Radxa ROCK3 Model C is a single-board computer the size of a credit card that looks a bit like a Raspberry Pi but boasts more input and output options, including an M.2 2230 slot that can be used to add storage or wireless cards.
The Raspberry PI 4 is powered by Broadcom’s BCM2711 chip, while the ROCK3 Model C is powered by a 1.6GHz Rockchip RK3566 quad-core ARM Cortex-A55 processor. The chip offers lower CPU performance, but it has built-in neural processing units that could make it more suitable for AI applications. The Rock3 Model C starts at $39.
The starting price is for models with 1GB of LPDDR4-3200 RAM and no storage; upgrading to 2GB RAM will cost $5 more (currently about 34 RMB). Versions with 4GB or 8GB of memory are not yet available, but are expected soon.
In addition to the M.2 slot, the Radxa single-board computer has a microSD slot, which is also available for storage and supports an optional eMMC module.
The board computer ports include:
1 HDMI
1 3.5mm audio
1 USB 2.0 OTG
One USB 3.0 host
Two USB 2.0 hosts
1 x GbE Ethernet (with optional HAT support for Ethernet)
There’s also a MIPI CSI camera connector and a MIPI DSI display connector (although the system only supports one monitor at a time, so you can’t use it if you’re using an HDMI port).
Other features include support for 24bit / 96 kHz audio, 40-pin expansion connectors, support for optional RTC batteries, and support for Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.
According to Radxa, the board measures 85 x 56 mm (3.3 “x 2.2” in IT Home note) and can be used with a 5V / 3A USB Type-C power supply, although a 5V / 5A power supply is recommended if you are using SSDS on your computer.
