Corsair Buys Origin PC to Tap Demand for High-End Gaming

PC component vendor Corsair has acquired custom gaming desktop maker Origin PC to help it expand across the US.

Corsair made the deal to tap the growing high-end gaming desktop business at a time when more consumers are jumping from traditional consoles to PCs, the company said in today’s announcement. Although Corsair is a well-known brand among PC builders, some gamers like to hire companies such as Origin to assemble the desktop rigs for them, noted Corsair CEO’s Andy Paul.

“We wanted to do more to reach customers in North America that prefer to buy, rather than build, their system,” he said in a statement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

California-based Corsair makes all kinds of PC parts and peripherals, including cases, keyboards, cooling fans, power supplies, and RAM. So you can expect more parts to end up in Origin products, which include laptops and workstations.

The first Corsair component to be integrated into Origin products will be the Hydro X liquid cooling units. However, Origin customers will still have the freedom to choose components from other top brands and vendors.

Despite today’s acquisition, Corsair and Origin will remain separate brands. Origin will continue operating from its offices in Miami, Florida, and maintain its focus on building custom gaming rigs by hand. “All existing Origin PC warranties, purchases, and support are unaffected and will continue to be provided by Origin PC’s world-class customer support team,” the companies added.

Corsair, on the other hand, will still produce its own desktop rigs, including the Corsair One and Corsair One Pro. However, these systems will focus on being pre-configured desktop offerings. Origin PC’s products, on the other hand, will let interested buyers customize their gaming rigs on its website.

Although PC gaming shipments dropped year-over-over in this year’s first quarter, research firm IDC expects the shipments to pick up over the ensuing months. “IDC anticipates the market for gaming desktops, notebooks, and monitors will grow 7.3 percent for the full year of 2019, reaching 41.5 million units,” it said in a research note last month. “The rise of esports, new business models such as subscription services, and an abundance of video games will continue to drive the market forward.”