10 Single Board Computers to power your DIY Projects in 2023

If you are a tech enthusiast and enjoy experimenting with automation projects then you may have come across and found single-board computers to be a useful tool. SBCs have become very popular in AI and IoT projects. Today we will be counting down to the top 10 single-board computers. We will compare these boards on the basis of price, performance, power consumption and various other parameters. So let's get started.

In your budget

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W

The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W is a powerful and affordable single-board computer that offers great value propositions for hobbyists and developers. Raspberry Pi Zero 2w’s quad-core 64-bit processor architecture delivers a significant performance boost which makes it 10 times faster than its predecessor raspberry pi zero.

Key Specifications

• Broadcom BCM2710A1, 1GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A53 CPU
• 512MB LPDDR2 SDRAM
• 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN
• BLE 4.2
• Mini HDMI port and micro USB (OTG) port
• CSI-2 camera connector
• Micro USB power
  

Onion Omega 2+

If you are looking for a budget SBC board for an IoT application then Onion Omega is the right choice. It is an IoT-centric development platform that runs on LEDE(Linux Embedded Development Environment) Linux Os- a distribution based on OpenWRT

Key Specifications

• MT7688 SoC
• 128 MB DDR2 RAM
• 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN
• 32 MB on-board flash storage
• USB 2.0
• MicroSD slot

Jack of all trades

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is a favourite in our All-rounders list. The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is performance intensive, compatible and affordable device that can be used for a wide range of projects including IoT edge, AI/ML, media centres, game consoles, web servers and many more. As compared to earlier versions Raspberry Pi4 Model B has significantly improved in performance and use of peripherals. This device supports dual monitor output up to 4K resolution via two mini-HDMI ports.

Key Specifications

• Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.8GHz
• 1 to 8GB LPDDR4 -3200 SDRAM
• 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless
• BLE 5.0
• 2 × micro-HDMI ports (up to 4kp60 supported)
• 2-lane MIPI DSI display port
• 2-lane MIPI CSI camera port
• 2 USB 3.0 ports; 2 USB 2.0 ports
• USB-C power
  

Banana Pi BPI-M2 Maker

The Banana Pi BPI-M2 is a single-board computer developed by Banana Pi. It is a nice alternative to Raspberry Pi 4 at a much more affordable price. It is designed for varied applications such as artificial intelligence, industrial automation and IoT. BPI-M5 is compatible with various operating systems, including Android 10, Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 10.

Key Specifications

• Amlogic S905X3 quad-core Cortex-A55 (2.0xxGHz)
• Mali-G31 GPU
• 2GB LPDDR4
• 16GB eMMC flash
• 2 USB 3.0
• 1 GbE ethernet
• HDMI output
• 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless
• BLE 5.0
  

Performer

LattePanda 3 Delta 864

The LattePanda 3 Delta 864 is a single-board computer developed by LattePanda. It was released in 2021 and is designed for applications in robotics, IoT, and AI. LattePanda 3 comes with intel 11th generation mobile quad-core processor with up to 2.9GHz burst frequency which makes it the most powerful and high-performance Single board computer available in the market.

Key Specifications

• Intel® Celeron® N5105 2.0~2.9GHz Quad-Core
• LPDDR4 8GB 2933MHz
• Intel® UHD Graphics
• 64GB eMMC V5.1
• Wi-Fi 6 @ 2.4GHz &5 GHz(160MHz)
• Bluetooth 5.2
• HDMI 2.0b: Up to 4096x2160 @ 60Hz HDR
• Arduino Leonardo ATMEGA32U4 Co processor.
  

Udoo x86 II Ultra

The Udoo x86 is a single-board computer developed by Udoo. It is designed for use in various applications such as IoT, robotics, and home entertainment. Udoo x86 comes with an Intel processor which makes it a most powerful x86 maker board. Udoo x86 is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows 10 and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian. it includes support for M.2 and SATA SSDs for high-speed storage.

Key Specifications

• CPU Intel Pentium N3710 2.56 GHZ
• Intel HD Graphics 405
• 8 GB DDR3L Dual Channel
• 32GB eMMC storage
• 1x HDMI
• 2x miniDP++ connectors
• 32GB eMMC storage
• M.2 Key B SSD slot
  

AI/ML beast

Beaglebone AI-64

The BeagleBone® AI-64 is a single-board computer developed by BeagleBoard.org. It was released in 2019 and is designed for use in artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. The BeagleBone® AI-64 is compatible with various operating systems, including Debian, Ubuntu, and Yocto. It comes with a Dual ARM Cortex A72 , 3 Cortex R5 co-processors microprocessor and aRogue 8XE GPU which makes it an AI/ML beast and versatile device that can be used for a wide range of applications, from building AI-powered devices to robotics and machine learning solutions.

Key Specifications

• Dual Arm® Cortex®-A72 microprocessor subsystem @ 2GHz
• C7x+MMA (8 TOPS) and 2 C66x floating-point VLIW DSPs
• 3x dual Arm® Cortex®-R5 co-processors
• PowerVR® Rogue™ 8XE GE8430 3D GPU
• 2x 6-core Programmable Real-Time Unit and Industrial Communication SubSystem (PRU-ICSSG)
• 4GB RAM
• 6GB on-board eMMC flash with high-speed interface
• mini-DisplayPort, 2x 4-lane CSI, DSI
  
  

Jetson Nano

The Jetson Nano is a small, powerful, and energy-efficient embedded computing board developed by NVIDIA. It is designed to be used for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications, including robotics, drones, and IoT devices.

Key Specifications

• CPU: Quad-core ARM Cortex-A57 MPCore processor
• GPU: NVIDIA Maxwell architecture with 128 NVIDIA CUDA® cores
• Memory: 4 GB 64-bit LPDDR4, 1600MHz 25.6 GB/s
• Storage: 16 GB eMMC 5.1
• Camera: 12 lanes (3x4 or 4x2) MIPI CSI-2 D-PHY 1.1 (1.5 Gb/s per pair)
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, M.2 Key E
• Display: HDMI 2.0 and eDP 1.4
• USB: 4x USB 3.0, USB 2.0 Micro-B

Media Centre

Odroid N2+

The Odroid N2+ is a powerful single-board computer designed for high-performance computing and media centre applications. It is produced by the Korean company Hardkernel and is the successor to the popular Odroid N2. The Odroid N2+ is capable of running a variety of operating systems, including Ubuntu, Debian, and Android. It is also designed to be compatible with popular media centres software such as Kodi and Plex, making it an ideal choice for home theatre applications.

Key Specifications

• Amlogic S922X quad-core Cortex-A73 CPU and dual-core Cortex-A53 CPU
• ARM Mali-G52 GPU
• GB or 2GB of DDR4 RAM
• supports eMMC, UHS-1 microSD, and NVMe SSD storage options
• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Gigabit Ethernet
• HDMI 2.0
  

Tinker Board S R2.0

The Tinker Board S R2.0 is a powerful single-board computer produced by ASUS that is designed for a range of applications, including robotics, media centre, and IoT projects. The board features an HDMI output, supporting resolutions up to 4K@60Hz, making it ideal for use as a media centre device. It also includes an audio output and a MIPI-DSI interface for connecting to LCD displays.

Key Specifications

• quad-core Rockchip RK3288 SoC CPU
• ARM Mali-T764 GPU
• 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 4.0
• USB 2.0 ports x 4
• HDMI output, supporting resolutions up to 4K@60Hz
• 24bit/192kHz audio output and a MIPI-DSI
  

Conclusion

In this article, we've looked at ten of the best single-board computers to power your DIY projects in 2023. From the budget Raspberry Pi Zero 2W to the powerful LattePanda 3 Delta 864, each board has its own unique strengths and weaknesses that make it suitable for different types of projects.

Ultimately, the choice of a single-board computer will depend on your specific needs and preferences. But one thing is for sure, with the range of options available, you're sure to find a board that will enable you to bring your DIY projects to life with ease and efficiency. So go forth, experiment, and have fun!

I hope you gained valuable insights from this comparison summary. As we continue to come up with more interesting tutorials and maker content, we invite you to explore Bytebeam further and see how our platform can empower your projects.

Stay tuned!