Methods, circuits, architectures, and systems for error detection in transmitted data. The method generally includes the steps of (i) partitioning the unit of digital data into one or more full data lines and a remainder, wherein each of the full data lines comprises a predetermined number of data blocks, each of the data blocks has a first fixed length, the predetermined number is an integer of at least 2, and the remainder has a length less than the predetermined number times the first fixed length; (ii) if the remainder contains at least one data bit, adding to the remainder a padding vector having a length sufficient to generate a padded data line having the predetermined number of data blocks; and (iii) performing error checking calculations on the full data lines and the padded data line. The present invention reduces the chip area and power consumption, while improving system performance.