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Today we are checking out two elite Asrock motherboards designed to accommodate the very latest Intel processors. The Fatal1ty X79 Champion is designed to be the ultimate Sandy Bridge-E motherboard, while the Z77 Extreme9 provides a feature rich platform for Ivy Bridge owners. Both are no-compromise products focused on delivering the best performance possible...
Late last year Intel unveiled their LGA2011 platform and leading the charge was the Sandy Bridge-E architecture. The initial release saw the arrival of the exuberantly overpriced Core i7-3960X, which carried an MSRP of $1000, while a more sensible $590 version existed in the i7-3930K.
These 32nm processors offered up to six cores with a dozen threads. Intel has also upgraded the integrated memory controller with four channels supporting DDR3-1600 memory, for a theoretical peak bandwidth of 51.2GB/s. The new LGA2011 platform finally retired the aging LGA1366 platform, which was initially headed up by the Bloomfield 45nm processors but were later superseded by the Gulftown 32nm processors. Now half a year later the LGA2011 platform has just three processors to choose from after releasing the Core i7-3820 in February at a more wallet friendly $300. While there are few processors to choose from there are even fewer chipsets, with the X79 being the one and only choice. That said, there are dozens of X79 motherboards to choose from ranging from $200 - $400 depending on your needs. The Asrock Fatal1ty X79 Champion just so happens to be one of those extreme $400 motherboards that throws in everything bar the kitchen sink. Granted ultra-expensive motherboards are not for everyone, but those supporting LGA2011 processors do make sense given this is a no frills platform design for power users and enthusiasts alike. Alternatively power hungry users are also turning to Intel’s more affordable LGA1155 platform which was recently upgraded with the introduction of the Ivy Bridge architecture. Whereas the Sandy Bridge-E family comprises entirely of hard hitting Core i7 processors, the Ivy Bridge range caters to a wider audience with the inclusion of Core i5 processors. However for those wanting to arm their Core i7-3770K processor with an equally impressive motherboard, then we believe Asrock has something special to offer with their Z77 Extreme9. Priced at $370 the Z77 Extreme9 isn’t exactly affordable either, but it does provide many of the same features found on the Fatal1ty X79 Champion... |
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moss |
Posted on: 06/06/2012 10:40 PM
Love the look of the Champion! Wish I could afford it  I want to upgrade my LGA1366 system to the LGA2011, just gotta wait a little longer and get a cheaper board. Thanks for the review though. |
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drate |
Posted on: 06/06/2012 11:50 PM
I wish you could install a mSATA SSD on the Z77 Extreme9 for caching. |
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lame |
Posted on: 06/07/2012 05:35 AM
Fatal1ty branded products ... really Asrock :S |
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stretch1 |
Posted on: 06/07/2012 11:07 PM
very good looking boards from asrock. I bought the extreme6 and I am very happy with it. The 9 looks even better! |