Shipments of second-brand motherboards launched by Micro-Star International (MSI) and Gigabyte Technology since June this year have satisfied the initial expectations of the two companies, according to DigiTimes.com.

MSI's MicroBrill-brand motherboards target the under US$40-segment in China. The company currently ships less than 50,000 MicroBrill boards per month, and they account for only about 4% of MSI's motherboard shipments, according to market sources.

However, sources at MSI said that the company was satisfied with the sales results, though the company does not have plans at present to market MicroBrill boards in markets other than China

Gigabyte Technology started marketing its second-brand motherboard, the Axper, in the second quarter of this year. Gigabyte said launching a second motherboard brand has prevented the competition from grabbing market share by undercutting Gigabyte's prices.

Sources at Gigabyte declined to reveal shipment figures for Axper-brand boards, but industry sources estimate shipments are less than 50,000 motherboards per month.