1.8-GHz 32-bit quad core Raspberry Pi clone
The Tinker Board from PC giant Asus has a Quad core 1.8-GHz ARM Cortex-A17 CPU from Rockchip. Although the Rockchip is a 32-bit machine rather than Raspberry Pi’s 64 bit, it’s faster than the Pi 3. Tinker Board also has more memory than RPI 3: 2 GB dual-channel LPDDR3.
Although surprisingly is has a quad core 1.8-GHz ARM Cortex-A17 CPU from Rockchip the Tinker Board from PC giant Asus is the umpteenth Raspberry Pi 3 clone. And although the Rockchip is a 32-bit machine rather than Raspberry Pi’s 64 bit, it’s faster than the Pi 3. The Tinker Board also has more memory than RPI 3: 2 GB dual-channel LPDDR3.
The blurb for the Rockchip RK3288 reads as follows:
Sure, that 4 K resolution is one-up on Raspberry Pi’s otherwise excellent 1080p output – the video system on Raspberry Pi was a stand-out feature from the start. However, having 4 K suits Tinker Board to media center applications on high-resolution large screens.
Farnell say that the Tinker Board is marked by this connectivity:
Fair looks Asus for sure but what remains to be seen is the he amount and quality of software and software support for this RPi clone. And of course the Tinker Board is more expensive, at £55 from Farnell.
The blurb for the Rockchip RK3288 reads as follows:
- ARM Mali-T764 GPU with support for OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0, Open VG1.1, OpenCL and DirectX11;
- Support for 4 K x 2 K H.264/H.265 (10-bit) video decoder;
- 3,840 x 2,160 display is possible at chip level, and 4 K x 2 K at 60 frame/s over HDMI 2.0.
Sure, that 4 K resolution is one-up on Raspberry Pi’s otherwise excellent 1080p output – the video system on Raspberry Pi was a stand-out feature from the start. However, having 4 K suits Tinker Board to media center applications on high-resolution large screens.
Farnell say that the Tinker Board is marked by this connectivity:
- 4x USB 2.0 ports,
- 40pin IO header
- 3.5mm audio jack
- CSI for camera
- DSI port supporting HD resolution and Micro SD slot.
- Ethernet @ Gigabit speed
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
Fair looks Asus for sure but what remains to be seen is the he amount and quality of software and software support for this RPi clone. And of course the Tinker Board is more expensive, at £55 from Farnell.
