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Small technology

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I wanted to take an objective look at small technology while hopefully not demonstrating much bias toward the subject except in cases where a product really deserves it. So I wanted to compare the various small computer boards that I know to be useful, and the only ones that not only serve certain purposes, but I'm educated enough having read much on it, to speak on the subject. So without further yapping, I will write on some of the devices I'm familiar with and their uses:

I'm also going to introduce my own little ranking system for these products based on what I read. Involving up to 5 stars in each category, 5 being best.

The Pi Zero - this small computer board can't do much, but is inexpensive and can fit in tiny, tiny devices. Not the best product for running graphical games.

CPU power: 1 star
GPU power: 1 star
Software maturation: 5 stars
Value: 5 stars

The Pi 3B+ - a these days entry-level $35 small computer board with mature, optimized software, but not a lot of power to make up for it.

CPU power: 2 stars
GPU power: 2 stars
Software maturation: 5 stars
Value: 3 stars

Pi 4 1GB / 2GB / 4GB - a modern day Pi board with software mildly optimized, but not as mature or as optimized as the Pi 3B+, but still the latest and greatest product with much more horsepower than the Pi 3B+, and supporting MANY accessories. It makes a better Desktop Replacement than the Pi 3B+ due to faster reading and writing of just about any MicroSD card due to a better read/write interface.

CPU power: 3 stars
GPU power: 3 stars
Software maturation: 3 stars
Value: 4 stars

The Asus Tinker Board / Tinker Board S - this board served a purpose for awhile, but couldn't keep up, meaning in this day and age, it currently doesn't stand as a good deal.

CPU power: 3 stars
GPU power: 3 stars
Software maturation: ???
Value: 1 star

The Odroid XU4 - this is a highly popular all-around computer board with similar performance to a Pi 4, and only slightly less software maturation than a Pi 3B+, coming very close at times, but at the price of a Pi 4.

CPU power: 3 stars
GPU power: 3 stars
Software maturation: 4 stars
Value: 4 stars

Odroid N2 2GB/4GB - This device will cost you $20-$40 more than the Pi 4 4GB, but is faster than the Pi 4 or XU4, but has slightly less mature software than the XU4.

CPU power: 4 stars
GPU power: 4 stars
Software maturation: 3 stars
Value: 3 stars

NVIDIA Jetson Nano board - a robust $100 computer board by a graphics card maker, made more for developers of projects than every day consumers, but available to buy on various channels, that has about the CPU power of a Pi 3B+, but an incredible, amazing amount of GPU power for graphics and AI, and using chip technology based fairly closely on the Nintendo Switch.

CPU power: 2 stars
GPU power: 5+ stars
Software maturation: 2-3 stars
Value: 4 stars

Odroid H2 - a very expensive actual quad core computer in small computer form. Basically just a small computer that runs desktop operating systems

CPU power: 5 stars
GPU power: 4 stars
Software maturation: 4 stars
Value: 3 stars
 
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