New LattePanda Iota single-board computer outperforms Raspberry Pi 5 in benchmarks

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Big quote: Single-board computers have traditionally used ARM chips, which are typically cheaper and more energy-efficient than competing architectures. LattePanda says that the x86 ISA has now matured enough to deliver significantly more computing power while consuming roughly the same energy as a Raspberry Pi board.

Chinese manufacturer LattePanda has introduced a new addition to its line of x86 single-board computers (SBCs). The LattePanda "Iota" aims to provide a seamless upgrade from the company's original LattePanda V1, while enabling more complex computing scenarios and custom projects. Customers will need to decide whether an x86 CPU is necessary for their use case, as opposed to a more common ARM solution like the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC.

The LattePanda Iota board replaces the V1's Z8350 core with an Intel N150 SoC, which features four Gracemont E-cores and a boost clock of 3.6 GHz. LattePanda claims the new CPU is eight times faster than the V1. The board also offers more DRAM - up to 16 GB of ECC LPDDR5 - and embedded storage of up to 128 GB eMMC 5.1.

The LattePanda Iota retains the same form factor as the V1, allowing makers to adopt the new board as a drop-in replacement in existing projects with "virtually" no modifications to enclosures. The SBC fully supports both Windows and Linux, demonstrating the company's commitment to openness and compatibility.

LattePanda compared its Iota board to the V1, the Raspberry Pi 5, and an Intel Celeron N5105. In Geekbench 6, the new SBC clearly outperforms the competition in both single-core and multi-core benchmarks. However, the Iota requires a 15 W TDP configuration and costs noticeably more than the Raspberry Pi 5 ARM solution.

The new board provides better connectivity options than its predecessor. It adds three onboard USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 output supporting up to 4K at 60 Hz, and a variety of additional ports and adapters that expand the board's capabilities.

The Iota retains the V1's dual-processor design, featuring a powerful x86 CPU at its core and a new RP2040 co-processor that handles real-time tasks, sensor data acquisition, motor control, and more. It also supports new expansion boards, allowing users to "effortlessly" add NVMe storage, 4G/LTE connectivity, or even an AI accelerator.

The LattePanda Iota SBC is already available in multiple variants with different RAM and storage configurations. A base board with 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage costs $130, though customers must provide their own Windows IoT license if they wish to avoid spending an additional $60 or opt to use Linux.

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New LattePanda Iota single-board computer outperforms Raspberry Pi 5 in benchmarks

 

[human7]

Usually these products are compared to the Pi and cost a silly amount more, so the comparison doesn't really matter as the market is different.

In this case, considering the RPi 5 8GB costs $80 in the US and doesn't include built in storage, this is actually a competitive product with similar price/performance. It doesn't fit exactly the same niche, though to be honest the RPi 5 doesn't fit the niche as their earlier boards given the thermal and price increase, so perhaps if you need the performance of an RPi 5, you would benefit from the performance of the LattePanda, making these two more or less direct competitors.

There's a lot of other boards out there on the market, though, hard to say what is best. Sometimes community and software support is worth more than the raw performance.

 

[Axeia]

though to be honest the RPi 5 doesn't fit the niche as their earlier boards given the thermal and price increase, so perhaps if you need the performance of an RPi 5, you would benefit from the performance of the LattePanda, making these two more or less direct competitors.

That's always my issue with the Pi. It's in a weird nowhere land where if I want something low power a microcontroller like ESP32 is powerful enough. And if it doesn't need to be battery powered or tiny anyway then why wouldn't I just run it on a PC.
Microcontrollers are surprisingly potent nowadays, and super cheap. I can get a screen, power supply, screen and MCU for the same price as an enclosure for the Rp5.
The Pi used to be popular for media consumption as well but for half the price you get a TV box that does it better and comes with an enclosure, power supply and remote(and if you get one you can flash with your own firmware you don't really have to worry about Chinese spyware)

 

[Revolution 11]

That's always my issue with the Pi. It's in a weird nowhere land where if I want something low power a microcontroller like ESP32 is powerful enough. And if it doesn't need to be battery powered or tiny anyway then why wouldn't I just run it on a PC.
Microcontrollers are surprisingly potent nowadays, and super cheap. I can get a screen, power supply, screen and MCU for the same price as an enclosure for the Rp5.
The Pi used to be popular for media consumption as well but for half the price you get a TV box that does it better and comes with an enclosure, power supply and remote(and if you get one you can flash with your own firmware you don't really have to worry about Chinese spyware)

In my household, the Pi is a great option to run Pi-hole. Low power Linux option that I rarely have to interact with and can stay on 24/7? Yes please.

A microcontroller would not be enough performance for this task and a normal PC is too expensive/wasteful to just run Pi-hole (I don't keep any PC on when I am not using it).

Is the cost too high? I would prefer a cheaper price but the fact that it sells high volumes means that is the market price.

 

[Primey]

Single-board computer at higher TDP outperforms rival.

Well no sh!t. Come back when both boards are at the same TDP/Wattage and show the benchmarks then. Love the useless marketing graph btw

 

[mbrowne5061]

Certainly very interesting. I can see it having applications in robotics and as a microcontroller for custom 3D printers, where the extra processing power can come in handy, but you don't necessary need a 'full desktop' level of power, and where most of devices now have 'purpose-made box does it better for less' competitors out there (e.g. media streamers).

 

[RobMonteforte]

In my household, the Pi is a great option to run Pi-hole. Low power Linux option that I rarely have to interact with and can stay on 24/7? Yes please.

A microcontroller would not be enough performance for this task and a normal PC is too expensive/wasteful to just run Pi-hole (I don't keep any PC on when I am not using it).

Is the cost too high? I would prefer a cheaper price but the fact that it sells high volumes means that is the market price.

As an aside, I've been running Pi-Hole on a $35 USD Atomic Pi 24/7 for the past 5 years straight; works for me.

 

[bviktor]

Single-board computer at higher TDP outperforms rival.

Well no sh!t. Come back when both boards are at the same TDP/Wattage and show the benchmarks then. Love the useless marketing graph btw

The RPi5 isn't so low powered anymore, it easily goes well above 10W.

And it's ARM with all its quirks and limitations, versus this x86 board.