ODROID-X
ODROID-X - Third Party Review
The ODROID-X is a single-board computer founded on the ODROID series, established on an ARM architecture Samsung Exynos 4412. Based on an Exynos 4412 ARM Cortex-A9 Quad-Core 1.4GHz CPU, the ODROID-X is an affordable, high-performance development platform. In addition to the board, several accessories are available through Hardkernel, including 10.1” and 14” LVDS LCDs (along with adapters), wifi and Bluetooth adapters, a 1.8v serial, and an eMMC storage module. Moreover, they have a camera module, although it is not compatible with Linux at this time.
Because the board is being marketed as a mobile development platform, Hardkernel has ensured that it is compatible with Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 and will even supply a preconfigured Class 6 or Class 10 SD card. However, the ODroid-X is also running Ubuntu 12.04, indicating that it can run other Linux distributions that support ARM processors. It includes five YouTube videos that demonstrate the system in operation, including a four-player Mario Kart 64 session and a demonstration of the device operating four cameras simultaneously.
Hardkernel has been very deliberate in who it has built its SBC for, which means that any advice must be based on the context and use case. The X has built up a base of community support. Additionally, it’s an excellent choice for individuals who can benefit from the additional four cores and aren’t bothered by the noisy standard cooler that comes with the system. Alternatively, you can use a passive heat sink to cool your computer. Alternatively, you may build your DIY heat cooling system. When purchasing the ODROID-X, make sure that you understand the power needs and have the appropriate power supply on hand before purchasing.
Who should be interested in the ODROID-X?
The device is equipped with several essentials for the discerning code-jockey. Although ODroid-X is not intended to be a media player, many of you will be drawn by this feature. Only the H.264 hardware codec is supported (to save money on license costs), and you must decode the rest of the video codecs by software. One advantage of MX Player is that it supports multicore software decoding, which means that it can take full advantage of all four cores available on the Exynos 4412. In my research, I discovered that it was possible to stream most video formats and containers at 1080p seamlessly over a network using software decoding. During my testing, I utilized Linaro Sample Media and a few other resources. The only issues I encountered were with the playback of WMV (1080p/8600kbps) and WebM (1080p/7800kbps), which did not play smoothly and had frequent audio cuts. The identical videos got played at 720p without any problems. Hardkernel tried video playback on SDHC and XBMC for Android, which is now unplayable due to the inability of the app to respond to mouse movements. If you are interested in a new DIY project, you should be interested in the ODROID-X.
What sets the OROID-X apart?
The ODroid-X also includes 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a full-size SDHC card slot, six USB 2.0 ports, among other features. As an additional alternative, Hardkernel provides a variety of extra peripherals, such as a wifi antenna and a Bluetooth dongle. To accommodate the increased connection, the ODroid-X is about twice as wide as the Raspberry Pi, measuring 90 by 94mm instead of 85.60 by 54.99 millimeters. What sets the ODROID-X apart is that:
- It is a strong tiny SBC, and the vintage emulators are among the best but not the most diversified.
- It is the board you get if you want Retropi to run well.
- The graphics are fantastic.
- USB 3.0 is fantastic for fast transmitting large amounts of AV.
- The XU-4 is a short little deck with a good deal of stability.
What should users know about it?
Although the Odroid X does not have built-in wifi, it features Gigabit Ethernet, which will be more than adequate for web browsing, file sharing, and media streaming. With four times the amount of RAM available on the Raspberry Pi and a far more powerful processor, the board appears to be a good choice for more computationally intensive use situations than the Raspberry Pi. A word of warning: even with the active cooling enabled on the ODROID-X, the device can become pretty hot when you use it for a long time. Even while warm SoCs are nothing new, the data demonstrate that active cooling is required with this processor. If you regularly use the ODROID-X under load, it may be wise to upgrade to a more oversized heatsink and fan. If you are seeking technical specifics or other information about Hardkernel SBCs, the ODROID Wiki is a great resource to have at your fingertips.
All in all, this is a capable ARM SBC with highly competitive performance. The ODROID-X is a fantastic deal, and it invariably provides the most satisfactory performance. With countless features that users appreciate, these are some of the most appreciated specs:
- Storage is provided through an SDHC card slot.
- There are jacks for headphones and a microphone.
- It comes with an ethernet network adapter.
- There are six USB host ports.
- It comes with a Mali 400 GPU with four cores.
- LCD, I2C, UART, SPI, ADC, and GPIO interfaces are all supported by the 50pin IO extension connector.
- Architecture based on the ARMv7 Cortex-A9 processor
The takeaway
The XU4 works more like a typical personal computer than a “gimmick” like the RPi for current Single Board Computers. More processing power, double the RAM, and, in my opinion, a board that is at least twice as powerful. Aside from connecting to a headless PC remotely through SSH, the XU4 runs Android 8.1 and Android TV well. Overall, this board is one of the most powerful for its price range and size. It has a large developer community and is significantly more adaptable than a Raspberry Pi while having most of the same solderless capability.