220-1101 Hardware Practice Question
A technician is building a high-performance workstation for data analysis. The user requires error-correcting code (ECC) memory for data integrity. The technician selects an Intel Xeon processor and a motherboard with a chipset that supports registered memory. Which type of RAM should the technician install?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between unbuffered and registered memory, trapping candidates who assume that any ECC RAM (like UDIMM) will work with a Xeon processor, ignoring the motherboard's registered memory requirement.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Registered ECC DDR4 (RDIMM)
The Intel Xeon processor and motherboard chipset support registered memory, which uses a register to buffer the address and control signals, reducing electrical load on the memory controller. Registered ECC DDR4 (RDIMM) is the correct type because it combines error-correcting code (ECC) for data integrity with the registered buffer required by the platform, ensuring stability and compatibility in high-performance workstation builds.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Unbuffered non-ECC DDR4
Why it's wrong here
Unbuffered non-ECC DDR4 is the standard desktop memory type: it lacks the error-correcting code (ECC) circuits used to detect and correct single-bit memory errors, and it also omits the register/buffer that RDIMMs use to reduce electrical loading on the memory bus. For a data-analysis workstation, silent bit flips can corrupt statistical results or machine-learning models, violating the strict data-integrity requirement. Electrically, the motherboard's memory controller routed for registered modules expects the address/control signals to be buffered, so unbuffered non-ECC DIMMs are not compatible with this platform even if they physically fit.
- ✓
Registered ECC DDR4 (RDIMM)
Why this is correct
Registered ECC memory (RDIMM) is designed for server and workstation platforms using Intel Xeon processors. It provides error correction and uses a register to buffer address/control signals, supporting higher densities and stability as required by the motherboard chipset.
- ✗
Unbuffered ECC DDR4 (UDIMM)
Why it's wrong here
Unbuffered ECC memory is typically used in consumer and entry-level workstation platforms (e.g., AMD Ryzen or Intel Core with specific chipsets). Most Intel Xeon chipsets do not support unbuffered ECC, and even if they did, the motherboard in this scenario explicitly supports registered memory, making UDIMM incompatible.
- ✗
Load-reduced ECC DDR4 (LRDIMM)
Why it's wrong here
Load-reduced DIMMs are used in high-capacity server environments to reduce electrical load on the memory bus when populating many modules. They are not typically used in single-socket workstations and are not required for the described build.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
RAM Error Types: ECC vs Non-ECC
Key term
RAM
RAM (Random-Access Memory) is volatile computer memory that temporarily stores data for quick access by the CPU.
Key term
Double Data Rate
Double Data Rate (DDR) is a technology that doubles the data transfer rate of a memory or bus by sending data on both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal, effectively doing twice as much work per clock cycle.
About these practice questions
One of 896 original 220-1101 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1101 exam.