ODROID-H2+ An x86 Board to Challenge Raspberry Pi?

News
By Les Pounder
published

More power is better?

ODROID-H2+ Board
(Image credit: HARDKERNEL CO., LTD)


HARDKERNEL, makers of the Raspberry Pi alternative ODROID boards have announced an upgrade to the ODROID-H2, an Intel Celeron based single board computer.

The ODROID-H2+ has a surprising amount of power in a board measuring only 110x110x43mm. 

Specifications

  • Intel Celeron J4115 Gemini Lake quad core CPU 1.8 GHz, turbo to 2.3 GHz.
  • Intel UHD Graphics 600 up to 700 MHz
  • Dual-channel SO-DIMM Memory DDR4-PC19200 (2400MT/s) supporting up to 32GB RAM
  • M.2 PCIe 2.0 x4 slot for one NVMe storage, 2x SATA 3.0 ports, eMMC flash support
  • HDMI 2.0 up to 4K (4096×2160) @ 60 Hz
  • DisplayPort 1.2 up to 4K (4096×2160) @ 60 Hz
  • Dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) via RTL8125B chipset
  • 24-pin header with I2C, UART (3.3V), USB2.0 and HDMI CEC signals
  • 14V to 20V DC power input

The Intel Celeron J4115 may not be a powerhouse but it does provide a decent desktop experience or as the basis for a low power home server setup. The RAM choice, fast 2.5 Gigabit ports and the plethora of built in storage options mean that this is an all round great single board computer and desktop replacement.

As the ODROID-H2+ is basically a small format x86 board, it is compatible with Windows 10 and many Linux distributions including Ubuntu 20.04. Dual 4K 60Hz outputs is a welcome feature, the nearest competitor is the Raspberry Pi 4, which can output 4K and 60Hz to a single output and 4K 30Hz to dual outputs. A 24 pin peripheral expansion port header offers basic GPIO access, limited to I2C and UART. There is an additional 16Port I2C GPIO Board which can be used to offer more GPIO access. 

From the starting price of $119 we need to add the cost of RAM and storage, which can easily add another $100 so when thinking about purchasing the ODROID-H2+ it would be wise to factor in these costs versus other single board computers. If you need a little more power than what the Raspberry Pi can offer, then the ODROID-H2+ should be on your list.

Les Pounder
Les Pounder

Les Pounder is an associate editor at Tom's Hardware. He is a creative technologist and for seven years has created projects to educate and inspire minds both young and old. He has worked with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to write and deliver their teacher training program "Picademy".

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43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • vov4ik_il
    Might be a great router or security appliance. About 3 times more expensive than Pi.
    Reply
  • fmyhr
    If only it had Intel NICs...
    Reply
  • vov4ik_il
    fmyhr said:
    If only it had Intel NICs...
    They try to market those 2.5Gbits. I doubt this box has sufficient CPU power to make use of it though, SPI of 1Gbit would be impressive (if even)...
    Reply
  • bit_user
    vov4ik_il said:
    Might be a great router or security appliance. About 3 times more expensive than Pi.
    It's actually somewhat overkill for that.

    vov4ik_il said:
    They try to market those 2.5Gbits. I doubt this box has sufficient CPU power to make use of it though,
    Lol, are you serious?

    A CPU like that can easily manage 2.5 Gbps. It's a lot more than what you find in some NAS boxes that have 10 GigE connections, even.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    I'd so buy this, if I didn't already have a little Apollo Lake box.
    Reply
  • vov4ik_il
    bit_user said:
    Lol, are you serious?

    A CPU like that can easily manage 2.5 Gbps. It's a lot more than what you find in some NAS boxes that have 10 GigE connections, even.
    It would do ok for software switching and routing (rewrite the header), but Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) is much (much much) more CPU hungry. So is VPN encryption/decryption. NAS boxes do not do any of that stuff.

    Edit: Firewall Hardware Sizing Guide
    Reply
  • CerianK
    Hey, according to PassMark, that single 4C/4T processor is about 50% faster than my old 4C/8T Dell Precision 670's pair of circa 2007 Xeon DP Processors.
    Ok, that is enough... time for the dumpster (when I have time to figure out where to put the 6TB of archive data it is hosting across 3 SATA drives).
    Say what you will about Dell, but most of the Precision systems are built like tanks (except for the T3600s that shipped with sub-par non-TLER rated Seagate drives of a similar series to the ones that were recalled in the Apple TV... seen over a hundred of those drives fail within the warranty period).
    Reply
  • bit_user
    CerianK said:
    (when I have time to figure out where to put the 6TB of archive data it is hosting across 3 SATA drives).
    That board has 2 SATA connectors, and you could probably install a 3rd in the M.2 slot (depending on whether it supports SATA M.2 drives).

    You can also get the same type of SoC on a mini-ITX or micro-ATX board, with more features:

    https://www.asrock.com/mb/index.asp#Intel%20CPU
    CerianK said:
    Say what you will about Dell, but most of the Precision systems are built like tanks
    Their stuff seems overpriced and I don't like their use of proprietary PSUs in desktops and workstations, but I do like their servers.

    The precision workstations are pretty cool, but they tend to be limited in how many drives they can accommodate.

    The cases of their older workstations are nearly as heavy as tanks, too.
    Reply
  • jtremblant
    The Odroid-H2 has been on my list for months because it’s an impressive x86 SBC for a low price. Unfortunately, it’s hard to justify $350(SBC board, case, AC adapter, BT module, wifi module, LED power button, plus taxes and shipping from hardkernel or ameridroid). I live in Canada and import duties are expensive($100), this does not include ram($64 for dual channel for a total of 8 Gb). Grand Total of $514 for a working Odroid-H2+. I can build myself locally a microATX PC with a much powerful Ryzen 5 3400G, a B450m pro mobo, 8Gb ram, antec case, 500w PSU for $484(taxes included). I'd rather pass. Got two(2) new Rpi 4 8Gb locally for $230 including taxes instead.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    jtremblant said:
    I live in Canada and import duties are expensive($100),
    FWIW, they list two Canadian distributors:
    https://corpshadow.biz/odroidhttp://www.ca.diigiit.com/brands/brand-odroidSee: https://www.hardkernel.com/distributors/
    BTW, I once visited Mont-Tremblant, QC.
    Reply