A dozen, faster, better or cheaper alternatives to the Raspberry Pi

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  • VoCore2

    VoCore2

    VoCore2 is an updated version of the highly-popular coin-sized Linux computer VoCore. Like it's predecessor, VoCore2 is totally open-source, and costs $15. This is a small, low-cost, totally open-source (both the hardware and software) computer that's ideal for projects such as IoT or building your own custom router.

    VoCore2 also features an optional camera and dock.

    • 580MHz MT7628AN CPU
    • 128MB of DDR2 RAM
    • 16MB of flash memory
    • PCI 1.1
    • Ready equipped with header pins for sound, USB 2.0, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi
    • Power consumption of only 74mA

    If that's not enough there's a stripped down version of the VoCore2 that's available for a mere $4!

    More information

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • C.H.I.P.

    C.H.I.P.

    At $9, C.H.I.P. is a perfect demonstration of how cheap computing has become. You get what would only a few years ago have been desktop power on a tiny board.

    • 1.0GHz CPU
    • 512MB of RAM
    • 4GB of storage
    • Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

    More information

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • cloudBit

    cloudBit

    The easiest way to create internet­-connected devices - no programming, soldering or wiring required. IFTTT support allows it to connect with any web service, like Facebook, Gmail and Twitter, or hardware like NEST and Philips HUE.

    All for just $59.95.

    • Freescale i.MX23 ARM926EJ-S processor
    • 64MB of RAM
    • 802.11b/g/n

    More information

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • PixelPro

    PixelPro

    The PixelPro features a i.MX6Q Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 running at 1.0 GHz, with 2D and 3D GPUs and an embedded 2GB 64-bit DDR3 RAM, which means that it is capable of running rich multimedia applications, embedded web servers, digital entertainment systems, industrial control systems, and high definition video.

    At $129.95, the PixelPro is not cheap, but you get a lt of power for the cash.

    • Freescale i.MX6Q Soc Quad Core ARM Cortex-A9 up to 1GHz
    • 2GB of RAM
    • WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • PCIe x1
    • USB 2.0

      More information

      Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

    • Intel Edison with Kit for Arduino

      Intel Edison with Kit for Arduino

      At around $92, the Intel name doesn't come cheap, but this Arduino-compatible board is turning out to be a popular choice.

      • Dual-core, dual-threaded Intel Atom CPU with a 32-bit Intel Quark microcontroller
      • 1GB of RAM
      • 4GB of flash storage
      • Integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE
      • Support for Yocto Linux, Python, Node.js and Wolfram

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • NanoPC-T3

        NanoPC-T3

        The NanoPC-T3 is the bigger brother of the NanoPi 2 Fire, and features an octa-core processor which has enough power for commercial and industrial applications.

        • Samsung S5P6818 octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 up to 1.4GHz
        • 1-2GB of RAM
        • 8GB of flash storage
        • Gigabit Ethernet
        • USB 2.0

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • BeagleBone Black

        BeagleBone Black

        BeagleBone Black is a low-cost, community-supported development platform for developers and hobbyists. This $55 board allows you to boot Linux in under 10 seconds and get started on development in less than 5 minutes.

        • AM335x 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8512MB DDR3 RAM
        • 4GB 8-bit eMMC on-board flash storage
        • 3D graphics accelerator
        • NEON floating-point accelerator
        • 2x PRU 32-bit microcontrollers

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • Udoo Quad

        Udoo Quad

        A $135 quad-core board that's just as at home running Android as it is Linux.

        • Freescale i.MX 6 ARM Cortex-A9 quad core 1GHz CPU
        • Vivante GC 2000 + Vivante GC 355 + Vivante GC 320 GPU
        • Integrated accelerators for 2D, OpenGL ES2.0 3D and OpenVG
        • Atmel SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 CPU (same as Arduino Due)
        • RAM DDR3 1GB
        • 76 fully available GPIO: 62 digital + 14 digital/analog
        • Arduino-compatible R3 1.0 pinout
        • HDMI and LVDS + Touch2 Micro USB (1 OTG type a+b)

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • Arduino INDUSTRIAL 101

        Arduino INDUSTRIAL 101

        A $40 Arduino that's idea for integration into a commercial or industrial product.

        • Atheros AR9331 processor
        • 64MB of RAM
        • 16MB of flash storage
        • USB 2.0

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • Parallella

        Parallella

        The Parallella computer is a high performance, credit card sized computer based on the Epiphany multi-core chips from Adapteva. Starting at $99, the Parallella can be used as a standalone computer, an embedded device or as a component in a scaled out parallel server cluster.

        • 16-core Epiphany RISC SOC
        • Zynq SOC (FPGA + ARM A9)
        • Gigabit Ethernet
        • 1GB SDRAM
        • Micro-SD storage
        • Up to 48 GPIO pins
        • HDMI, USB (optional)

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • NanoPi 2 Fire

        NanoPi 2 Fire

        A cheap, $23 quad-core powered board that's ideally suited for hobbyists.

        • Samsung S5P4418 quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 up to 1.4GHz
        • 1GB of RAM
        • Gigabit Ethernet
        • USB 2.0

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      • Banana Pi M3

        Banana Pi M3

        Banana Pi M3 is a super charged single board computer with an Octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It also features Gigabit Ethernet, 2 USB, SATA, WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI connection. It can run on a variety of operating systems including Android, Lubuntu, Ubuntu, Debian, and Raspbian.

        • Octa-core 1.8GHz CPU
        • 2 GB RAM
        • 8 GB eMMC flash storage
        • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth onboard

        More information

        Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      1 of 12

      The Raspberry Pi might be the name that springs to mind when people think of single board computers for homebrew projects, but there are other boards out there worth considering. (Updated Nov 1, 2016)

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      VoCore2

      VoCore2 is an updated version of the highly-popular coin-sized Linux computer VoCore. Like it's predecessor, VoCore2 is totally open-source, and costs $15. This is a small, low-cost, totally open-source (both the hardware and software) computer that's ideal for projects such as IoT or building your own custom router.

      VoCore2 also features an optional camera and dock.

      • 580MHz MT7628AN CPU
      • 128MB of DDR2 RAM
      • 16MB of flash memory
      • PCI 1.1
      • Ready equipped with header pins for sound, USB 2.0, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi
      • Power consumption of only 74mA

      If that's not enough there's a stripped down version of the VoCore2 that's available for a mere $4!

      More information

      Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

      1 of 12

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