Most AMD mobos (including your Asus) don't support ECC anyway. The only current (non-server) AMD chipsets that do are the AMD 760/761 and the Via KT266A and newer. Even then most mobo mfrs don't pass the feature on to the end user.
. ECC is NOT just for servers. If you're running RAID-0 or mission critical apps (financial, scientific) you definitely want working ECC (ref. the linux uptime project)! Lots of noobs or doofs put ECC memory in their machine and think they have ECC protection - Not so Amigo! The modules will work, but they will be in non-ECC mode - wasted money.
. The only recent mobo that I know of that supports ECC for AMD is the Tyan Trinity S2495AN/ANRS. It also supports registered memory for a truly stable system at the cost of a bit more speed. If anyone knows of any others, please PM me.
. ECC can detect and correct single-bit memory errors - the modules have an extra bit of memory (9-bits per byte) to support the error calculations. So ECC is slightly slower than non-parity. Parity is seldom used any more - an error detection method that is easier to implement in the memory controller part of the NorthBridge and it also uses an extra bit per byte - only it can't correct the error. If a parity error is detected, the system will lock up with a "Parity Error" message on the screen - not too useful...
. Many Intel-made chipsets for P3/P4/Cel also support ECC, but as with AMD, not all mobo mfrs. that use the ECC capable chipsets pass the feature on to the end user. I don't know about the non-Intel chipsets for P3/P4 etc.
. Generally if you can find an ECC Enable/Disable setting in your BIOS, your mobo supports ECC. Otherwise no ECC. The feature is seldom noted prominently in the spec sheets. Have to check the FAQs on your mobo to find out or contact the mfr directly.
. Sometimes there are other limitations if you decide to enable ECC. My old ALi chipset for the AMD K6-2 would only allow ECC to run at clock speeds of 75MHz or lower... Luckily, you can enable/disable ECC function, so when you want full speed for games, you've got it. And when you want the security of ECC, it can be there for you.
.bh.
:sun: