single board with support for 32 GB of RAM. What kind of device is this?

We have repeatedly written about single-board computers. These are really interesting devices that can be useful for solving a variety of problems. But, of course, we cannot describe absolutely all interesting single-board games; there are too many of them, although we try. One of these interesting devices has recently appeared on the market, this is the BPI-M7. Its feature is its small size and excellent features, including support for 32 GB of RAM. Details are under the cut.

Specifications

It was released by the Chinese company SinoVoIP, which has been developing single-board computers for several years. Typically, this company does not produce the most powerful and productive devices. The BPI-M7 is also not a performance benchmark, but it does support 32 gigabytes of RAM – a rarity for single-board devices.

But besides this feature, the device has something to boast about. Here are its characteristics:

RK3588 processor: Quad A76 2.4Ghz + Quad A55 1.8Ghz cores, Mali G610MC4 graphics;

Wi-Fi 6 support;

Bluetooth 5.2 support;

PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD support;

You can connect up to 3 monitors: HDMI 2.1, supports up to 8K and 60 FPS. USB-C with Display Port support, supports up to 8K and 30 FPS; MIPI DSI, supports up to 4K and 60 FPS;

Two 2.5G Ethernet ports;

Two USB 3.0 ports;

One USB-C and one USB-C with Display Port support;

Two MIPI CSI ports for cameras;

8/16/32 RAM type LPDDR4x;

GPIO to 40 PIN;

Linux kernel 5.10;

Dimensions 92 by 62 mm. (form factor PI-co ITX).

As for supported operating systems, the device supports Debian Linux 10 (Linux kernel 5.10) or Android 12.

It is worth noting that the device is not yet on sale; the manufacturer announced that sales will start soon, but now you cannot buy it.

Device Features

Single board computers have several significant differences from conventional single board computers. For example, a larger board size is 92×62 mm. Slightly larger than other devices of a similar form factor, where 86×56 mm is considered the standard.

But larger size is not a disadvantage, but rather an advantage. Thanks to the dimensions, the developers were able to add space for an SSD. Thus, the device supports SSD M.2 format 2280. In addition, the single-board supports the PCI-E 3.0 x4 interface.

In addition to the solid-state drive, you can also install a microSD memory card. An SSD can be used to install and load the operating system, and an SSD can be used for storing data, since memory cards traditionally lose to SSDs in read/write speed.

As for the processor, this is a completely modern 8nm chip. It includes four ARM Cortex-A76 cores with a frequency of 2.4 GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. In addition, it is worth mentioning the 4-core Mali-G610 MP4 video subsystem and a neural processor (NPU) with a performance of 6 TOPS.

Another special feature of the device is that you can connect three monitors to it at once, two of them with a resolution of up to 8K. One of them can be connected via the DisplayPort interface, with 8K/30 Hz image output. The second is via HDMI 2.1, with the same resolution and refresh rate of 60 Hz. Well, the third monitor can be connected via MIPI-DSI (4K/60 Hz).

A special feature of the single-board is also a modern communication module. It has Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). The module comes separately from the processor – it’s up to you to judge whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage.

Here is a complete list of ports and connectors:

— Display:
1 x USB Type-C (with DisplayPort Alt Mode for up to 8K/30Hz))
1 x HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz)
1 x MIPI-DSI (4K/60Hz)
– Net
2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
Memory
1 x M.2 M-Key (PCIe 3.0 x4)
1 x microSD card reader
– Other
2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
1 x USB Type-C (for power only)
2 x MIPI-CSI (camera)
40-pin GPIO header
Fan connector
Audio header

Productive single-board

It really is like that – the device can be used both for DIY projects and for regular work in the office or at home. It is quite suitable as a desktop computer. Thanks to its small size, it can also be integrated into a laptop case, if such a need arises.

Of course, the device cannot handle more or less “heavy” games, but single-board PCs are not intended for games. But he can handle ordinary office tasks or even coding.

It’s a pity, of course, that the manufacturer has not yet announced the price for this single-board device. If it is not very high, then there will be a lot of buyers, since the device promises really excellent capabilities. Well, if the cost is higher than most expect, then the device will become a very niche device.