Short Bytes: Rock64 mini computer board is Rasberry Pi’s new competitor. Priced lower than Raspberry Pi, Rock64 promises 4K playback at 60Hz. Rock64 also features a USB 3.0 port and faster gigabit Ethernet, but it lacks inbuilt 802.11n Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This board is powered by RK3328 quad-core Cortex A53 processor and Mali-450MP4 GPU.
You might be knowing that Raspberry Pi is a small palm sized computer that lets you perform certain tasks and it even has the capability to replace a basic computer. Recently, a developer even took up the task to use a Raspberry Pi 3 as his primary computer after losing his MacBook Pro at a laptop. Just in case you wish to get started with Pi, follow our getting started with Raspberry Pi guide.
Coming back to Rock64, sold by Pine64, it’s a new Raspberry Pi competitor that lets you run 4K videos by spending $25 only; that’s cheaper that a Pi 3. Apart from the 4K playback at 60Hz, Rock64 also beats Raspberry Pi when it comes to supporting HDR10, via HDMI 2.0.
Talking about the ports and connectivity, PINE64’s Rock64 board has eMMC module socket, Pi-2 Bus, Pi-P5+ Bus, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, and a microSD card slot.
However, Rock64 doesn’t have 802.11n Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It has got gigabit Ethernet, which is faster than Raspberry Pi 3’s 10/100 Ethernet.
This small mini computer is powered by RK3328 quad-core Cortex A53 processor and Mali-450MP4 GPU. The dimensions of the board are 85×56 mm.
Rock64 mini computer’s base version is priced at $24.95 with 1GB RAM. You can also get the 2GB version for $34.95 and the 4GB version for $44.95.
| Rock64 Specifications | |
| CPU | • Quad-Core Cortex-A53, up to 1.5GHz |
| GPU | • Mali-450MP2, Support OpenGL ES1.1/2.0 |
| Memory | • 32bit DDR3-1866/DDR3L-1866/LPDDR3-1866/DDR4-2133 |
| • Support eMMC 4.51, SDCard, SPI Flash | |
| Multi-Media | • 4K VP9 and 4K 10bits H265/H264 video decode, up to 60fps |
| • 1080P other video decoders (VC-1, MPEG-1/2/4, VP8) | |
| • 1080P video encoder for H.264 and H.265 | |
| • Video post processor: de-interlace, de-noise, enhancement for edge/detail/color | |
| • Support HDR10, HLG HDR, Support conversion between SDR and HDR | |
| Display | • HDMI 2.0a for [email protected] with HDCP 1.4/2.2 |
| • Support conversion between Rec.2020 and Rec.709 | |
| Security | • ARM TrustZone (TEE), Secure Video Path, Cipher Engine, Secure boot |
| Connectivity | • I2C/UART/SPI/SDIO3.0/USB2.0/USB3.0 |
| • 8 channels I2S/PDM interface, supports 8 channels Mic array | |
| • Embedded CVBS、HDMI、Ethernet MAC and PHY、S/PDIF、Audio DAC | |
| • TS in/CSA2.0 ,support DTV function | |
| Package | • BGA316 14X14, 0.65mm pitch |
Find the detailed information about Rock64 here in this sheet.
Did you find Rock64 powerful enough to replace your Raspberry Pi? Don’t forget to share your views with us.
