In any case, here's the RAM I'm interested in:

 

 

 

I think you can understand why I'm debating this! <$30 for 16 Gigs of RAM is quite tempting, to say the least. For comparison, non-ECC memory costs over twice as much i.e $60+ for 2 x 8GB 1,333MHz modules. 

 

TL;DR

 

Do you think ECC memory sticks will work with a Sandy Bridge Xeon paired with a cheap H61 motherboard?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Lorant]

A)  No, don't think so.

 

B) It's 8GB which comes in 2 pieces, ie. 4GBx2 = 8GB.  It doesn't mean 2 8GB sticks.

 

 

[Husky]

Have you tried contacting Gigabyte support? They might be able to assist.

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, Man said:

I mean, almost all motherboards support non-ECC memory so why mention it?!

because they want to specifically make sure you use non-ECC memory on it?

 

ECC memory will also work, just without ECC features. What stops you from running server memory is that it cannot run registered memory, it must be non-registered. REG is a different memory system that is not compatible with non-REG systems.

[Man]

6 hours ago, Lorant said:

A)  No, don't think so.

 

B) It's 8GB which comes in 2 pieces, ie. 4GBx2 = 8GB.  It doesn't mean 2 8GB sticks.

 

 

Just checked. $14 for single 8GB stick:

[Man]

7 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

ECC memory will also work, just without ECC features. What stops you from running server memory is that it cannot run registered memory, it must be non-registered. REG is a different memory system that is not compatible with non-REG systems.

Okay, so I've done a little bit of research about it in the past hour and it appears that memory controllers in modern CPU architectures don't rely on motherboards. They are entirely CPU dependent as the controller itself is located on the CPU, instead of the northbridge. And since the motherboard officially supports Xeons, I think it should be able to handle ECC memory as well, right?

 

My apologies for all these stupid questions. I'm totally clueless when it comes to system memory!

 

Thanks!

[Jurrunio]

17 minutes ago, Man said:

And since the motherboard officially supports Xeons, I think it should be able to handle ECC memory as well, right?

Yes, just without ECC function. Still works as a memory stick.

 

The one you linked wont work tho because they are REG

[Man]

2 hours ago, Jurrunio said:

Yes, just without ECC function. Still works as a memory stick.

 

The one you linked wont work tho because they are REG

I see. So they only with with X58 and X79 based motherboards?

[Lorant]

6 hours ago, Man said:

Just checked. $14 for single 8GB stick:

Damn, thats cheap then.  It's usually as I described but obviously not in this case.  Hope it works for you!

[Jurrunio]

10 hours ago, Man said:

I see. So they only with with X58 and X79 based motherboards?

Nope, consumer boards as a whole do not work with registered DIMM (notice they specifically ask for unbuffered memory, with means unregistered), even if you have a Xeon.