DDR5's on-die ECC doesn't matter much for gaming overclocking.

Not really. DDR5’s on-die ECC corrects bit flips inside the DRAM chip itself, but those are rare and almost never cause crashes during gaming overclocks. The stability problems you hit are usually from the memory controller, motherboard, or timings—not memory internal errors.

DDR4 without ECC has been perfectly stable for gaming overclocks for a decade. If you’re pushing extreme frequencies like 8000MT/s+, DDR5 has an edge because of faster data rates and better IMC support, but the onboard ECC is a side note, not the reason.

For normal gaming overclocks, DDR5’s ECC is a “nice to have” that you’ll never notice. The real upgrade is bandwidth, not error correction.

Don’t pick DDR5 for the ECC—pick it for the speeds.