The Xeon they are using is 14 cores in a single NUMA node so maybe that's it since a 16 core Threadripper is 2 separate nodes in one die. I'm pretty sure Threadripper supports ECC: "With the most memory channels you can get on desktop, the Ryzen™ Threadripper™ processor can support Workstation Standard DDR4 ECC (Error Correcting Mode) Memory to keep you tight, tuned and perfectly in sync." from https://www.amd.com/en/products/ryzen-threadripper