nvme

Posted on by Sayantan Nandy - 8 Comments on UnifyDrive UT2 – A compact NAS powered by Rockchip RK3588C with NVMe SSD support and AI-driven storage management (Crowdfunding)

UnifyDrive UT2 – A compact NAS powered by Rockchip RK3588C with NVMe SSD support and AI-driven storage management (Crowdfunding)

UnifyDrive UT2 NAS

The UnifyDrive UT2 is a compact network-attached storage (NAS) device powered by the Rockchip RK3588C processor. It supports WiFi 6, and Bluetooth, and has multiple ports for connectivity. Equipped with two M.2 2280 slots for PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs, it offers up to 16 TB of storage. The device can connect to networks via 2.5 GbE or WiFi and also function as a WiFi access point, allowing file transfers even without an internet connection. A built-in battery provides uninterruptible power supply (UPS) functionality, enabling continued operation when unplugged. Designed for both home and mobile use, the UnifyDrive UT2 offers AI-driven storage management in a portable form factor. Its versatile networking options allow remote access, backups, and on-the-go file transfers. Despite its size, it delivers robust functionality, serving as a full-featured NAS solution in a variety of settings. I didn’t find any significant differences between the Rockchip RK3588 and RK3588C. This […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Low-cost Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+ combines M.2 socket for NVMe SSD and PoE power input

Low-cost Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+ combines M.2 socket for NVMe SSD and PoE power input

Waveshare POE M.2 HAT+

With a cost of only about $25, Waveshare has recently introduced the PoE M.2 HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5, which is much cheaper than the similar N-Fuse PoE HAT that we’ve written about previously. As the name implies, this new Waveshare board supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) and features an M.2 slot to add NVMe SSD storage to the latest Raspberry Pi SBC. This new Waveshare HAT complies with the 802.3af/at standards and can deliver up to 25.5W of power to the Pi 5, enabling both power and network connectivity over a single Ethernet cable. Additionally, it features onboard 5V & 12V header outputs for powering additional devices like cooling fans, and there are also two LEDs for status. A fast storage device and the ability to power the device with ethernet makes this device suitable for applications such as network-attached storage, media centers, and edge computing applications. Waveshare […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Radxa ROCK 5 ITX RK3588 mini-ITX motherboard review – Building an Arm PC and NAS with Debian KDE

Radxa ROCK 5 ITX RK3588 mini-ITX motherboard review – Building an Arm PC and NAS with Debian KDE

ROCK 5 ITX Review: Build Arm Computer NAS

In this review, I’ll show how I installed Debian on the ROCK 5 ITX mini-ITX motherboard powered by a Rockchip RK3588 octa-core Arm Cortex-A76/A55 processor, before building a computer/NAS with the Arm mini-ITX motherboard, testing various features and running benchmarks. In the first part of the review, we checked out the Radxa ROCK 5 ITX (Arm) and Jupiter (RISC-V) mini-ITX motherboards with specifications and unboxing, and the Auriga 6-Bay NAS mini-ITX chassis used in this review. I already built the computer with the Jupiter RISC-V mini-ITX motherboard, so here I simply switched the RISC-V motherboard with the Radxa ROCK 5 ITX Arm motherboard and installed a few SATA drives. Radxa ROCK 5 ITX first boot – A tricky start… Radxa provides getting started instructions on the documentation website which I mostly follow to hopefully boot within a few minutes. I had to prepare the hardware first. So I installed a […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on DFI RPP051 Pico-ITX SBC features 13th Gen Intel Core embedded SoC from Processor U300E to Intel Core i7-1365UE

DFI RPP051 Pico-ITX SBC features 13th Gen Intel Core embedded SoC from Processor U300E to Intel Core i7-1365UE

DFI RPP051 Pico ITX SBC

DFI RPP051 is a 2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC built around 13th Gen Intel Core processors ranging from the dual-core Intel Processor U300E to the 10-core Intel Core i7-1365UE. It supports up to 32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM memory and accommodates M.2 NVMe and SATA storage devices. Connectivity options include a 2.5GbE LAN port, DP++ and eDP display interfaces, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB 2.0 ports, RS-232/422/485 interfaces, along with I2C and GPIO for expansion. The DFI RPP051 first came to our attention while covering the AAEON PICO-RAP4 which is also an SBC with a Pico-ITX form factor, we have also written about many x86 and Arm Pico-ITX boards including AAEON PICO-MTU4, the AAEON RICO-3568, the GIGAIPC PICO-N97A and many other feel free to check them out if you are looking for compact and powerful SBCs. DFI RPP051 Pico-ITX SBC Specification 13th gen Raptor Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i7-1365UE 10C/12T […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on AAEON PICO-MTU4 Pico-ITX SBC features Intel Core Ultra 5/7 “Meteor Lake” SoC

AAEON PICO-MTU4 Pico-ITX SBC features Intel Core Ultra 5/7 “Meteor Lake” SoC

Pico-ITX SBC with Intel Core Ultra Meteor Lake SoC

The AAEON PICO-MTU4 Pico-ITX SBC may be the world’s smallest platform based on 14th Gen Intel Core Ultra 5/7 SoCs part of the Meteor Lake-U family and follows the company’s UP Xtreme i14 SBC introduced a couple of months ago with the same processors, although the new model is limited to 15W parts due to its small size (100x72mm). The Core Ultra 5/7 Pico-ITX SBC comes with up to 64GB DDR5 memory, supports NVMe and SATA storage, offers 2.5GbE and GbE networking, M.2 Key-M and Key-E sockets for storage or/and wireless expansion, dual display support through HDMI and eDP, a few USB interfaces, and two RS232/RS422/RS485 interfaces. AAEON PICO-MTU4 specifications: Meteor Lake-U SoC (one of the other) Intel Core Ultra 7 165U 12-core (2P+8E+2LPE) processor @ 1.7 / 4.9  GHz with 12MB cache, Intel 4Xe LPG graphics @ 2.0 GHz, Intel AI Boost NPU; TDP: 15W Intel Core Ultra 7 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Pineboards introduces Ai Bundle (Hailo 8L) Raspberry Pi HAT+ with AI accelerator and NVMe SSD support

Pineboards introduces Ai Bundle (Hailo 8L) Raspberry Pi HAT+ with AI accelerator and NVMe SSD support

Pineboards AI Bundle (Hailo 8L)

Pineboards has launched yet another Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+ expansion board with the Ai Bundle (Hailo 8L) which includes a 13 TOPS Hailo 8L AI accelerator and an M.2 PCIe socket for an NVMe SSD. The latest Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+ from Pineboards combines the capabilities of the official Raspberry Pi AI Kit and Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ into a single board, while supporting longer M.2 2280 NVMe SSD drives, besides shorted 2230 and 2242-sized SSDs. Pineboards Ai Bundle (Hailo 8L) specifications: Compatible SBC – Raspberry Pi 5 Storage – M.2 2230/2242/2280 M-Key socket for NVMe SSD AI accelerator – M.2 2230 A/E-Key socket fitted with Hailo 8L AI Accelerator (and thermal pad) PCIe switch – ASMedia ASM1182e PCIe Gen2 x1 to 2x PCIe Gen2 x1 Host interface – 20-pin Raspberry Pi PCIe FFC connector Accessories – FPC cable, metal screws and spacers (no low-quality plastic screws…) Dimensions – About […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Review of Pironman 5 mini PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

Review of Pironman 5 mini PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

Pironman 5 review Raspberry Pi 5 tower case

SunFounder has sent me a review sample of the Pironman 5 tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5.  I had already reviewed the Pironman case for Raspberry Pi 4 last year, so I’ll do something similar this time around with the new Pironman 5 case adding support for NVMe SSD using the PCIe interface from the Pi 5 SBC. The Pironman 5 review will include unboxing and an assembly guide, followed by software installation and features testing (e.g. OLED display, RGB LED control, remote control. soft power off, etc…), before testing the cooling efficiency of the device with some benchmarks. Pironman 5 unboxing The Pironman 5 comes in a package that will be smaller than most people expect. The main features are listed on the side with 5V/5A power input, a 0.96-inch OLED, a tower cooler, M.2 NVMe SSD support, an IR receiver, a CR1220 battery (included), four RGB […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 36 Comments on Radxa X4 low-cost, credit card-sized Intel N100 SBC goes for $60 and up

Radxa X4 low-cost, credit card-sized Intel N100 SBC goes for $60 and up

Radxa X4 x86 Raspberry Pi 5 SBC

Radxa X4 is a credit card-sized Intel Processor N100 single board computer (SBC) that costs almost the same as a Raspberry Pi 5 with the 4GB RAM model going for about $60 and the 8GB RAM variant around $80. The x86 SBC offers many of the same features as the Raspberry Pi 5 including dual micro HDMI output, four USB 3.2/2.0 ports, Ethernet and WiFi networking, and the 40-pin GPIO header handled through a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.  Networking is better with 2.5GbE and WiFi 6, M.2 SSD support is built-in and four to eight times faster compared to PCIe HAT for the Pi 5, and the USB 3.2 ports are capable of 10 Gbps speed. So let’s little not too like, and the main downside is the lack of MIPI CSI and DSI connectors for projects requiring those camera and display interfaces. Radxa X4 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC