After spending a lot of time with the ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Champion, although the results were a bit low on the CPU side, the low power consumption and obvious reasoning as to why it underperformed, has left me quite happy with the complete package. ASRock has some software that really appeals to me, mainly XFastRam, something that no other board maker offers. The really expansive PCIe functionality and perfect slot organization for triple-card use has convinced me that this board is going into my full-time gaming rig along with three HD 6950s.
It's unfortunate to have run into the compatibility and Turbo issues I noticed, but these should be fairly easy to fix with a BIOS update, one that can even be downloaded while sitting inside the BIOS after POST! I will be working with ASRock to make sure these few outstanding issues are resolved. As for a product that has only been on the market for a couple of months, this is par for the course for early adoption of high-end hardware. Considering I had been using an ASUS P9X79 Deluxe for many months now, and that board sells in retail for the same cost as the ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Champion, ASRock really has a winner here if they crush the current BIOS problems. Don't forget to hit us up on the forums, and tell us what YOU think!