For many projects, dedicating an entire computer to a single project is overkill. That's where single-board computers (SBCs) come in. The best-known SBC is, without a doubt, the Raspberry Pi. But there are plenty of alternatives to the Raspberry Pi that bring their own special features.
So, what are the top Raspberry Pi alternatives you should consider for projects in 2020?
Let's take a look:
It's a powerful SBC that can easily double as a desktop thanks to its 2.56GHz Intel Pentium N3710 processor and 8GB of RAM. The main downside to all of this is, well, simply the price
At $267, you're looking at a board that costs as much as a cheap laptop. But you're getting a monster that can handle some heavy workloads.
#2: ODROID-XU4
At $49, we're looking at a price that's a bit more reasonable than the Udoo x86 II Ultra, but still more expensive than a handful of Raspberry Pi boards. However, this board is powerful, energy-efficient, and can run a variety of Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and Android.
Powered by an Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC, M.2 interface SSD support and rich GPIO expansion ports, as well as the ability to run Windows 10, it is a perfect platform for developers. It costs $409, and does not come with a Windows 10 license.
It also comes with dual OS, so you can run Linux alongside Windows 10.
#4: BANANA PI R64
What's great about this board is the four Gigabit LAN ports that allow you to turn this $68 board into a custom, open-source router with OpenWrt. Adding an optional dual-band 802.11 ac 4x4 Wi-Fi module (about $40) opens the doors to IoT devices and gateways.
#5: NANOPC-T4
A big gap in the Raspberry Pi design is microSD card storage. The NanoPC-T4 eliminates this by integrating a 16GB eMMC, along with an M.2 2280 connector, allowing for the use of high- speed PCIe SSD storage. This makes the board extremely versatile for high-end tasks and a great platform for machine learning and AI.
#6: RASPBERRY PI COMPUTE MODULE 3+
This is a Raspberry Pi board aimed at industrial and enterprise applications . Think of it as a Raspberry Pi 3B+ (it has the same Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor) but without USB and HDMI ports .
It also features eMMC flash, which replaces the bottleneck created by microSD cards, and support for two cameras, two displays, and additional GPIO pins.
#7: ODROID-C1+
A small $35 board that feels just as at home as the brains of a home entertainment set top box, as it would as a prototype board. Its small size and low power consumption make it a great choice for portable and embedded controllers, where size and weight are important factors.
#8: VOCORE2
A coin-sized Linux computer that is open-source and costs under $20. This is a small, low-cost, completely open source ( hardware and software are open source), SBC that is ideal as the “brain” for low-cost projects like IoT or for building your own custom router.
