Top 10 Single Board Computers

Since the rollout of the Raspberry Pi back in 2012, there has been an explosion of alternative single board computers to hit the market, with more being introduced nearly every month. These boards are similar to one another in a way- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication capabilities have been integrated for increased functionality. They also range in price from relatively cheap ($10) to incredibly expensive ($239), but you do get what you pay for.

1. Raspberry Pi Zero W -- $10

The Raspberry Pi Zero W is the cheapest board on this list, but it does come packed with features, most notably the incorporation of onboard Wi-Fi. The board has the same functionality and hardware of the Zero- 1Ghz single-core CPU, 512RAM, Mini HDMI and USB On-The-Go ports, camera connector and composite video/reset headers. The Zero W features several wireless connectivity options, including 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The Foundation (in conjunction with Kinnier Dufort and T-Zero) has also designed a handy case for the small board that includes a short, flexible camera adapter and rubber feet so it won’t slide around on flat surfaces (sold separately). The Zero W comes pre-loaded NOOBS, but as with many other SBCs, you can use nearly any Linux-based platform. 

2. Asus Tinker Board -- $54.99

Asus’ Tinker Board looks nearly identical to the Raspberry Pi 3, but the Asus board packs faster hardware, which is why it’s priced higher to the Pi 3 ($54.99 Vs. $34.99 respectively). Under the hood, the Tinker Board is loaded-out with a Rockchip quad-core RK3288 processor, 2Gb of dual-channel DDR3 memory, an ARM Mali-T764 GPU and a Micro SD slot for storage. Additional features include 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth V4.0 + EDR for wireless communications, RTL ALC4040 codec for audio, 4 USB 2.0 ports, LAN connection and a ton of GPIO (40-pin header, 1 X 2-pin contact pin and 2 X 15-pin MIPI DSI/CSI). As far as OS’s go, the Tinker Board comes loaded with the TinkerOS (based on Debian 9) but you can use any Linux-based platform you choose.

3. Marvell Espressobin -- $79.99

The Espressobin is one of the higher-priced SBCs on the market, but you do get what you pay for as the board is outfitted with a Marvell Armada 3700LP dual-core ARM Cortex A53 quad-core processor, 1 to 2Gb of DDR3 RAM (depending on the version) and 1 SATA interface and Micro SD card slot for storage. Network connectivity options here are numerous, with 1 X Topaz networking switch, 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 1 Ethernet WAN. Unfortunately, wireless isn’t integrated into the board, although there is a Mini PCI slot for wireless/BLE peripheral add-ons. Rounding out the Espressobin are 2 X 40-pin headers for accessories and Arduino Shields, several USB ports (1 X USB 3.0, 1 X USB 2.0 and 1 X micro USB), and a reset button/JTAG interface. Like the other SBCs listed here, Espressobin can take advantage of nearly any Linux-based OS, including Ubuntu, Yocto, and many others.

4. 96Boards HiKey 960 -- $239.99

96Boards’ HiKey 960 development board is the most expensive SBC out of the other 9, running at $239. This powerhouse comes with the Huawei Kirin 960 Octa-core ARM big.LITTLE processor that sports 4 ARM Cortex-A73 cores and 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores respectively. It also features 3Gb of LPDDR4 RAM, 32Gb of Flash storage and a Mali G71MP8 GPU. 96Boards integrated Wi-Fi (2.4- and 5-GHz dual-band with two antennas) and Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless communications as well as a pair of USB 3.0 type A (host mode only) ports and a single USB 2.0 type C port. 96Boards also included HDMI 1.4 for video output up to 1080p, a pair of camera ports along with 40 and 60-pin GPIO headers. As with the others, you can use your Linux OS of choice for the HiKey, but it can also handle Android-based platforms as well.

5. PINE64 Rock64 -- $24.95

PINE64’s Rock64 is an affordable little SBC that’s touted as an “HDR Media Board Computer” as it supports 4K HDR10. The board is powered by a Rockchip RK3328 ARM Cortex A53 quad-core processor with 4Gb of LPDDR3 RAM, an eMMC module socket and Micro SD slot for storage along with a Mali 450MP2 GPU. An HDMI 2.0a port allows for 4K output at 60Hz (supporting HDR10), providing unprecedented visuals found in most higher-end displays. There is also a USB 3.0 connection alongside a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port as well as a Pi-2 bus and Pi-P5+ bus interfaces respectively. As far as OS options are concerned, PINE64 notes you can use any Linux-based platform or Android 7.1.

6. Orange Pi R1 -- $13.90

Orange Pi’s R1 is a tiny SBC that packs a powerful punch with an Allwinner H2 quad-core Cortex-A7 processor, with 256Mb of DDR3 RAM and a Mali 400MP2 GPU. Storage is provided by 16Mb of Flash as we as a TF and Micro SD slot (up to 32Gb max). Interestingly, the board is equipped with two 100M Ethernet ports, which makes it able to act as a host for intelligent controllers or as a simple IoT gateway. Rounding out the R1 is a Realtek RTL8189FTV and 802.11 b/g/n with u.FL antenna connector and external antenna for wireless communication. There’s also a single micro USB OTG port, 26-pin expansion port and 13-pin function interface with headphone, 2 X USB 2.0, TV out, microphone and IR receiver. Supported Oss include Android 4.4, Lubuntu, Debian, and Armbian.

7. MYIR MYS-6ULX -- $24.80

MYIR’s MYS-6ULX SBC line was explicitly designed for Industry 4.0 and IoT applications and is based on NXP’s i.MX 6Ultralite/6ULL processor (AKA ARM Cortex-A7 quad-core). There are two versions of this board- MYS-6LUX-IND (for Industry 4.0 apps) and the MYS-6LUX-IOT (for IoT apps). Both boards feature most the same hardware- 256MB DDR3 SDRAM, 256MB NAND flash, USB, USB, Ethernet and LCD interfaces but they differ based on their intended applications. The MYS-6LUX-IOT features a USB-based Wi-Fi module with included antenna, while the MYS-6LUX-IND can handle temperature differences of -40 to +85 Celsius, making it more suitable for industrial applications. MYIR also designed an expansion board (MYB-6ULX), that features an additional Ethernet port along with CAN, RS485, audio, RTC and camera functions, providing either board with increased functionality. As for the supported OS platforms, both boards are compatible with Linux 4.1.15, Debian and Yacto. 

8. LeMaker Banana Pi Pro -- $47.99

LeMaker’s Banana Pro is mostly an updated version of the Banana Pi, and while it borrows many features of the Raspberry Pi, it provides increased enhancements over previous designs. The Pro is outfitted with an Allwinner A20 SoC, which includes an ARM Cortex-A7 dual-core processor, 1Gb of DDR3 RAM and a Mali-400 MP2 GPU. For storage, the board is equipped with a microSD slot and a SATA 2.0 port for external storage. However, you can’t boot from a hard drive. Wireless communication is supplied through onboard Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n AP6181, composite video is piped through an HDMI 1.4 port and audio is routed through a 3.5mm TRRS jack. Additional features include an Ethernet port, parallel 8-bit camera interface, 40-pin GPIO and onboard microphone. The Pro can also take advantage of any and all Linux-based OS platforms, making it a well-rounded board suitable for most projects.

9. LattePanda -- $209

The LattePanda is another expensive SBC but differs from the others listed here as it’s an entirely functional Windows 10 PC. As such, it can be paired with any computer peripherals- joysticks, keyboards, printers, and cameras to name just a few. As far as hardware is concerned, the board packs an Intel Cherry Trail Z8350 quad-core processor, 4Gb of DDR3L RAM, Intel HD Graphics and 64Gb of onboard storage. It comes pre-installed with a full version of Windows 10 but what makes it interesting is that it also features an Arduino co-processor with 20 GPIO pin-out, so you can develop any number of projects with Arduino hardware and software. The LattePanda board also features a USB 3.0 and a pair of 2.0 ports, onboard wireless through 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as an Ethernet port, HDMI, and MIPI-DSI.

10. Sparkfun BBC micro:bit -- $17.50

Last but certainly not least is the Sparkfun BBC micro:bit SBC, which was developed to get kids interested in coding and while it may be on the small side (measuring 43mm X 52mm), it packs some exciting hardware- Nordic nRF51822ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller with 256K of Flash and 16K of Static RAM. It also features numerous pin-outs, including 23-pin edge connector and five ring connectors (3 X I/O, 1 X 3V, 1 X GND). What makes this board different from the others is it’s 5 X 5 LED array, which can be used as a light sensor, a mini-screen to draw on, or for displaying words, numbers, and other information. There are also two programmable buttons that can be used to control games, send radio messages or to activate the display. The board uses Bluetooth BLE for wireless communications and features just 1 Micro USB port for coding utilizing any number of programming languages, including Javacode, Microsoft BlockCode, MicroPython, and C++.

These are just a handful of single board computers that have hit the market since the beginning of this year. That being said, the boards in this list are popular among the maker communities, but the ‘best SBC’ is the one that works for you. With plenty of healthy competition among the many manufacturers, we will continue to see a flood of SBCs in the years to come.