RECAP: The motherboard market has been experiencing a sharp decline in sales since the pandemic, with 2022 being a particularly harsh year for the four major mobo makers. This year is expected to be vastly different though, with sales predicted to top the number of units sold in 2019. There are many reasons for this turnaround, including the delivery of AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 and Intel’s Arrow Lake desktop CPUs.Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and Asrock set to deliver 38.8 million motherboards in 2024
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Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and Asrock – the four largest motherboard manufacturers – are projected to deliver 38.8 million units this year, according to a Digitimes report, marking a return to pre-pandemic sales levels. The last comparable figure being 37.6 million units sold in 2019.
Specifically, Asus is expected to deliver 15 million units; Gigabyte, 10.3 million; MSI, 9.3 million; and Asrock, 4.2 million – a record for the group.
It is a welcome return for the sector, which experienced significant drops in sales from 2020 through 2022 that started with the global pandemic. The decline in 2022 was particularly sharp, with a nearly 25% year-on-year decrease of ten million motherboard units, falling below even 2018 levels for most brands.
During this period, Asrock experienced the most severe decline, with shipments dropping by 55% from approximately 6 million units in 2021 to 2.7 million units in 2022. MSI also saw a substantial decrease of 42%, with shipments falling from 9.5 million units to 5.5 million units over the same period. Asus shipments decreased by 25%, from over 18 million units to 13.6 million units. Gigabyte had a relatively smaller decline of 14%, with shipments dropping from 11 million units to around 9.5 million units.Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and Asrock set to deliver 38.8 million motherboards in 2024
This drop was due to several factors, including workers returning to offices, thereby reducing demand for home computing equipment, and a downturn in the cryptocurrency market, which reduced demand for mining-related hardware.
Also, while new processors and motherboards came out in 2022 and 2023, PC buyers and DIY builders seemed to hold back on purchases, likely due to economic uncertainty. This year is expected to be different, with the anticipated release of new desktop processors in the second half of 2024 set to drive sales.
AMD’s Ryzen 9000-series processors are set to launch on July 31, 2024, while Intel’s Arrow Lake chips are expected in October. As such, new chipsets – X870 and X870E – for AMD processors and 800-series motherboards for Intel’s new LGA1851 socket are being prepared, which are also expected to drive sales.
China’s reopening of borders in 2023 after three years of travel restrictions is another significant factor in the recovery of the motherboard market. It has led to increased economic activity and mobility within the country and likely contributed to improved consumer confidence and increased willingness to spend on items like computers and motherboards. It also helped ease some of the disruptions affecting the production of electronic components, including those used in mobos.
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