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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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Seiko Epson Corporation, known simply as Epson, is a Japanese company that has been in operation since 1942. It is currently one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electronic components. Its massive portfolio of products includes a wide range of printers, scanners, home theater and multimedia projectors, televisions, desktop and laptop computers, integrated circuits and much more. Though based in Nagano, Japan, the company has a number of subsidiaries located throughout the world to serve its base of global customers.

Epson was backed by an investment from the Seiko Group, which started as a producer of watch parts. It developed and commercialized numerous timepiece technologies from the 1940s through the 1990s. To the current day, Seiko Epson is still heavily involved in the business of watch making, with the products being sold through a subsidiary known as the Seiko Watch Corporation.

The company jumped into the printer business in the 1960s, introducing the world’s first mini-printer in 1968. Labeled the EP-101, this electronic printer would eventually lead to the birth of the name Epson. Epson printers took off quickly as the company unveiled the TX-80 dot-matrix printer in 1978, followed up with the new and improved MX-80 in 1980. The latter would soon become the best selling printer in the U.S.

Epson launched the world’s first genuine laptop in 1981 with HX-20. This unit was truly portable at the size of 3.5 lb, featuring a full-sized keyboard, two Hitachi CPUs, an LCD screen, built-in rechargeable batteries and support for a storage device and dot-matrix printer. Epson printers continued their dominance into the 2000s, making way for a new line up of products that included digital cameras and imaging solutions.

Epson has been at the forefront of technology for more than 60 years, revolutionizing the printer industry while quietly perfecting one of the most successful brands in history.

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Originally founded in 1980, ELSA Technology has well over 20 years experience in the data communication and computer graphics solutions markets. A pursuit of perfection, innovative R & D technologies, and a commitment to put the customer first have made ELSA a global leading brand in what has become a very highly competitive market. ELSA has established a number of international branches to further the capabilities of its operations. It currently has subsidiaries in Beijing and Shenzhen China, Seoul, Korea and Taipei, Taiwan – all strategic locations that help the company provide prompt service to its worldwide customers.

ELSA has been setting trends from the very beginning, but most of its success came at the turn of the century. Around this time, the company further cemented itself in the European market as a major player. In 2003, it launched a new line of ELSA graphics cards with the FALCOX series and became the sole distributor of ATI FireGL and FireMV graphics solutions in the Asia Pacific region. The company dabbled into the multimedia market in 2004, releasing a popular line of TV tuner cards called ELSAVISION. In 2007, it unveiled a brand new line of motherboards and workstation barebones. Throughout the 2000s, ELSA has won a number of prestigious industry awards. Some of its most esteemed honors include the 2007 NOVA Channel Award and 2007 Reader’s Best Choice Award at the Zhongguancun Computer Festival’s Top Ten Graphics Card Brands category.

After a successful run with its FireGL Professional Graphics line in the Asia Pacific region, ELSA continues to expand on its global presence with the launch of new ATI and NVIDIA graphics solutions. Using the best design and manufacturing practices, the company never compromises on quality, delivering user-friendly features to enhance the customer experience. ELSA’s stable position in the graphics cards business leads one to believe that it will continue to contribute to the industry for years to come.

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Elitegroup Computer Systems is a Taiwan-based company that specializes in the designing and manufacturing of motherboards. In the business since 1987, it has been a pioneer in the industry, as well as the first motherboard manufacturer in the country to be listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Aside from Elitegroup motherboards, the company also designs and manufactures barebone machines as well as complete units, such as laptop computers and high-performance server hardware for its worldwide distribution partners. Some of its most notable customers have included industry leading names like Compaq and IBM.

Elitegroup has well over two decades of experience in the motherboard business, forming the building block for many of today’s PCs. Expertise in the market has also made it a major contributor in the IT sector. Throughout the years, it has been able to work closely with some of the biggest chip designers in the PC industry. These partnerships have enabled Elitegroup motherboards and solutions to further the design, development and overall growth of the IT field.

The name Elitegroup rings throughout the industry, as the company has received numerous honors. In fact, it has received more than 150 recognitions and awards worldwide. Some of its most prestigious accolades include making Business Week Magazine’s Information Technology 100 list for two consecutive years. Elitegroup is consistently evolving and adopting advanced design philosophies to its corporate culture. New concepts are helping it simplify the workload while increasing productivity, traits that have become standard practices at its world-class facilities.

A commitment to quality gives Elitegroup the ability to provide the best products and services to its global base of customers. With the help of its successful business partners and highly trained employees across the world, it is safe to assume that Elitegroup will continue to deliver new innovative solutions for many years to come.

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D-Link Corporation is a company that specializes in a broad range of network solutions. Founded in 1986, the company originally marketed network adapters, but has since gone on to design and manufacture a variety of network solutions for the business and consumer markets. D-Link has a strong presence throughout the world, leveraging offices in 64 regions and 10 global distribution centers that service more than 100 countries.

D-Link began under the name Datex Systems Inc. The company was founded by seven people, including the company’s late chairman, Ken Kao. Datex Systems was the name until the company went public in 1994 and became the very first networking company on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. It has been responsible for many cutting edge trends throughout the years, introducing a number of impressive network technologies. D-Link was the first networking company to release Green Ethernet, an energy-efficient technology implemented into its smart switches and eventually its popular line of wireless routers.

D-Link’s extensive line of products is primarily designed for the networking and communications markets. Its business portfolio includes routers and switches, network security mechanisms and wireless technology. The consumer line covers wireless, broadband and home-based digital products ranging from media players and storage facilities to digital video surveillance systems.

D-Link network solutions have become household names on the market, helping to revolutionize the industry and setting much of which has become standard today. As an award-winning company, D-Link has been honored multiple times for a commitment to the designing, developing and manufacturing of quality products and solutions suited for individuals, small to medium sized businesses and enterprises across the world. As a major contributor of the DHWG Digital Home Working Group, the company embraces industry compliance as the criteria for the development of new D-Link Network solutions. This is one company that makes sure the customer gets the best product possible, as its entire line is certified by CableLabs, the FCC and Wi-Fi Alliance.

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Dell is a global corporation that specializes in virtually every facet of the computer hardware industry. The company’s product line seems to become more extensive each year, consisting of desktop and laptop computers, servers, network switches, storage devices, computer peripherals and much more. With over 80,000 employees stationed across the globe, Dell is one of the world’s largest companies and currently ranks in the top three in computer sales.

In 1984, Michael Dell founded PC’s Limited, the company that would eventually become Dell Computer Corporation in 1988. The startup began selling IBM PC-compatible computers before selling the first of its own design in 1985: the Turbo PC. This unit was advertised for direct sale to consumers in national PC magazines. Dell custom assembled each unit ordered, offering lower prices and greater convenience than other brands that called for self assembly.

The company’s route to success was quick. In 1987, it launched its first operations in Ireland, followed up by eleven more over the next four years. By 1988, its market capitalization grew to a whopping $80 million from the initial public offering of 3.5 million shares at $8.50 per share. By 1992, Dell was listed by Fortune Magazine as one the world’s 500 largest companies.

Dell continued to excel in the computer business throughout the 1990s, passing Compaq as the largest U.S. seller of PCs in 1999. In the millennium, the company made a move to expand on its advantage by crossing over into the home entertainment and multimedia markets. Dell computers were now complemented by handhelds, digital audio players and televisions, along with a variety of printers and computer peripherals.

While its revenues have dropped over the last few years, Dell computers are still the brand of choice for millions of computer users throughout the world, indicating that this company will be around for the long haul.

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Originally founded in 1981, Creative Technology is a global leading manufacturer of digital entertainment products for the PC and internet markets. Creative Labs, its American division, was formed in 1988, followed by the opening of a European branch in 1993 and then an Asian division in 1999. For decades, its innovative products have revolutionized how users around the world interact with their computers.

Since the launch of its highly successful Sound Blaster sound card product line in 1989, Creative has been setting standards in the industry, leveraging cutting edge audio technology and a huge customer base to expand the PDE (Personal Digital Entertainment) market. While Sound Blaster started it all, the company is perhaps best known for its popular line of Zen digital audio players. The Creative Zen is an award-winning series and largely credited for ushering in the trend of MP3 players. This multipurpose device actually predates Apple’s popular iPod.

Today, Creative is a widely known as a global leader and innovator in the audio and PDE market. It solutions provide end-users with a complete digital entertainment experience from high quality hardware, software programs and services. Creative is enhancing the power of the PC with a versatile range of compatible MP3 players, multimedia speakers, headphones, portable media centers, web and digital cameras, graphics solutions and computer peripherals. Creative products and solutions are delivered to customers and system integrators through an international network that consists of traditional marketing channels, original equipment channels and the web.

This company has accomplished many industry milestones, but don’t expect them to slow down just yet. The Creative Zen is still in the stage of evolution, while other amazing lines are sure to be introduced in the very new future. A leading name in the PDE sector, Creative aims to further establish its high-quality brands for years to come.

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Connect Components LTD, better known as Connect3D, is a European memory vendor and certified AIB (Add-in Board) partner and supplier of ATI graphics cards. As a major distributor, the company operates offices in England, Germany and Sweden. The company had begun to branch out in the United States and the Middle East as well. Recently, however, it has been widely speculated that Connect3D is no longer in the business of marketing ATI graphics cards.

Much isn’t known about the origin or history of Connect3D. However, it is known that the company was a leading provider of the complete line of ATI graphics cards. Connect3D actually leveraged its own engineering expertise to develop ATI powered Radeon add-in boards from its manufacturing locations in Europe in China. It has been said that there was a time when the company produced well over 600,000 ATI graphics cards per month.

During 2007, bankruptcy rumors began to circulate about the company’s finances and future in the business. In addition, the company was in the midst of major controversy when it failed to honor rebates on Connect3D graphics cards sold through the online vendor Buy.com. Numerous customers attested to reports of receiving email responses stating that the delays were due to issues with the company’s distributor. Some customers say they received no response at all. In the same year, a Better Business Bureau report claimed that the company had gone out of business. After paying out some of the rebates on its own behalf, Buy.com filed a lawsuit against Connect3D.

It still isn’t clear whether Connect3D is completely defunct or if ill fate just struck its American branch. Although the website is still active, it appears as if the company no longer sells ATI graphics card online. This is compounded by the fact that all driver downloads and other support inquires are directed to ATI/AMD website.

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