Radxa has launched two low-cost single-board computers powered by Rockchip RK3528A processors with four ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores, Mali-450 graphics.

The Radxa ROCK 2A is a credit card-sized computer with a Raspberry Pi-like 40-pin GPIO header, while the Radxa ROCK 2F is a smaller board with fewer ports. But both support 4K video playback, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity, and both feature an FPC connector for PCIe 2.0 x1 peripherals. First introduced in July, they're not available for purchase from ARACE with prices starting $10 for the ROCK 2F or $15 for the ROCK 2A.

Radxa ROCK 2F

The ROCK 2A is an 85 x 56mm (3.35″ x 2.2″ board that looks a lot like a Raspberry Pi Model B, while the ROCK 2F measures 65mm x 56mm (2.56″ x 2.2″).

Aside from the physical dimensions, the biggest differences are in the ports: the larger model has a Gigabit Ethernet port, while the smaller version does not. And the ROCK 2A has four USB Type-A ports: one USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0, while the ROCK 2F has just two USB 2.0 Type-A ports.

Radxa ROCK 2A

Both boards have HDMI 2.0 ports, A/V ports, microSD card readers and USB Type-C ports for power. And both have support for an optional eMMC module plus an FPC connector that can be used for PCIe 2.0 peripherals, although you only get a single PCIe 2.0 lane.

Still, Radxa says that does provide you with the option of using HATS to add features like up to four M.2 SSDs, up to 6 SATA storage connectors, or up to two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the RK3528 processor has limited I/O capabilities, so you'll have to choose between using the PCIe 2.0 or the USB 3.0 connections on the ROCK 2A. You cannot use both at the same time.

ROCK 2A ROCK 2F Processor Rockchip RK3528A4 x ARM Cortex-A53 CPU coresMali-450 graphicsUp to 4K/60fps video decodingUp to 1080/60fps video encoding Memory 1GB, 2GB, or 4GBLPDDR4 Storage eMMC (optional)microSD card readerFPC connector for PCIe 2.0 x1 Ports / connectors 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A OTG / Host3 x USB 2.0 Type-A Host1 x HDMI 2.01 x A/V out1 x Gigabit Ethernet1 x PoE Header (optional HAT required for PoE)1 x microSD card reader1 x USB Type-C port (power only)40-pin GPIO header1 x FPC connector (PCIe 2.0 x1) 1 x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG / Host / power2 x USB 2.0 Type-A Host1 x HDMI 2.01 x A/V out1 x microSD card reader1 x 40-pin GPIO header1 x FPC connector (PCIe 2.0 x1 Wireless WiFi 6BT 5.4External antenna connector (optional) WiFi 6BT 5.4External antenna connector (optional)Onboard antenna (optional) Power 5V USB Type-C Software Radxa OS (based on Debian Linux)Android Dimensions 85mm x 56mm3.35″ x 2.2″ 65mm x 2.2mm2.56″ x 2.2″ Starting prices 1GB RAM for $152GB RAM for $204GB RAM for $30 1GB RAM for $102GB RAM for $154GB RAM for $25

Radxa hasn't announced when you'll be able to buy these new boards yet or how much they'll cost, but based on the specs it's a safe bet that the answer to that they'll be fairly inexpensive.

Radxa ROCK 2F Radxa ROCK 2F Radxa ROCK 2F Radxa ROCK 2F Radxa ROCK 2A Radxa ROCK 2A Radxa ROCK 2A Radxa ROCK 2A

via Radxa Forum and LinuxGizmos (1)(2)(3)

This article was first published July 21, 2024 and most recently updated September 29, 2024 with availability details. 

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