A clean, organized flat lay of multiple different single-board computers like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and BeagleBone, arranged neatly on a wooden desk next to a keyboard, cables, and a small notepad, top-down view, bright and clear lighting, product photography style.
Comparing Single Board Computers: A Comprehensive Guide
Single Board Computers (SBCs) have revolutionized the computing landscape, offering powerful capabilities in compact, affordable packages. From hobbyist projects to industrial applications, these versatile devices continue to evolve with enhanced performance, AI integration, and diverse architectures. Here's an in-depth comparison of leading SBCs available in the market.
Raspberry Pi Series
Raspberry Pi 5
- Processor: Broadcom BCM2712 quad-core Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz
- RAM: 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4X
- GPU: VideoCore VII
- Connectivity: Dual 4K HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, USB 2.0
- Price: $60-$80
- Best for: General computing, media centers, educational projects
- Processor: Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 @ 1.5GHz
- RAM: 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4
- GPU: VideoCore VI
- Connectivity: Dual 4K HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, USB 2.0
- Price: $35-$75
- Best for: Budget projects, retro gaming, home automation
- Processor: Arm Cortex-A78AE CPU cluster
- GPU: NVIDIA Ampere with 2,048 CUDA cores
- AI Performance: Up to 275 TOPS
- RAM: 64GB LPDDR5
- Connectivity: PCIe Gen4, 40Gbps Ethernet
- Price: $1,999
- Best for: AI inference, robotics, autonomous machines
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B
- GPU: Radeon Vega 8
- RAM: Up to 32GB DDR4
- Storage: Dual NVMe SSDs
- Connectivity: Dual 4K display, USB 3.1, Gigabit Ethernet
- Price: $299-$499
- Best for: Graphics-intensive tasks, software development, machine learning
- Processor: Octa-core (4× Cortex-A76 + 4× Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Mali-G610
- RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR4
- Features: 8K video playback, NVMe SSD support
- Price: $80-$150
- Best for: Multimedia applications, development projects
- Processor: Texas Instruments TDA4VM SoC (dual Arm Cortex-A72)
- AI Performance: Up to 8 TOPS
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 16GB eMMC
- Connectivity: PCIe, USB 3.0, dual Gigabit Ethernet
- Price: $130-$180
- Best for: Machine vision, robotics, industrial automation
- Processor: Intel Core m3-8100Y
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 64GB eMMC
- OS Support: Windows 10, Linux
- Features: Arduino co-processor, dual Gigabit Ethernet
- Price: $300-$400
- Best for: IoT, edge computing, creative applications
- Processor: Intel Celeron N5105
- RAM: Up to 16GB DDR4
- Storage: Dual SATA, M.2 NVMe
- Connectivity: Dual 2.5GbE, USB 3.0
- Price: $150-$200
- Best for: NAS, home servers, network applications
- Entry Level: Raspberry Pi 4, basic Orange Pi models
- Mid-Range: Raspberry Pi 5, Orange Pi 5
- High-End: UDOO Bolt V8, LattePanda Alpha
- AI/ML Focus: NVIDIA Jetson, BeagleBone AI-64
- Budget (<$50): Raspberry Pi Zero, basic Orange Pi
- Mid-Range ($50-$150): Raspberry Pi 5, Orange Pi 5
- Premium ($150-$500): UDOO Bolt, LattePanda
- Professional (>$500): NVIDIA Jetson series
- Raspberry Pi series (excellent community support)
- BeagleBone Black (industrial learning)
- Raspberry Pi 4/5
- Orange Pi series
- ESP32-based boards for simple projects
- Raspberry Pi 4/5 (excellent software support)
- Orange Pi 5 (8K capability)
- NVIDIA Jetson series (professional grade)
- Google Coral (edge TPU focus)
- Raspberry Pi with AI accelerators
- BeagleBone AI-64
- UDOO industrial series
- Raspberry Pi Compute Module
- Raspberry Pi: Largest community, extensive documentation
- BeagleBone: Strong industrial community
- Orange Pi: Growing community, good value
- NVIDIA Jetson: Professional developer community
- Increased AI integration at the edge
- Better power efficiency
- Enhanced connectivity options (5G, WiFi 6)
- More specialized boards for specific applications
- Improved software ecosystems and toolchains
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
High-Performance SBCs
NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64GB Developer Kit
UDOO Bolt V8
ARM-Based Competitors
Orange Pi 5 (Rockchip RK3588S)
BeagleBone AI-64
x86 Architecture Options
LattePanda Alpha 800S
ODROID-H4
Key Comparison Factors
Performance
Price Range
Use Case Recommendations
Education & Learning
Home Automation & IoT
Media Centers
AI & Machine Learning
Industrial Applications
Software Ecosystem
Linux Support: All major SBCs support various Linux distributions
Windows: Limited to x86 boards (LattePanda, UDOO x86)
Android: Orange Pi, some Rockchip-based boards
Specialized OS: NVIDIA JetPack for Jetson boards
Community and Support
Future Trends
The SBC market continues to evolve with:
When choosing an SBC, consider your specific needs, budget, and the available community support. The right board depends on your project requirements, technical expertise, and long-term goals.
The prompt for this was: Compare Single Board Computers
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