As you might already know, DFI has of recently struck up a partnership with Sapphire to make motherboards for them, but this isn't the only company DFI makes motheboards for, as they also work with ELSA in Japan.

With ELSA Europe having considered to move into the motherboard market with some entry level mATX boards with integrated graphics, we might see this partnership expand in the future.

What you might not know is that DFI makes most of its money from industrial PC, or IPC, products and the company recently announced a 25 percent growth in this sector compared to the previous year.

The LanParty boards are still a key part of DFI's commitment and although they've had a rough period and a lot of competition from the big brands in the motherboard market, they're still planning to release a wide range of new products this year.

With many of its competitors going down the OEM route or going after the low-cost market, DFI is trying several different ways to stay afloat in what is becoming a fiercly competitive market. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if we see one or more of the smaller motherboard makers either go bust or restructure their businesses this year.