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Originally established in 1982, Hercules Computer Technology was a leading graphics card company in the 1980s. While the company also produced CGA compatible cards, its most popular product was the Hercules Graphics Card, a MDA-compatible card that was frequently imitated by many other competitors. The popularity of this card helped the company survive into the 1990s. In attempt to compete with EGA, Hercules launched the Hercules InColor Card, which failed miserably in terms of sales.

Hercules started to decline throughout the 1990s as companies including ATI Technologies emerged. Product sales dipped to $20 million in 1998, the same year the company was purchased by ELSA for $8.5 million. Though it enjoyed the benefit of Hercules’ intellectual properties and product lines, ELSA also became responsible for all the debt Hercules owed, inevitably sending them into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Hercules brand was acquired by Guillemot Corporation the following year for $1.5 million. It quickly became the premiere brand for Guillemot’s NVIDIA-based graphics cards.

The Hercules brand remains prevalent today and represents a diverse range of products. The portfolio now consists of sound cards, speaker systems, digital DJ devices, wireless solutions and accessories for the Apple iPod and iTunes media application. Hercules web cams are among the latest products. Its Dualpix Exchange has largely contributed to explosion of web cam sales throughout Europe. This product has been highly praised by the European press and won numerous awards for features such as 2-megapixel video resolution and high-speed USB 2.0 Video Class compliance. The integrated custom designed software makes this webcam just as easy to use as the typical digital camera.

While the company itself no longer exists, the Hercules brand is alive and well. Guillemot promises to continuously launch products that put the customer first by placing a strong emphasis on quality and performance.

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Founded in 1992, Hauppage Computer Works is a global leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing electronic video hardware for PCs. The name was derived from the hamlet of Hauppage, New York, the same city in which it is based.

Best known for its successful line of PC-based TV tuner cards, Hauppage also produces digital video editors, digital video recorders, digital media players and hybrid video recorders. The company also has a product range of digital television products that support both Windows and Macintosh computers. Though headquartered in New York, Hauppage has sales and technical support offices located in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands.

During the early 1990s, Hauppauge mainly developed motherboards for Intel 486 processors. While most of these motherboards were designed for standard IBM-compatible PCs, others were workstation and server-based, offering support for FISA, optional cache memory modules and the Weitek 4167 FPU. One of its most popular motherboards was the Hauppauge 4860, the only standard PC/AT motherboard with an Intel 80486 processor and the option to run an Intel i860 processor. Shortly thereafter, the company stopped producing motherboards to focus on the TV card market.

The company achieved worldwide notoriety with its Hauppauge WinTV product line. This family of PC analog and digital TV tuners gives users the ability to watch television from their computer in a window or full screen. Some of the features of WinTV models include FM radio, IR remote control and fast, high-performance recording. The Hauppauge WinTV offers benefits to both home and business users. Professionals use it to keep track of late breaking news while home users enjoy the luxury of being able to watch TV while checking their email or surfing the web.

Over the years, Hauppage has been committed to strengthening its presence by introducing more cutting edge products and establishing itself in more regions. Those goals appear to be within easy reach as the company now has sales offices in Turkey and more products that support the Linux operating system.

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Officially established in 1984, Guillemot Corporation is a France-based company that designs and manufactures a wide variety of interactive PC hardware and accessories. The product lineup consists of graphics cards and graphics accelerators, TV acquisition cards, sound cards, CD/DVD drives, joysticks, USB steering wheels and a range of devices under many of its award-winning brands. It has a strong global presence with offices in locations that include the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Spain, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong and Italy. Coupled with over 150 qualified worldwide employees, this reach enables the company to deliver quality, high-performance products to customers in more than 30 countries.

Guillemot’s early product line proved that it had more to show than clones of competing offerings. In the mid 1990s, the company stepped up in the research and development department to establish itself as a product innovator. A breakthrough was made with Guillemot sound cards. In 1996, the manufacturer launched a series called the Maxi Sound 64, the first card on the market to offer 64-voiced polyphony. This was followed up by the Home Studio Pro version, which marked the first all-in-one PC-based solution for creating and recording music. The innovation of Guillemot sound cards gave the company the leverage it needed to garner more attention and gain a share of the North American market. Over the years, the company added to its brands by acquiring Thrustmaster and Hercules, two popular lines that still power its portfolio to the current day.

Now enjoying a prosperous relationship with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Guillemot graphics cards, motherboards and digital audio products are among the best in the business, offering power to suit the needs of enthusiasts and professionals alike. With more than 100 awards under its belts, it is clear to see why this company is so widely praised throughout the computer hardware industry.

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Founded in 1986, Gigabyte Technology is a Taiwan-based company that manufactures a wide range of computer hardware products. What began as a research and development team has become a global leader in the highly competitive motherboard and graphics accelerator markets. To reach a broader spectrum of customers, Gigabyte recently further expanded its portfolio of products to include a more versatile line, such as desktop and notebook PCs, network servers, digital home appliances, mobile and handheld devices and telecommunications solutions. Its extensive product line is designed to cover every facet of life at home or in the office environment. As of 2009, Gigabyte has approximately 7070 employees in multiple countries throughout the world.

You can say Gigabyte has had a rather interesting history in regards to its video card offerings. Before 2002, the company only produced NVIDIA based cards. Back then, its line consisted of GeForce3 Ti200/500 cards. Eventually, the relationship between Gigabyte and NVIDIA turned rocky, resulting in the company picking up ATI-based graphic cards. During the next year, it only sold ATI cards until announcing a renewed partnership with NVIDIA in the latter part of 2003. Today, Gigabyte graphics cards consist of both ATI and NVIDIA-based products, providing enthusiasts with high-performance solutions built on the best chips in the industry. Throughout its tenure, the company has won a countless amount of awards and grown to become one of the biggest names in the business.

Gigabyte continues to set trends to the current day. As recently as June of 2008, it unveiled the M912, the first touchable, swivel screen mobile PC. This unit features a touch screen with a stylus and 180 degree swivel design that allows it be transferred into a tablet PC. Innovations such as this give indication that Gigabyte will keep on delivering the highest quality products with industry leading designs.

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In the business for more than 10 years, Genius Computer Technology is a company that specializes in the manufacturing and distributing of a wide array of computer components. Headquartered in Jebel Ali, Dubai, its portfolio of products include computer systems as well as peripherals like scanners, speakers, fax modems, mice, tablets, multimedia products and network hardware among others. This company has been a leader in the IT field since the turn of the century, introducing world-famous brands such as Genius, Microdia and CTX. Invested in a top-notch infrastructure, the company’s operations span approximately 35 countries across Africa in the Middle East. From day one, the focus of Genius has been to exceed the technological needs of public and private groups, enterprises and consumers.

The Middle East economy is booming, and with that positive growth, the sales of Genius computers have taken off tremendously. Because of such a fast rise, the company was literally forced to move its operational facilities and regional headquarters to the Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone) in 2006. The Jafza is widely recognized as the premiere business hub of the Middle East, attracting several leading regional and international companies who want to take advantage of its world-class facilities and incentives. Genius Computer is one of the latest high-profile names to follow the trend. Genius celebrated its 10th birthday in 2007, around the same time it introduced two new groundbreaking products – the Slimstar 820 Solargizer Keyboard and Traveler 355 Laser. The Slimstar is a combination of a wireless solar-powered keyboard and energy-efficient mouse, while the Traveler is an innovative mouse device that utilizes optical technology.

Genius aims for the sky, looking to enjoy a projected sales growth of 100% by 2010. The company remains confident that its ever expanding brand of products and services will enable it to achieve this goal.

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GeCUBE is a popular brand of 3D graphics cards introduced by Info-Tek Corporation, a professional electronics manufacturing service firm. Headquartered in Taiwan, it has four branches located in China, providing full turnkey solutions for electrical products in fields such as telecommunications, optical, office and home appliances and more. While specializing in a wide variety of areas, its claim to fame has been the motherboard and interface card business. Info-Tek has five state of the art factories, with more than 5000 employees across the world.

Info-Tek enjoyed a nice running start, founded in 1990 with a total of $1,500,000 in capital. The company began subcontracting PC motherboards for Acer Inc. a year later before moving its headquarters to a plant in the Hsin-Chu Industrial District. In 1995, it was ISO 9002 certified, and by 1996, its total capital had increased to a whopping $3,080,000. The manufacturer was contracted to produce numerous third-party products until releasing its own line of GeCube graphics cards in the 2000s. Products under this line include graphics cards, as well as other computer hardware products. The success of this high-performance card helped boost its total capital to $40,000,000 by 2005, the same year the company was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Over the years, Info-Tek has formed strategic partnerships with leaders in many different industries. Some of its most notable partner have included Barco, Black&Decker, Citizen, GE, Gibabyte, Hannstar and Philips, just to name a few. These companies and more have contracted Info-Tek to provide high-quality printers, digital cameras, LCD TV modules, modems, CD ROMs, DVD players and scanners to serve their customers. Info-Tek prides itself on delivering products, services and support that result in unparalleled quality and reliability. These core values have helped the company became a familiar face and perhaps a mainstay in the computer hardware business.

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Headquartered in Irvine, California, Gateway Incorporated is a well known company in the computer industry. It develops, manufactures and sells a wide variety of personal computers, servers, displays and computer monitors. At one time, Gateway was a mainstay on the Fortune 500 list as one of the world’s largest companies. However, the company struggled in the early to mid 2000s and was eventually acquired by Acer Inc. in 2007.

Gateway was founded in 1985, originally under the name Gateway 2000. The company started off with direct sales through phone orders, shipping its computers in boxes branded with the familiar cow markings that would become its trait. In 1989, the company moved its production facilities and corporate offices to North Sioux City, South Dakota. With the new Holstein cow mascot intact, Gateway opened Gateway Country Stores, a chain of retail stores located mostly in suburban areas of the United States. Enjoying massive success in 1998, it made a move to expand beyond the model of selling PCs by phone, relocating its operation to La Jolla, California. The company was on the move again in 2001 to Poway, California and finally to Irvine, California, the current headquarters, after acquiring eMachines in 2004.

Like so many other companies, Gateway struggled following the dot.com bust, hoping the eMachines acquisition would be enough to would strengthen its market share. The company went through several internal changes and shut down a number of stores before being acquired by Acer in 2007. As a part of the Acer Group of corporations, Gateway remains a major player in the computer industry. Gateway computers still offer a nice range of products for home, office, enterprise, government and education customers. The company has also added products to its portfolio, such as MP3 players, digital cameras and plasma TVs. A significant role in the Acer Group will likely keep the Gateway brand alive for years to come.

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Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan Gainward is an award-winning company that specializes in computer hardware. This company offers an impressive lineup of products, and many of its graphics cards are on based exclusively on high-performance NVIDIA chipsets. It also has a nice range of graphics solutions based on ATI-based chips thanks to a successful launch of the ATI 4800 series. The company recently released a set of cards that break the traditional mold of NVIDIA specifications, allowing end-users to enjoy a more powerful gaming experience.

Gainward graphics cards are known for their “overclockability,” a trait that has made them a big hit among enthusiasts. One of most its popular products is the Golden Sample range of graphics solutions. Over-clocking past their original stock speeds, these cards are thoroughly tested before being sold and shipped, ensuring the utmost of quality for the customers. The Golden Sample line includes the NVIDIA 7900 GS, 7900 GT, 7950 GT and the 8800 GT. More recent are the ATI based HD 4850, HD 4870 and the HD 4870×2. Fans of this company will attest that Gainward graphics cards have always been designed with the end-users in mind. There was a time when its Golden Sample cards were packaged with a voucher that could be redeemed for a downloadable game at the popular “gainwardgamingzone.com” site. This same product line now comes bundled with a free game.

Due to heavy competition in the market, Gainward fell on tough times like so many others and was eventually acquired by Palit Microsystems, a move that put it back in contention with industry leaders such as Gigabyte. As a subsidiary of Palit, Gainward currently has a beneficial relationship with both NVIDIA and AMD’s ATI graphics division. The company now has a diverse selection of powerful graphics cards which equals good news for everyone, especially the overclocking enthusiast market.

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Diamond Multimedia is a company that manufactures a wide variety of multimedia products. Though it specializes in graphics cards, sound cards, motherboards, modems and MP3 players, the company enjoyed its start with Trackstar, an add-on card for the PC that emulated Apple II computers. Diamond Multimedia is best known as one of the pioneers of 2D and 3D graphics cards during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Over the years, Diamond Multimedia graphics cards have consisted of numerous products, starting with the Speedstar series in the early 1990s. Speedstar was a line of low-end chips used as graphics solutions for well known entities such as Cirrus Logic. While not the most powerful on the market segment, they sold well and even outperformed products by rivals like Trident Microsystems. Diamond graphics cards achieved massive success with the Stealth, a line that offered an excellent value and remains its most popular series today. The company ventured into the world of 3D graphics with the launch of product lines such as Monster3D and Viper in the late 1990s.

Diamond sound cards hit the market in the early 2000s with products that included the Monster Sound line and the innovative MX300. This soundcard was based on Aureal Semiconductor’s Vortex2 audio, a feature that offered a level of 3D audio that had yet to be experienced previously. Unfortunately, Aureal folded to bankruptcy thereafter, thus putting an end to Diamond’s revolutionary sound cards. Although other lines were released, and the disappointing MX400 was the last before the company’s resurfacing in 2003.

The failure of Aureal marked a downturn for the sound card market, prompting Diamond to move away from the add-on board business. In 2003, the company, brand name, assets and all were purchased by Best Data. It now functions as a division of Best Data under the original name. The company still actively markets Diamonds graphics cards and ATI Raedon powered cards from its website.

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