Behold the new kid on the block, A 32-bit A17 CPU taking on pi
ASUS Tinker Board is more powerful than you’d expect for the size, can play 4K Video.
Tech giant Asus quietly released its own micro controller, a DIY-friendly single-board almost the same size as the Pi, but with the power to play 4K video and 24-bit audio. It has a 2GB of RAM (twice as much as the Pi), a quad-core Arm Cortex A17 CPU running at 1.8GHz, ARM Mali-T764 GPU, gigabit Ethernet and the latest generation of SDIO for add-on boards. The 8.5cm by 5.3cm computer has been named Asus 90MB0QY1-M0EAY0 Tinker Board, Tinker board for short.The most recent revision of the Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, sports a 64-bit Cortex A53 quad-core processor.
Other Features
It also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities to enhance the functionality to allow connection to a variety of wireless networks.
- Gigabit LAN and Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR connectivity
- 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
- 4x USB 2.0 ports
- 40-pin Internal header with 28 GPIO pins
- Contact points for PWM and S/PDIF signals
- 1x 3.5mm Audio jack connection
- CSI port for camera connection
- DSI port supporting HD resolution
- 1x HDMI 2.0 port to support 4K resolution
- Micro SD port supports UHS-I
- Supports Debian OS with KODI
- Power supply: 5V/ 2A Micro USB (not included)
Asus has released its own OS for the Tinker Board, which is based upon the same Debian distribution as the Raspberry Pi OS. It also claims to be working on support for the likes of Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, and Kodi, but has offered no release date.
The Tinker Board is available to purchase right now for £55. And although the price is twice as expensive as the Pi 3 which retails at around £33, the board might be an ideal hardware if you’re building your own mini media center.
