3600MHz DDR4 with ECC support for UDIMMs
3600MHz DDR4 with ECC support for UDIMMs
After years of using dual-core Haswell/Broadwell laptops, I’m ready to upgrade to a solid Workstation setup. My needs include software development and occasional CPU+RAM heavy processing tasks. I’m targeting the Zen3 architecture, specifically the Ryzen 5900X. For stability and confidence, I plan to invest in ECC UDIMMs. A minor concern is that this processor prefers 3600 MHz RAM. I couldn’t find any listings for sold ECC UDIMMs at that speed, but I’m open to suggestions better than repurposing cheaper non-ECC sticks or buying older 3600 MHz gaming modules. Ideally, I’d get two 32 GiB modules initially and add more later if needed. The rest of the build will include watercooling, and I’m not concerned about appearance. I might apply a conformal coating to protect the components except for the die tops and edge contacts, ensuring water flows directly over the memory chips where they touch the heat spreader. Regarding the 5900X’s capability, I’m curious if it can support 64 or even 128 GiB RAM at 3600 MHz. A CL16 would be ideal, but a CL18 could work if the price difference is substantial. I understand overclocking isn’t the same as maximum reliability, so I’ll avoid pushing timings too high and keep an eye on ECC errors—especially if I need to adjust voltages or frequencies. If a 3600 MHz CL16 feels too demanding for this model, please let me know.
For your workstation, an Intel 11th Gen processor with 64GB of RAM could be more suitable.
There are no available ECC options for that speed, since any DDR4 stick over 3200 is already overclocking and ECC chips can't handle things like XMP to boost them further. You might attempt to push the chips to higher speeds, but results aren't guaranteed. The advantage of overclocking ECC RAM is that you can detect errors directly. The quickest DDR4 speed recorded today is 3200 MHz CL20. For most needs, ECC likely won’t offer much benefit.
To the best of my understanding, 3600 MHz ECC memory isn't available. It doesn't fit standard JEDEC specifications, so it wouldn't be reliable enough for most enterprise needs. Even 3200 CL22 is only just entering the server realm. In reality, unless you're running client web servers on your own machine, ECC probably isn't necessary. You're unlikely to encounter ECC-correctable errors disrupting your work even on powerful workstations. The added expense and slower performance make non-ECC options more appealing. If reliability is your goal, skip the watercooling—it'll likely cause more issues than it fixes.
i9 11900k paired with 64GB RAM could work well with a GTX 980 Ti for strong workstation performance. You won’t need a top-tier GPU if this setup is sufficient.
actually the best option is more affordable, though the i9 performs better for a workstation. An xeon might still be worth considering if you're working with a desktop.
They're pretty much the same, except the 11900K is pricier, offers a higher boost, and includes advanced features. The 5900X has 12 cores, while the 11900K has 8. In rendering, having more cores usually means better performance.
Well, you don't have to rely on XMP beyond JEDEC standards. The need for ECC stems from the planned reboot interval, which I've configured at six months. Unless kernel security updates are required, I won't restart sooner than that. Also, considering you're exceeding comfort levels with RAM by aiming for more than one bit error per hour during memtest86+, it's a great advantage of ECC. The main distinction between ECC UDIMMs and gaming RAM is the extra chip in ECC versions and the built-in heat spreader in gaming RAM. We're not discussing certified RAM here—just the same chips, just 12.5% more, which means a slightly higher load on command and clock lines. At 3600 MHz, it shouldn't pose an issue for Zen3, according to my understanding.
I’m preparing to compile and execute scaling applications for evaluation and measurement. The focus is on identifying program sections that gain the most from optimizations. My tasks usually require multiple cores, though interactive features such as auto-complete in the editor are limited.