ASUS, Gigabyte world’s most popular motherboards

In the motherboard market, Gigabyte and ASUS are in a constant competition for the top spot in the sales rankings. In 2012, their combined sales accounted for over 45% of total motherboard shipments around the world.

According to Digitimes, the first quarter of 2013 was a close race for ASUS and Gigabyte, with ASUS shipping five million motherboards and Gigabyte trailing with 4.9-million.

ASUS has been in the lead since 2008 when it placed first in the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey for IT Hardware. Its rival, Gigabyte, has been the second favourite choice for system builders for the same amount of time.

For 2013, ASUS is currently enjoying a sales lead in China and the US, while Gigabyte has reported good numbers for the Latin American and Southeast Asian markets. ASUS is chasing 22- to 24-million motherboard shipments for 2013 and Gigabyte is aiming for 20-million.

Asus Rampage IV Extreme

2012 projections had Asus shipping 22.2-million, and Gigabyte 19-million motherboards to consumers around the world.

Placing third with 7-million motherboards was ASRock, a brand returning to fame after exiting the global market temporarily with the death of Intel’s socket LGA775 in September 2009.

Micro-Star International (MSI) is fourth with 6-million units, followed by Elitegroup Computer System (ECS) and Biostar around at 4.9-5.1 million units.

Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) shipped around 2.8-3 million units. Intel shipped 5-million motherboards in 2012, but will phase out from the industry in 2013, according to DigiTimes.