ECC RAM vs non-ECC RAM: ECC is cheap insurance for serious validators

Non-ECC RAM works fine for most home validators, but one bad stick can cause missed attestations or equivocation penalties that cost far more than the $50-100 upgrade. Consumer DDR5 has on-die ECC, not full error correction. If you’re validating real money, the math is simple: a single slashing event or inactivity leak dwarfs the price difference.