ASRock plans to enter high-end motherboard market

If you've ever built a computer on an “extreme” budget, you've no doubt encountered ASRock motherboards. Notorious for being one of few manufacturers that has truly earned their title as “entry-level”, ASRock has long been thought of as a vendor only to turn to when you are building on a budget. Is that about to change? According to Digitimes, ASRock sees the entry-level market as shrinking, and as such plans to move into mid-range and high-end markets starting next year.

Apparently, entry-level CPUs will account for only 20% of the market in 2007, which will result in declining profits for any company that chooses to remain only at the low end. Interestingly, despite them seeking to enter into the pricier markets, the president of ASRock claims they have no new product lines on the immediate horizon. You cannot rebox an entry-level motherboard and expect it to appeal to enthusiasts, so I wonder what they are planning.

Mostly I wonder how they plan on breaking ice with enthusiasts (or even mid-range) to begin with, since that market is already pretty crowded with a lot of performance-oriented vendors.