Single-board computers (SBC) with Intel processors onboard are outnumbered by Arm-based designs, but the latest release from Aaeon, whose boards we’ve covered before, ups the ante with Alder Lake, DDR5, and up to four independent displays. Alder Lake CPUs of course rank among the best CPUs, though we're dealing with slightly different models in this case.
Known as the GENE-ADP6, it’s aimed at machine vision and edge computing applications, as well as digital signage. However, at just 5.75in x 4in (for comparison, a Raspberry Pi 4 measures 3.35in x 2.25in) it would also make a pretty good small-form-factor PC if you can find a suitable case. Mini-ITX for reference uses a 6.7 x 6.7 inch form factor.
At the heart of the board is 12th-gen Intel silicon, ranging from the Celeron 7305E (five cores, five threads, boost up to 4.2GHz) to the mighty i7-1270PE (12 cores, 16 threads, boost up to 4.5GHz). This is backed by dual-channel DDR5-4800, with capacity for up to 64GB. There's a UEFI BIOS and a TPM2 chip, Iris Xe graphics, an M.2 2280 slot for a PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD, and a SATA port too. Additional M.2 modules can be used to add Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity.
Around the back, we find a pair of Ethernet sockets, one 2.5Gb, the other 1Gb, alongside three USB 3 Type-A ports and a single Type-C. USB 2 is available via a pin header on the board itself, while both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a are also present. Additional screens can be pushed from the LVDS and Embedded DisplayPort interfaces, allowing it to hit the four-screen target.
Power comes via AT or ATX power supplies, with the board able to accept anything from 9 to 36 volts. Software support comes in the form of Windows and Ubuntu 22.04. The board is for sale on the Aaeon online store, but it's currently sold out. Also, at the time of writing, it's showing an eye-watering price of $9,999/ That's either a mistake or some sort of bulk pricing. You can get notifications of stock levels or price drops, or make enquiries about the board at the product page.
