> Memory manufacturers assure us that desktop RAM is so reliable that it doesn’t need ECC, that the probability of bit flip events is so low that it’s not worth the extra “cost” of ECC
ECC requires extra circuitry, and that results in more cost, also more testing cost, and also more failed chips (due to more complexity).
Most people have very little need for ECC. The author didn't even know that they wanted ECC until they were unlucky enough to get a stick of RAM that failed, and failed in such a way that the OS booted, but a file silently corrupted (not that common, because if a chip fails it usually doesn't silently fail like that).
Well, ECC memory is more expensive than non-ECC memory by about 10-20% (according to a quick google search). Part of that may be markup due to people who want ECC being willing to pay for a highly reputable brand sold by a highly-reputable seller (they won't be buying ECC in bulk from amazon marketplace).
> Memory manufacturers assure us that desktop RAM is so reliable that it doesn’t need ECC, that the probability of bit flip events is so low that it’s not worth the extra “cost” of ECC
Yea, and they are right.