Is ECC RAM worth it for a desktop PC?

[Kano]

Well it depends. When a board has got issues with ram you will notice real bad crashes, ecc ram would at least notify you that there are problems (and could correct 1 bit errors). I would not say that you need 32 gb ram however, thats usually overkill. 8 gb seems to be enough for most workloads, if you want to create linux live images in ram completely maybe get 16 gb.

[PreferLinux]

I've got 12 GB of RAM, and never seen a problem. I can't give you exact figures, but I don't think that ECC RAM has much point unless you've got some mission-critical setup, in which case you'd go for more expensive server / workstation hardware anyway most likely.

But as for it not being on the support list, I don't see that it is going to be a problem. The memory controller is on the CPU anyway. And memory incompatibility errors are very rare in my (limited) experience, as long as it is the right type (DDR3, unbuffered or registered, non-ECC or ECC).

[DeiF]

I'm planning a big upgrade for a desktop PC which is 6 years old already.
The thing I've found it was more limited was in RAM quantity (only 2GB).
My most memory demanding tasks now require about 8GB of RAM (without the OS, programs, etc).
Since I want to be future-proof, I've decided to max out whatever is the maximum RAM in the new system (32GB)
I'm currently considering to buy an Asus Crosshair V Formula Z, and an AMD FX-8350 CPU.
Since both components support ECC RAM, and my budget seems to be enough to buy it, I'm considering that option.

But, is it really worth it?
How common are bit-flip errors in modern RAM?
Is the performance drop noticeable?


ECC RAM availability in my zone is pretty rare, but I've found this kit that may work:
KVR16E11K4/32 (4x8GB DDR3 ECC 1600Mhz CAS 11)

It isn't listed in the motherboard docs thought, so it's a bit risky. I haven't contacted Asus yet.