Radxa X4: Hobby computer with Intel CPU in Raspi format
A single-board computer the size of a Raspi, but with an x86 processor: the Radxa X4 is available from 70 euros plus import costs.
In the Radxa X4, the processor is located on the back for space reasons.
(Image: Radxa)
The Chinese manufacturer Radxa is launching the X4 single-board computer. It is intended to stand out from the crowd of many hobbyist computers with its comparatively high computing power: while most models use an ARM processor, the back of the Radxa X4 features the Intel N100 processor with four x86 cores.
These are efficiency cores with Gracemont architecture, which are also found in the Core i-12000 (Alder Lake) and Core i-13000/14000 (Raptor Lake). The entire processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 6 watts. For comparison: The Raspberry Pi 5 uses Broadcom's ARM processor BCM2712 with four slower Cortex-A76 cores and a TDP of 12 watts. However, the Raspi 5 consumes less electrical power – under full load below 9 watts for the entire system.
Hobbyist Jeff Geerling has already tested the Radxa X4 and has come to the conclusion that it absolutely needs active cooling. Otherwise it cannot maintain its clock frequencies and throttles heavily. Radxa has its own cooling solution, but it is not supposed to work well. Third-party variants could solve the problem in future. Geerling also criticizes errors in the first BIOS versions.
Fast NVMe SSD
Another advantage of the Intel processor: the integrated chipset provides four PCI Express 3.0 lanes via an M.2 slot. This enables the use of fast NVMe SSDs with transfer rates of a good 3 GByte/s. Without an adapter, the Radxa X4 accepts 30 mm short SSDs (M.2 2230). The Raspi 5, on the other hand, has a single PCIe lane that is officially approved for 2.0 speed, but can also handle PCIe 3.0.
There is apparently no card reader – Interested parties must install any operating system on an SSD or use USB storage media. Because of the x86 processor, normal Windows runs, including Windows 11 with Secure Boot.
(Image:Â Radxa)
The manufacturer combines the N100 with the RP2040 microcontroller from Raspberry Pi Plc, via which the 40 GPIO pins are connected. Other connections include 2.5 Gbit/s Ethernet, four USB-A ports, three of them with 10 Gbit/s speed (USB 3.2 Gen 2) and one with USB 2.0 speed, a USB-C port for power supply, two micro HDMI (apparently HDMI 2.0) and a 3.5 mm jack.
The board measures 85 mm × 56 mm. The GPIO strip protrudes slightly. Due to the connection arrangement, the Radxa X4 is not compatible with Raspi housings.
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4 to 16 GB RAM
The Radxa X4 is available via the Chinese platforms Aliexpress, Arace and Allnet. The basic version with Wi-Fi 5 and 4 GB of LPDDR5-4800 RAM costs just under 70 euros plus shipping and import VAT. However, 8 GB RAM and Wi-Fi 6 only cost a few euros more. 12 GB of memory and Wi-Fi 6 are available for 114 euros (apparently with 3 GB modules) and 16 GB + Wi-Fi 6 for 136 euros. The availability of the various models varies between the stores.
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