In a nutshell: Radxa has unveiled a new single-board computer that could be a viable alternative for those struggling to get their hands on a Raspberry Pi. The credit card-sized Rock 5A is based on the Rockchip RK3588S, an eight-core SoC consisting of four Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 2.2 to 2.4GHz, as well as four Cortex-A55 cores with a clock frequency of 1.8 GHz.
You also get a Mali G610MC4 GPU and support for up to 16 GB of RAM.
Other noteworthy hardware features include a microSD card slot, two micro HDMI ports (one with support up to 8Kp60 and one with support up to 4Kp60), a Gigabit Ethernet port, an M.2 PCIe 2.1 (single-band) SATA connector, a camera port, a display port, a USB Type-C port for power and a 40-pin a connector that supports multiple interface options. Full hardware specifications can be found on the Radxa forums.
Raspberry Pi boss Ebon Upton warned in December that consumers should not expect the company to pay the next generation in 2023. Instead, Raspberry Pi will spend this year recovering from the global chip shortage that rocked the supply chain during the pandemic.
According to Upton, it would be a mistake to try to release the Pi 5 this year if production cannot scale properly to meet demand. Moreover, the launch of a new version too early may affect sales of existing models, which are still in high demand.
Last year, CNX Software tested Rock 5B (based on a similar RK3588) and found that it could bypass Raspberry Pi 4 and other SBCs, especially when it comes to memory bandwidth. If you need an SBC with some punch, this may well be it.
Radxa Rock 5A is expected to go on sale at the beginning of the second quarter of this year. Interested parties can make a $5 deposit for a 4GB, 8GB or 16GB model, which will eventually cost $69, 89 or 129 respectively, after applying discounts for early booking.
