Compared to the current Raspberry Pi 3 Model B board, the Asus Tinker Board is definitely more powerful than the former, as it has a much faster processor. It also supports 4K video as well as 192Khz/24-bit audio. Let’s have a look at the specifications of the Tinker Board given below: • Rockchip RK3288 Quad-core 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A17 CPU • Quad-core 600MHz ARM Mali-T760 MP4 GPU • 2GB LPDDR3 RAM (dual channel) • Gigabit LAN • 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • HDMI 2.0 port supporting 4K output • 3.5mm audio jack and four USB 2.0 ports • Micro SD card slot • Micro USB (for power) • Debian Linux support There’s also a 40-pin internal header with 28 GPIO pins, which means the Tinker Board can be used to create Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Further, the Tinker Board’s max power consumption is five watts. Commenting on the launch, Asus said: “Raspberry Pi has been in the market for so long, we’re here to expand users’ choices with more options. And this board has 4K support, higher SoC performance, faster Ethernet transmission, and flexibility for the memory size.” As for operating systems, while the Tinker Board will run a version of Debian, it will also offer support for Kodi. Asus also plans to expand the current OS support with the likes of Ubuntu and openSUSE, reports Hexus. The Raspberry Pi 3 is selling for $35, which is the same price as the Raspberry Pi 2. On the other hand, the Asus Tinker Board is priced higher at $68 (£55, VAT inclusive) at Farnell. What do you think of Asus’ mini board? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
