ASRock had a strong showing in 2010, surpassing its elder rivals MSI and ECS in shipments to become the third-largest motherboard brand. The company moved two million branded motherboards in the fourth quarter of 2010 and eight million for the year, ahead of the seven million shipped by MSI and ECS (excluding OEM orders). Sticking true to its roots, a vast majority of ASRock's boards were entry-level products priced around $50.
Naturally, Asus and Gigabyte maintained their positions as the first and second largest motherboard makers, shipping 21.6 million and 18 million branded units, respectively. Despite their grasp on the market, both companies failed to meet internal expectations. Asus fell a few million units short of its 25 million unit goal, while Gigabyte closed 2010 with lower-than-expected profits (mostly due to increased competition from Asus).
Looking ahead, ASRock expects shipments to grow by up to 5% in the first quarter of 2011 and aims to move nine million units by the year's end. Asus expects a 5% growth in annual shipments, setting its sights on 22.7 million units, while Gigabyte plans to move between 18 and 18.5 million motherboards.