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November 19, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Raspberry Pi SSD Kit and Class A2 microSD cards review with Raspberry Pi 5

Raspberry Pi SSD Kit Class A2 MicroSD card review

Selecting a microSD card, and to a lesser extent an SSD, for your Raspberry Pi may feel like walking through a landmine field with fake microSD cards that may perform poorly and severely impact the performance and/or reliability of your Raspberry Pi, and you’ll find plenty of articles helping you select a good microSD card for your Raspberry Pi. That’s probably why Raspberry Pi Holdings decided to launch its own Raspberry Pi-branded class A2 microSD cards and NVMe SSDs, so users can be sure they got a certified storage device that should perform as advertised as long as they purchase those from some authorized resellers. The company sent me 32GB and 64GB Raspberry Pi microSD cards and a 256GB Raspberry Pi SSD kit for testing, so I’ll test those in this review and compare them against other SSDs and microSD cards I’m currently using. Since we’ve not covered the new […]

November 13, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Protectli VP32XX – Alder Lake-N network appliances with dual 2.5GbE, NVMe and SATA storage options

The Protectli VP32XX is a family of Alder Lake-N network appliances for high-performance applications. This compact device comes in two variants: the VP3210, powered by a quad-core Intel N100 processor, and the VP3230, built around an eight-core Intel Core i3-N305 processor. Both support up to 16GB of DDR5 RAM and the company mentions that they have tested it with up to 48 GB. They also include 32GB of eMMC storage with dual 2.5GbE. Storage options include dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots and an expansion bay that supports up to four 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, making them ideal for NAS applications. Additionally, they have various I/O options, including HDMI, DisplayPort, multiple USB ports, and a PCIe slot, making them compatible with multimedia workstations or networking hubs. Protectli VP3200 specifications: Processor VP3210 – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; […]

September 12, 2024September 11, 2024 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Low-cost Raspberry Pi 5 HAT+ combines M.2 socket for NVMe SSD and PoE power input

With a cost of only about $25, Waveshare has recently introduced the PoE M.2 HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5, which is much cheaper than the similar N-Fuse PoE HAT that we’ve written about previously. As the name implies, this new Waveshare board supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) and features an M.2 slot to add NVMe SSD storage to the latest Raspberry Pi SBC. This new Waveshare HAT complies with the 802.3af/at standards and can deliver up to 25.5W of power to the Pi 5, enabling both power and network connectivity over a single Ethernet cable. Additionally, it features onboard 5V & 12V header outputs for powering additional devices like cooling fans, and there are also two LEDs for status. A fast storage device and the ability to power the device with ethernet makes this device suitable for applications such as network-attached storage, media centers, and edge computing applications. Waveshare […]

September 6, 2024September 6, 2024 by Debashis Das - 9 Comments

ESP32-S3 USB dongle integrates 1.47-inch TFT LCD display

Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 is an ESP32-S3 USB dongle with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, high-capacity Flash and PSRAM, and a 1.47-inch LCD. Additionally, it has an onboard microSD card slot used for storage and some RGB LEDs for visual feedback. All these features make this tiny device suitable for applications like interactive displays, IoT devices, hardware pentesting, and more. Previously we have written about the LILYGO T-HMI a similar ESP32-S3-based development board built for HMI applications, as well as the ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-4.3B and Waveshare ESP32-S3 LCD Driver Board, but it must be the first time we’ve come across a USB dongle-like ESP32-S3 board with an integrated display. ESP32-S3-LCD-1.47 specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration. Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB PSRAM Storage – 384KB ROM Connectivity – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE with support for long-range, up […]

July 18, 2024July 18, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

MW-100-NAS Intel N100 motherboard features six SATA ports, two M.2 PCIe sockets, 2.5GbE and 10GbE interfaces

The MW-100-NAS mini-ITX motherboard is powered by an Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N CPU and seems especially suited for NAS (networked-attached storage) applications with six SATA connectors, two M.2 Key-M sockets for NVMe drivers, one 10GbE port, and two 2.5GbE RJ45 jacks. The motherboard supports up to 32GB DDR5 memory, features HDMI and DisplayPort video output ports, a COM port header, and plenty of external and internal USB interfaces. It takes power from a standard ATX connector. NW-N100-NAS motherboard specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ up to 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 via SO-DIMM socket Storage 2x M.2 sockets for NVMe SSDs onboard 6x SATA connectors MicroSD card slot Video Output – 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort Networking 2x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel i226-V controllers 1x […]

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

QNAP unveils TS-432X and TS-632X Arm-based NAS with 10GbE networking, up to six SATA bays

QNAP has unveiled TS-432X 4-bay and TS-632X 6-bay Tower NAS systems that feature not only 2.5GbE ports but also one or two 10GbE SFP+ cages, as well as one PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot and are powered by an Annapurna Labs Alpine AL524 4-core 64-bit Arm processor. We had seen NAS with 10GbE networking before such as the QNAP HS-453DX and ASUSTOR FLASHSTOR, but those were powered by Intel processors. The new TS-432X and TS-632X NAS systems combine a 64-bit Arm processor and 10GbE networking in a way similar to the earlier QNAP TS-431X-2G-USARM powered by a dual-core 32-bit Arm CPU. QNAP TS-432X/TS-632X specifications: SoC – Annapurna Labs Alpine AL524 4-core 64-bit Arm processor @ up to 2.0 GHz System Memory – 4GB DDR4 (non-ECC), upgradeable up to 16GB DDR4 (ECC memory supported) via SO-DIMM socket Storage 512 MB flash with dual boot OS protection Drive bays TS-432X – […]

June 11, 2024September 5, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

GEEKOM A8 Review – Part 3: Ubuntu 24.04 tested on an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC

GEEKOM A8 mini PC Review Ubuntu 24.04 Linux

We’ve already checked out GEEKOM A8 mini PC hardware with an unboxing and a teardown, before testing the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS mini PC in Windows 11 Pro, and we’ll now report our experience with the GEEKOM A8 running Ubuntu 24.04 to see how it performs in Linux. We tested most features of the GEEKOM A8 mini PC on Ubuntu 24.04, ran several benchmarks to compare it to the similar GEEKOM A7 mini PC, performed storage and networking performance testing, ran stress test to check thermal performance, and measured fan noise and power consumption under various conditions. Installing Ubuntu 24.04 on the GEEKOM A8 mini PC As usual, we resized the Windows 11 partition to install Ubuntu 24.04 alongside Microsoft OS using a bootable USB flash drive created with the Ubuntu ISO. But you’ll notice BitLocker is enabled so the Ubuntu 24.04 installation can’t proceed. The installation wizard will ask […]

June 7, 2024June 7, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC has been revamped with better WiFi 5 connectivity, M.2 2280 NVMe/SATA SSD socket

Shenzhen Xunlong Software has introduced the Orange Pi 3B V2.1 SBC with an M.2 socket that supports 2280 NVMe or SATA SSDs, and a new Ampak AP6256 WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5 wireless module replacing the Allwinner AW859A-based CDTech 20U5622 module in the first revision of the board. The Orange Pi 3B SBC was first introduced in August 2023 as a Rockchip RK3566 SBC with Raspberry Pi 3B form factor and support for M.2 2230 and 2242 NVMe or SATA storage. The new Orange Pi 3B V2.1 supports longer M.2 2280 SSDs at the cost of being slightly bigger than a credit card (89×56 mm) and offers better WiFi 5 connectivity. Orange Pi 3B V2.1 specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 NPU – 0.8 TOPS […]