Universal abit

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Universal abit
Universal ABIT Co., Ltd

Former type	Subsidiary of Universal Scientific Industrial
Founded	1989
Defunct	2008
Headquarters	Neihu, Taiwan
Key people	Thore Welling, Marketing Director
Industry	Computer hardware Electronics
Products	Motherboards, graphics cards, Small form factor, Wifi
Website	www.abit.com.tw/

Universal abit (formerly ABIT) is a computer components manufacturer, based in Taiwan, active since the late 1980s. Their core product line is motherboards aimed at the overclocker market. Abit experienced serious financial problems in 2005. The brand name 'ABIT' and other intangible properties, including patents and trademarks, were purchased by Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. (USI) in May 2006.

Their parent company, Universal Scientific Industrial, has closed the brand as of 31st March 2009^[1]

Contents 1 Corporate information 1.1 History 1.2 Location 2 Technical achievements 3 References 3.1 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Corporate information

[edit] History

ABIT was founded in 1989. In 1991, they had become the fastest growing motherboard manufacturer, exceeding US$10,000,000 in sales. In 2000, ABIT underwent an IPO on the TAIEX stock exchange. To keep pace with their "good" sales figures, they opened up a state-of-the-art factory in Suzhou, China, and moved to new headquarters in Neihu, Taipei. The number of motherboards sold was claimed^{[cite this quote]} to have doubled between 2000 and 2001.

On December 15, 2004, the Taiwan Stock Exchange downgraded ABIT's stock due to questionable accounting practices. Investigations revealed that the majority of their import/export business was conducted through seven companies, all located at the same address and had a capital of only HK$2 each. This made it easy to inflate the reported number of motherboards sold. The Hong Kong media also reports that the management is being investigated for embezzling funds from the company.

In June 2005, ABIT partnered with Wan Hai Industries. This container shipping company, also a principal investor in China Airlines, brought the company much needed capital.^[2]

On January 25, 2006, ABIT announced that USI intended to purchase ABIT Computer's motherboard business and brand and announced a special shareholders meeting to discuss the sale of ABIT's Neihu building, changing ABIT's company name, the disposition of the company's assets, and the release of the directors from non-competition restrictions. ABIT sold its own office building in Taipei to Deutsche Bank in order to raise money to cut its debt.

Following USI's acquisition of the motherboard business, the remaining divisions of ABIT switched to distributing components and networking products, while using its Suzhou, China plant only to offer some motherboard contract manufacturing services.

The acquired motherboard business and the 'ABIT' brand name are now being used today by USI under the new brand name Universal abit. In the US, it is known as Universal abit USA Corporation. The old company, ABIT Computer Corporation (USA), is now dissolved and is no longer in existence.

Universal Abit has announced that it will close on December 31st, 2008, and officially cease to exist on January 1st, 2009.^[1] By 2009, Abit will no longer sell motherboards and may focus on CE field. Warranties will still be handled by Abit for another 3 years or so.

[edit] Location

Universal abit is located in Neihu, Taiwan with regional offices in the China, USA, Iran and the Netherlands. Due to recent moves, the numbers for the company have changed drastically. All numbers from the website as well as automated messages are incorrect.

[edit] Technical achievements

ABIT had a reputation among PC enthusiasts for producing motherboards that support overclocking. In the late 1990s, the company introduced their Softmenu feature, one of the first jumperless CPU configuration systems that enable overclocking to be adjusted from the BIOS instead of fiddling with jumpers. Softmenu was later extended with the development of the μGuru chip. μGuru is a custom microprocessor on Abit motherboards which, in conjunction with Abit software, gives the ability to modify overclocking settings in realtime while the OS is running. By providing instant feedback on the results of a particular overclock setting, μGuru greatly reduces the time required to discover optimal settings. μGuru also provides a special connector for a panel that can be installed in a 5¼" bay which will display current speed and voltage settings. They were also one of the first motherboard manufacturers to enable undervolting.

ABIT was the first motherboard manufacturer to introduce 133 MHz FSB operation for the Intel BX chipset with the aptly named AB-BX133.^{[citation needed]} ABIT also achieved symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) operation for Intel's Mendocino Celeron CPU, in their BP6 motherboard.^[3] This was an achievement because Intel had blocked SMP operation in the Celeron.

In 2004, they introduced the OTES cooling system. This heat pipe based cooling system is intended to transfer heat from the chipset or the motherboard's voltage regulators and expel it out of the system through the rear I/O panel.

During Computex 2008, Universal abit unveiled the FunFab P80 Digital Photo Frame and Printer. It is the world's first digital photo frame with an integrated high quality photo printer which can also connect directly to a mobile phone or in other terms cellular phone.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

• S. Chen, S. Shen. "Abit cuts debts by selling properties, but trouble remains", DigiTimes.com, 28 December 2005.
• E. Wang. "Abit reaches tentative agreement with creditor banks", DigiTimes.com, 21 January 2005.
• E. Wang. "Abit stock downgraded to requiring full delivery", DigiTimes.com, 15 December 2004.
• Abit Press Office, "Abit announced a merger with Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. (USI).", Abit.com.tw, 25 January 2006.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Universal abit

• Official website and US official website
• ABIT worldwide distribution partners
• Official ABIT support forums
• Abit FTP in Taiwan USA Europe- for the most up-to-date drivers.