PEnns Firefox crashes?? That's news to me and millions of users. I have never even read anything about this subject till now. Maybe those like me who never had Firefox crash on them but don't have "bits that flip" and do have space shields against "ionizing cosmic rays"!! Reply
QuarterSwede This has been a known issue for a lot longer than Firefox or even Mozilla being around. I had ECC memory on one machine once and literally stopped having crashing issues that would take the OS down. Can’t remember the OS but this was about 20 years ago. If you think it’s unlikely that cosmic rays can cause issues, just read up on how NASA ensures computers continue to function in space where there is no atmosphere and magnetic sheilding of Earth around. Reply
Li Ken-un Zaranthos said: I don't use ECC memory. Zaranthos said: I favor stability over performance and just buy high end hardware with quality in mind. And ECC memory is the very epitome of “high-end hardware” and “quality” for memory. 🙂 Reply
Sippincider Li Ken-un said: And ECC memory is the very epitome of “high-end hardware” and “quality” for memory. 🙂 As chips get ever denser and higher capacity, it's surprising bit-flips aren't much more of a problem than they already are. What point will EEC memory be a necessity? Reply
Li Ken-un Sippincider said: What point will EEC memory be a necessity? I would argue that it already has been. Making ECC RAM a baseline requirement for all systems that I purchase or build has made my systems much less annoying to use—palpable reduction in blue screening, random reboots, and data corruption. I’ve also recently figured out how to close the loop all the way by flipping on PCIe ECRC and T-10 PI on SSDs to cover the entire pathway between data at rest and hot memory. Reply
usertests Midnitte said: This is exactly why Linus Torvalds advocates for ECC memory I don't think Intel is the only culprit anymore. You have technical support with AMD, but many motherboards that "support" ECC by running with it but not using ECC mode. (DDR5's internal ECC doesn't count for anyone wondering.) If you need a ninth chip for every eight, that's going to raise the cost. But it's a one-time, proportional increase to non-ECC memory. I think it's worthwhile. I hope that it becomes mandatory for consumers when 3D DRAM takes off, possibly out of necessity with higher density 3D memory being affected more by cosmic rays passing through multiple layers at a time, and because entire layers of the structure in each die could be devoted to ECC, instead of adding a whole extra die. Check back in 10 years. Reply
Notton That's a lot of bit flipping AFAIK bit flipping is not only caused by cosmic rays, but electrical interference, heat, and insufficient voltage can also cause it. I'd assume the vast majority of that 15% is caused by RAM that needs more voltage to run at the speeds they are running at. Reply
coolitic Midnitte said: This is exactly why Linus Torvalds advocates for ECC memory Good thing DDR5 comes w/ on-die ECC. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/bit-flips-cause-up-to-15-percent-of-firefox-crashes-asserts-mozilla-engineer-figure-inferred-from-470-000-auto-submitted-crash-reports#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- Researchers build atom-thin 2D thermometers that can be embedded directly in processors — can detect temperature changes in 100 nanoseconds, millions of times f
- NVIDIA Brings AI-Powered Cybersecurity to World’s Critical Infrastructure
- Valve changes Steam Machine release date to this 'year,' second change as AI-fueled memory and shortage crisis deepens — official announcements went from "early
- NVIDIA and Partners Show That Software-Defined AI-RAN Is the Next Wireless Generation
- GeForce NOW Turns Screens Into a Gaming Machine
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.