News Cool Pi 4: The RK3588S Eight-Core Raspberry Pi Alternative

Hooda Thunkett

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Nov 17, 2021
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I keep seeing articles on here about "RaspberryPi alternatives" that all cost significant multiples of the version they are trying to be an alternative to. I find it difficult to call them "alternatives" for much the same reason I can't call a Ford F150 an alternative to an Ioniq5. They both may be able to get you from place to place, but if you need the F150, the Ioniq5 is unlikely to be a replacement, and vice versa.
If you need the computing power this board affords, the Pi isn't really an alternative. If you don't, then the cost makes this uncompetitive (assuming you can get the Pi).
 

user7007

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Mar 9, 2022
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For the price on ali express (160-205 USD,) you can buy mini pc's with intel chips off amazon. some mini pc's on amazon are as low as $100 - $120. And they come with a case and power supply.

Aa another reference, a Galaxy A03s or Moto G phone can be had for the same price, also has cameras, screen, cellular, octa-core, etc.

Just seems like pretty poor value.
 

eye4bear

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Jul 12, 2018
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Have any of you priced a Raspberry Pi on Amazon (if you can find any)? They are going for $159+ for the 4 GB model. Wish I had bought 2 instead of 1 a few years ago
 
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bit_user

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It would be nice if there was something like a Pi but only somewhat more expensive, instead of several times as expensive.
There are options, if you're willing to look. The ODROID N2+ 4 GB is only $83, but you have to add a little for shipping from South Korea. I priced out the alternatives (Amazon, AmeriDroid) and decided to order mine direct from HardKernel (the manufacturer). Oh, and it's worth the extra $ to buy an eMMC module, as they're faster than a SD card.

The ODROID N2+ works pretty much out-of-the-box, but you still have to use a nonstandard image to get things like 3D and video acceleration. So, it's not quite as user-friendly as the Pi, nor is the user community as big. That said, when I recently installed the latest 64-bit build on my Pi 3, it didn't have native 3D acceleration either (but it was very straight-forward to enable).