Not sure what the deal is. May just be the company making them. Some believe that with the 24AWG you get a better frequency therefore faster data transfers. As for the patch panels and jacks I have noticed much difference. I have punched down cat6a on a regular cat6 jack and still have had the same results speed wise when certified. As far as I know it's all the same. Just based on preference if you're doing a completely CAT6A install to do it all the same. Although 6A is a pain and I wouldn't recommend it being used at all, especially in the winter lol.