Can you mix and match parity and non-parity modules? Answer:: No. When adding new memory, you need to match what is already in your system. Parity modules have an extra chip that detects if data was correctly read or written by the memory module, depending on the type of error. However, a parity module will not correct the error. You can determine if your system has parity by simply counting the number of black memory chips on each module. Parity (and ECC) memory modules have a chip count divisible by three or five. Any chip count not divisible by three or five indicates a non-parity memory module.