Raspberry Pi 4 Benchmarks & Mini Review

Raspberry Pi 4 Review

Raspberry Pi 4 has just been released with many improvements over Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ including a faster processor, a proper Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 3.0 interfaces, and 4K video support. That’s the theory, but how does it work in practice? I can now let you know as I’ve received a Raspberry Pi 4 sample courtesy of Cytron, and ran some tests and benchmarks on the very latest boards from the Raspberry Pi foundation. System Info Before starting with the benchmarks, let’s go through some basic system info:

For reference, you’ll find Raspberry Pi 4 Linux boot log here. Phoronix benchmarks Let’s go ahead and install the latest version of Phoronix benchmarks:

Now let’s run the test to compare the performance of Raspberry Pi 4 model B to some other Arm Linux boards including Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

For reference, my office has an […]

Raspberry Pi 4 Features Broadcom BCM2711 Processor, Up to 4GB RAM

Raspberry Pi 4 SBC

Long expected, the Raspberry Pi 4 model B has finally launched, and it should not disappoint with a much more powerful Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 processor clocked at up to 1.5 GHz, 1 to 4GB LPDDR4, 4K H.265 video decoding and output support, a proper Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. Raspberry Pi 4 comes with all those extra features, but the form factor remains the same, and importantly the price is still $35 for the version with 1GB RAM, making Raspberry Pi alternatives suddenly much less interesting. Raspberry Pi 4 specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARMv8) @  1.5GHz with VideoCore VI GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics System Memory – 1GB, 2GB or 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – microSD card slot Video Output  & Display I/F 2x micro HDMI ports up to 4Kp60 (Currently 1080p60 max. in dual-display configuration, although 2x 4Kp30 is […]

MediaTek 5G SoC to Feature Arm Cortex-A77 Processor & Mali-G77 GPU

Mediatek 5G SoC Arm Cortex-A77 SoC

It did not take long this time. Just a couple of days after Arm announced their latest Cortex-A77 CPU and Mali-G77 GPU IP blocks, MediaTek unveiled an upcoming 5G processor based on their Helio M70 modem, an unspecified number of Arm Cortex-A77 cores, a Mali-G77 GPU, all manufactured using a 7nm FinFET process. The company did not bother finding a name for the processor nor provided details specifications before the announcement, but here’s what we know  about the first MediaTek 5G SoC: CPU- Arm Cortex-A77 cores GPU- Arm Mali-G77 NPU – APU 3.0 with support for advanced AI applications including imaging Video – 4K60 video encode and decode Camera – 80MP ISP Cellular Connectivity – Helio M70 5G modem with peak 4.7 Gbps download using sub-6GHz bands, support for standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks Process – TSMC’s 7nm FinFET Samples will be available in Q4 2019, and commercial […]

Allwinner V316 Processor is made for Low-Cost “True” 4K 30 FPS Cameras

Allwinner V316 4K Camera Board

Allwinner V-Series processors target camera applications, especially sports and action cameras, and we’ve already coverd Allwinner V3 single core Arm Cortex-A7 processor for 1080p60 / 4K15 cameras, as well as Allwinner V5 quad core Cortex-A7 processor for 4K30 cameras enhanced with artificial intelligence capabilities. Allwinner has showcased and/or unveiled more Cortex-A7 processors at CES Asia 2019 such as Allwinner R328 for voice applications, or Allwinner T7 for automotive dashboards, as well as a new camera processor called Allwinner V316 with two Arm Cortex-A7 cores, apparently the same 4K @ 30 fps H.265/H.264 encoder as in V5, but without AI engine architecture. Allwinner V316 key features and preliminary specifications: CPU – Dual core Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 1.2 GHz ISP – HawkView 6.0 image processor with 2D/3D intelligent noise reduction, frame width dynamic synthesis, sharpening enhancement, specific color enhancement and other image pre-processing techniques Video – 4K Smart H.264/H.265 video encoder […]

LG 24UD58-B 24″ 4K UHD IPS Monitor Sells for $219

LG 24UD58-B

When I bought my first 4K UHD TV in January 2015, I had to pay around $600 for LG 42UB820T 42″ model. It was good for about a year, after which it started to fail, and was somewhat outdated due to the lack of HDR support. Over four years later, prices for 4K hardware as dropped significantly, as as pointed out by Michael Larabel of Phoronix, it’s now possible to buy a 24″ 4K UHD display for just $219. LG 24UD58-B 24″ 4K UHD IPS monitor also have the advantage of supporting FreeSync helping avoid stuttering and tearing in games. LG 24UD58-B specifications: Screen Size – 23.8″ up to 3840×2160 resolution (16:9 aspect radio) Panel Type – IPS Color Gamut (CIE 1931) – NTSC 72% Color Depth (Number of Colors) – 10bit(8bit + A-FRC) Response Time – 5ms GTG Refresh Rate – 60Hz Brightness – 250 cd/m2 Contrast Ratio – […]

Geniatech APC810 SBC Supports HDMI Output & Input, ATSC TV Tuner

Geniatech APC810

Geniatech APC810 is yet another single board computer based on NXP i.MX 8M processor. The board comes with 3GB RAM, 16GB flash, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac WiFi, HDMI 2.0 output as well as common interfaces or features such as HDMI 1.4 input, and an optional ATSC tuner. Geniatech APC810 specifications: SoC – NXP i.MX 8M quad core Cortex A53 processor @ 1.5GHz. Cortex-M4 real-time core, Vivante GC7000 GPU with support for OpenGL/ES 3.1, OpenGL 3.0, Open CL 1.2 System Memory – 3GB LPDDR4 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash (option:8GB/32GB), microSD Slot up to 64GB, M.2 socket for SATA Video I/O HDMI 2.0 output up to 4K @ 60 Hz HDMI 1.4a input MIPI DSI interface for LCD/AMOLED displays up to 1920×1080 resolution Video Playback – H.265 & VP9 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 30 fps, MPEG-4/2 up to 1080p60, etc… Audio – Via HDMI, 4-pin […]

Zidoo Z1000 4K Android Media Player to Feature Realtek RTD1296DD Processor

Zidoo Z1000

Zidoo previously introduced several Reatek RTD1296 4K Android media players with their high-end Zidoo X20/X20 Pro models, followed by the lower cost Zidoo Z9S & Z10 units. The company is now about to launch yet another model based on the processor with Zidoo Z1000 4K UHD media player that should offer an option between the higher-end models and the company’s entry-level options. Zidoo Z1000 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1296DD quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2 GB RAM Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash, 1x SATA 3.0 bay for 2.5 or 3.5″ drive, 1x external SATA port Video 1x HDMI 2.0a output up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR10 support 1x HDMI 2.0 input supporting PiP, stream recording, and UDP broadcasting 1x RCA composite output Decode – HDR10, 10-bit HEVC / H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, VP9 up to 4K @ […]

Amlogic S905X3 Specifications & Block Diagram

S905X3 Block Diagram

A few days ago, we wrote about upcoming quad core Cortex-A55 processors from Amlogic with S905X3, S905Y3, and S905D3 SoCs. Today, we got a little more information with a product brief including the main features, and a block diagram. Amlogic S905X3 is described as an “advanced application processor designed for hybrid OTT/ IP Set Top Box (STB) and high-end media box applications. Amlogic S905X3 specifications: CPU Sub-system Quad core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU with Armv8-A Neon and Crypto extension, 8-stage in-order full dual issue pipeline, unified system L3 cache Arm Cortex-M3 core for system control processing Optional Arm Cortex-M4 core for always-on processing TrustZone Internal QoS based switching fabrics Optional Neural Network Accelerator – 1.2 TOPS NN inference accelerator supporting TensorFlow and Caffe 3D Graphics Processing Unit – Arm Mali G31MP2 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 and OpenCL 2.0 support 2.5D Graphics Processor Fast bitblt engine with […]