6 x 4 or 3 x 8?

Question

I am increasing my RAM on an Intel Core I7 930 + ASUS P6X68D Premium configuration from 12 GB to 24 GB. My questions:
1. This mother board accepts either 3 x 8 GB or 6 x 4 GB RAM configuration. Is there any advantage (speed, reliability, etc.) of either one?
2. The mother board does not explicitly mention Error-Correcting Code (ECC). Do I have to chose memory without ECC?
3. Any preferred memory for editing purposes (Crucial, Corsair, Kingston, Patriot, PNY, Mushkin, OCZ, G Skill, etc.)?
Thank you very much,
Laci.

Answer 1

Hi Harm,
Thanks for the reply. I will certainly not use ECC memories. However, it seems to me that the two answers (yours and Eric's) differ in the suggestion of the 4 GB vs. the 8 GB memories.
Also, when I was asking about reliability, I was thinking of my two last years in the industry when I worked on (not flash but PCM: Phase Change Memory) reliability characterization. Without ECC if one cell goes wrong, then the whole memory unit has to be replaced. Seems to me that the 4 GB choice is better financially.
Baased on your answer, I would chose 6 x 4 GB no ECC memories. Also, based on Eric's reply, I would use unbuffered RAM. My only question for him is what the "better compatibility" of the 8 GB sticks means.
Thanks again,
Laci.