Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 8GB
This SBC was popularized in its early days due to its great quality/price ratio. They have always had prices below 100 euros, even this model was for less than that amount. Due to the pandemic that generated a shortage of chips and a collapse in transport (which generated the cost of these) the price of the Raspberry Pi has risen a lot.
It is certainly not a bad product, especially for lovers of “tinkering”. It has a pretty good processor, 8 GB of RAM, we can use a large capacity SD card and even connect an SSD. The big problem is that it currently costs more than 250 euros and there are many much more powerful options on the market.
MINIS FORUM N4020
The first alternative that we present to you is practically half worth it and in some aspects it is better. This MINIS FORUM system is characterized by being truly compact and being able to be installed behind the computer using VESA mounting.
The processor stands out in this Mini PC, which is a Intel Celeron N4020 which has 2 cores and 2 threads. Work this processor at a 1.1 GHz base frequency and in Boost mode reaches 2.8 GHz. It integrates a rather simple UHD 600 graphics card, but more than enough to take video.
has this system 4GB of RAM, which is less than currently recommended, but hey, we can use the system without problems. For office automation, browsing, multimedia and the like, it is acceptable.
Regarding storage, it has 64GB eMMC, come on, it’s a memory chip soldered on the motherboard. It is short, quite short, but the good thing is that it has a slot M.2 SATA for units of format 2242 and of up to 1TBas well as card reader microSD up to 128 GB.
Regarding connectivity, it has three USB 3.0, an HDMI, a VGA and an Ethernet port. In addition, it offers support for Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2.
It’s not the Mini PC I’d recommend, but it’s an interesting option at half the price of the Raspberry Pi. You can also find this MINIS FORUM N4020 on Aliexpress for 144.32 euros
CHUWI Herobox N5100
We have as an alternative this CHUWI solution that is more than interesting. We are talking about a Mini PC based on the processor Intel Celeron N5100. This processor has 4 cores and 4 threads working at one 1.1 GHz base frequency and arrives in Boost mode at 2.8 GHz. This processor has a discrete UHD 600 graphics.
One of the interesting points of this system is that it has 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Note that we cannot expand the RAM, since it is soldered directly to the motherboard to save space. For storage, a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD that we can exchange for a unit of up to 1TB. The capacity may remain somewhat tight, but come on, we can expand it very easily.
In addition, this system stands out for its great connectivity, based on the fact that it integrates WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.0. Regarding the physical connectors, on the back it has an HDMI, a VGA, an Ethernet port and two USB 2.0, as well as an audio connector. While, on the front, it has a microSD card reader, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB-C.
It seems to us a very complete and versatile system with an extremely reasonable price. This CHUWI Herobox N5100 is also on Aliexpress for 188.40 euros.
