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 […]
iBASE IB961 3.5-inch SBC features 13th Gen Intel Core processors, dual 2.5GbE LAN, three M.2 sockets
The iBASE IB961 from FORTEC Integrated (previously known as Distec) is a 3.5-inch Single Board Computer (SBC) built around 13th Gen Intel Core processors. The board can support up to 32GB of DDR5-5200 non-ECC memory via 1x SO-DIMM socket and features dual DisplayPort (1.2), eDP, and LVDS interfaces along with dual 2.5GbE Ethernet for connectivity. Additionally, the SBC also includes 3x M.2 slots (M-Key, E-Key, B-Key) for expanded storage and 5G cellular communication. These features make the device useful for applications like automation, edge computing, transportation, digital signage, and kiosks/ATMs. iBASE is well known for its SBCs and mini PCs and previously we have written about their products including the IBASE ISR500 fanless Edge AI computer, the IBASE 3.5-inch SBC with AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 processor, the IBASE IBR215 Pico-ITX SBC. Additionally, we have written about similar SBCs and Mini PCs with 13th-gen Raptor Lake SoC including the GEEKOM GT13 […]
Waveshare Pi5 Module BOX is a configurable mini computer kit for the Raspberry Pi 5
Waveshare Pi5 Module BOX is a multi-functional mini-computer kit designed for the Raspberry Pi 5. The housing of this kit is made from aluminum alloy and Waveshare lists three variants of this kit, the first one is the Pi5 Module BOX-A (PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet), Pi5 Module BOX-B (PCIe to 4-ch USB3.2 Gen1), and Pi5 Module BOX-C (PCIe to M.2 interface). The kit looks very similar to the Waveshare Jetson Nano-powered mini-computer or the ODYSSEY-X86J4105 SBC with a case that we have reviewed previously, there was also this metal enclosure for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 that we have written about, feel free to check that out if you are interested in some similar products. Waveshare Pi5 Module BOX specifications Compatibility – Designed for Raspberry Pi 5 (not included) Case Material – Aluminum alloy PCIe Adapter Board Options: Pi5 Module BOX-A – PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet port Pi5 Module BOX-B […]
Radxa X4 low-cost, credit card-sized Intel N100 SBC goes for $60 and up
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 […]
Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case for Raspberry Pi 5 brings all ports on one side, full-size HDMI ports
The Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case for the Raspberry Pi 5 is an update to the Argon ONE M.2 case for the Raspberry Pi 4 that brings all ports of the Raspberry Pi 5 on one side and features full-size HDMI ports instead of the micro HDMI ports on the Pi 5 SBC. Debashis has just written about the Waveshare Pi5 Connector Adapter board that connects to the micro HDMI and USB-C ports of the Raspberry Pi 5 to bring them alongside the other ports and features two full-size HDMI ports. It’s a good idea, but it lacks an enclosure. The Argon ONE M.2 NVMe case does something similar with an enclosure and supports for NVMe SSD drives. Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case key features: SBC – Compatible with Raspberry Pi 5 Storage – M.2 NVMe SSD via Key-M socket connected to the Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector; […]
GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 tested on an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC
We’ve already checked out GEEKOM A8 mini PC hardware with an unboxing and a teardown, before testing the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC in Windows 11 Pro, and we’ll now report our experience with the GEEKOM A8 running Ubuntu 24.04 to see how it performs in Linux. We tested most features of the GEEKOM A8 mini PC on Ubuntu 24.04, ran several benchmarks to compare it to the similar GEEKOM A7 mini PC, performed storage and networking performance testing, ran stress test to check thermal performance, and measured fan noise and power consumption under various conditions. Installing Ubuntu 24.04 on the GEEKOM A8 mini PC As usual, we resized the Windows 11 partition to install Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Microsoft OS using a bootable USB flash drive created with the Ubuntu ISO. But you’ll notice BitLocker is enabled so the Ubuntu 24.04 installation can’t proceed. The installation wizard will ask […]
LattePanda Mu review – Part 1: an Intel N100 Compute Module tested with Windows 11, carrier boards with PCIe slots
Last April, DFRobot launched the LattePanda Mu x86 Compute Module powered by an Intel N100 Alder-Lake processor with 8GB RAM and a 64GB eMMC flash along with Lite and Full function carrier boards for evaluation. End customers will typically design their own carrier board without having to take of high-speed signals for the LPDDR5 memory and other complexities during the PCB layout. DFRobot has sent us the LattePanda Mu module for review along with the Lite and Full Function carrier boards, a heatsink for passive cooling, and an active cooler so we can compare both cooling solutions. Let’s have a look at the LattePanda Mu module and accessories before testing the kit with the Windows 11 operating system, including the PCIe x4 slot. LattePanda Mu kit unboxing The parcel included three retail boxes. The smallest box housed the LattePanda Mu Compute Module, a heatsink, and an active cooler. The second […]
Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC has been revamped with better WiFi 5 connectivity, M.2 2280 NVMe/SATA SSD socket
Shenzhen Xunlong Software has introduced the Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC with an M.2 socket that supports 2280 NVMe or SATA SSDs, and a new Ampak AP6256 WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5 wireless module replacing the Allwinner AW859A-based CDTech 20U5622 module in the first revision of the board. The Orange Pi 3B SBC was first introduced in August 2023 as a Rockchip RK3566 SBC with Raspberry Pi 3B form factor and support for M.2 2230 and 2242 NVMe or SATA storage. The new Orange Pi 3B V2.1 supports longer M.2 2280 SSDs at the cost of being slightly bigger than a credit card (89×56 mm) and offers better WiFi 5 connectivity. Orange Pi 3B V2.1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 NPU – 0.8 TOPS […]