"Matt" <m.p.boulton@durham.ac.uk> wrote...
>
> As the subject says, I'm pricing up some RAM. I'm looking for 2GB of PC2-8500
> and I'm coming across modules that are either "buffered" or "unbuffered" and
> "registered" or "un-registered".
>
> For an average consumer such as myself, should I save some pennies and get
> unbuffered and unregistered RAM, or is their a genuine benefit to me?

Get what the motherboard supports. Most consumer-grade MoBos support
unregistered RAM. Opteron MoBos (especially multiple-socket types) normally
support buffered/registered RAM. Many/most server MoBos support or require ECC
RAM.

Generally, if it is not required, buffered/registered or ECC RAM is not worth
the extra cost for consumer machines.