The Radxa Rock 5B is similar to the Orange Pi 5, with the same popular Rockchip RK3588 processor. It has the ubiquitous 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header and is therefore compatible with peripherals that use that header. And while the Rock 5B is significantly more expensive than a Raspberry Pi at around $200, it delivers a lot of power and expansion capabilities for that price.

The Rock 5B has an extraordinary amount of storage capability compared to the Raspberry Pi. Besides the usual SD card slot, it also has an “M Key” M.2 slot on the back for adding an NVMe SSD. This slot is full-fat PCIe Gen 3 x2, so it’s similar enough to the Raspberry Pi 5 that it can be used to connect items like a graphics card with the proper adapter. There’s also an “E Key” M.2 slot on the front for adding, for example, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth cards. This slot would also be useful for projects where some other wireless communication protocol is desired, like Zigbee.

You can add even more storage with the eMMC socket on the back, so that brings the total types of storage media up to three. All this expandable storage might come in handy for, say, a security camera setup where lots of footage needs to be stored onboard.

Overall, the Rock Pi 5B is an upgrade over the Raspberry Pi 5, and should be seriously considered for those who have the budget for it.

• Specs: Rockchip RK3588 8-core processor, up to 16 Gb DDR4 RAM
• Features: Integrated ARM Mali graphics, 2x full-size HDMI outputs, Micro HDMI input, M.2 “E Key” and M.2 “M Key” slots, eMMC socket, 2.5 GB Ethernet with PoE header, USB power delivery 2.0 input, 2x USB 2.0 ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, 40-pin GPIO header, 3.5-mm audio jack
• Price: ~$200 (8 GB)

Radxa Rock 5B

Commissions Earned Check price at

 

and 

Le Potato came seemingly out of nowhere during the height of the Raspberry Pi shortage, much to the delight of hobbyists. Their offering wasn’t the most powerful SBC out there, but the $35 price tag is aggressive, to say the least. Le Potato provides a pretty good ratio of performance-per-dollar with its 4-core processor, and it’s available with either 1 or 2 GB of DDR3 RAM.

Le Potato has a compatible form factor and pin layout as the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3, providing great compatibility with accessories for said Pi boards. The biggest drawback of Le Potato is that it doesn’t have onboard Wi-Fi, but this can be easily remedied with a cheap USB Wi-Fi dongle. That said, not all Wi-Fi dongles will work with Le Potato, so Libre Computer recommends a specific model.

The low cost of Le Potato is really the selling point here; there are many projects that simply don’t need the RAM of a more powerful board, and just need to run Linux in some form. For example, a weather station that needs to run all the time and log data from sensors, and possibly send that data off to a computer somewhere else. And if you have the means to connect your project via Ethernet, this can be accomplished without shelling out the extra ten dollars for a Wi-Fi dongle.

• Specs: Amlogic S905X 4-core processor, 2 GB DDR3 RAM
• Features: Full-size HDMI port, USB Micro B power input, 3x USB 3.0 ports, 1x USB 2.0 port, 3.5-mm audio jack, eMMC socket, 100 Mb Ethernet, 40-pin GPIO header
• Price: ~$35 (2 GB)

Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC (Le Potato)

Commissions Earned Check price at

 

and 

The Banana Pi comes in many different forms, but the BPI M64 is the most similar to the traditional Raspberry Pi form factor. It has an Allwinner A64 4-core ARM processor, 2 GB DDR3 RAM, and that good ol’ 40-pin GPIO header. Unique features include its full-size HDMI out, 3.5-mm audio jack, onboard IR receiver, and, somewhat disappointingly, only two full-size USB-A ports. The IR receiver would make the Banana Pi M64+ useful for an open-source “Smart TV” box, and could be controlled with any universal TV remote.

The M64 also has an onboard 3.7-V lithium battery charging and management circuit, which allows the device to be portable and keeps the RTC active when powered off. The battery port provided is regrettably not a standard connector, which limits what type of battery can be used, and the fact that it only supports a single cell lithium battery limits the power draw and battery life of the device. However, for certain low-power applications, this is a very useful feature from a more accessible SBC that may seal the deal for some.

• Specs: Allwinner A64 4-core processor, 2 GB DDR3 RAM
• Features: 5-V 2A DC barrel jack power input, full-size HDMI port, CSI/MIPI camera connector, DSI/MIPI display connector, Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 2.0 ports, USB OTG port, 3.5-mm audio jack, 40-pin GPIO header, integrated microphone, infrared receiver
• Price: ~$60 (2 GB)

Banana Pi M64

Commissions Earned Check price at

 

and 

This SBC is a good choice for those that need a Pi just to run Klipper on their 3D printer. The BigTreeTech (BTT) Pi has lots of cool 3D printer-specific features, like the ability to be powered directly from a 12- or 24-V power supply and an integrated CAN bus port. Plus, it comes pre-configured with Klipper firmware. It’s otherwise very similar to a Raspberry Pi 3 or 4, even down to the size, layout, and I/O pins.

The most obvious use case here is a 3D printer, but some of its features may lend themselves to other applications as well. For instance, the onboard voltage regulator (capable of 12- or 24-V input) would allow it to run off a 12-V lead acid battery or a 3- to 6-cell lithium battery, though some external battery charge and management circuitry would be required. Pair that with a solar panel and charge controller, and you have yourself a fully off-the-grid installation. This would lend itself well to a motion triggered game camera for wildlife research, or perhaps a camera-equipped wild bird feeder to capture images of your flighted visitors.

• Specs: Allwinner H616 processor, 1 GB DDR3L
• Features: 4x USB 2.0 ports, USB Type-C power input or 12-24-V DC power input screw terminals, 100 Mb Ethernet, integrated CAN bus port, dedicated ADXL345 accelerometer port, 3.5-mm audio jack, infrared receiver, 2-pin PWM fan port
• Price: ~$40 (1 GB)

BigTreeTech Pi

Commissions Earned Check price at

 

and