We all know about the popularity of Raspberry Pi and Arduino. What they share in common are their tremendous popularities among makers. As the majority of maker projects are based on these two popular development boards. However, now they have a formidable competitor, UDOO X86 II. The new development board from UDOO Board. But what exactly is so special about this new board? what are its specs? why do we think it is comparable to raspberry pie? Let us explore it together.

Contents

• Introduction
• Types
• Specifications
• Advantages
• Upcoming supercomputer
• Conclusion

Introduction

According to the UDOO team, UDOO X86 II is as powerful as one PC plus an Arduino 101. They not only make it compatible with Arduino 101 but also allow just any software that can be run on PCs to work with UDOO X86 II. We can do a lot of things like gaming, graphic design. This is a true next-generation computer.  UDOO X86 is 10 times more powerful than Raspberry Pi 3, able to drive up to three 4K screens at the same time.

Types of boards

UDOO X86 offers you 2 different types of boards which pffer different specs

UDOO X86 ultra has an Intel Pentium processor (N3710 up to 2.56 GHz) and has 8 Gb DDR3L dual-channel along with INTEL HD GRAPHICS 405 up to 700 MHZ and 32GB emmc storage.

UDOO X86 offers Intel Celeron processor (N3160 up to 2.24 GHz) and 4 Gb DDR3L dual-channel along with INTEL HD GRAPHICS 400 up to 640 MHZ and 32GB emmc storage.

Specifications

The whole board is built upon the Quad Core 64 bit x86 processors from Intel, which was originally designed for PC domains. Additionally, UDOO X86 has incorporated the latest Arduino 101, including all the upgrades like 6-axus accelerometer and gyroscope and Bluetooth energy-saving connectivity. It is also compatible with all components and programs for Arduino 101. This means that users can replace Arduino 101 with UDOO X86 and still be able to program modules that are compatible with Arduino.

Another unique feature that belongs to UDOO is the connection between the Intel Quad-Core processor and the platform that is compatible with Arduino. With X86, the UDOO brings this feature to another level. The built-in microcontroller can now still run when the CPU is not on. It can wake the processor up through its internal USB connection. What’s better is that the board can be booted through multiple methods, from USB3, SATA connector to LAN, and Micro SD. With the multiboot configuration feature, comes another feature which is a multi-location storage function.

Its flexibility doesn’t just stop there. UDOO X86 is compatible with Linux, Windows, or Android operating systems. That’s not just about it. UDOO X86 also supports multiple connection methods: ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. To make it connectable to Wifi and Bluetooth, users only have to add any existing Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules on the market to accomplish it.

Advantages

UDOO X86 is a powerful competetor for many famous companies  Raspberry Pi Foundation and Arduino for the following reasons

1. Full-fledged PC + Arduino™ 101 
2. Open Source Hardware 
3. Open Source Software 
4. Growing community 
5. Huge compatibility: Arduino™ 101, Open Source and x86 worlds
6. Any PC-OS or distribution 
7. Any computer language 
8. No delays for kernel’s porting or stuck to old kernels 
9. Boot from everywhere 
10. Fast compile time 
11. Tons of I/O 
12. Oodles of interfaces and peripherals

UDOO X86 is like a mini CPU used for a computer it can replace the Arduino board or Raspberry PI board in terms of functionality. So, there is no doubt in saying it is a powerful competitor for all the electronic board manufacturing companies out there.

Upcoming supercomputer

How can you use your UDOO X86?you can use it to play games, stream videos from various platforms, turn monitors to televisions, and more. As mentioned before, users can also use UDOO X86 to do things that they can normally do with a computer. If you wish to increase the capacity of your UDOO X86, all you need to do is get more boards, then you can easily stack more boards on the original one and turn it into a mini supercomputer. You can stack up to 8 UDOO X86 boards on to each other. Which works faster and better than an orthodox computer.

Conclusion

The Ultra is comparable in power to that of a typical budget PC. It can run most applications you would usually run on a PC daily, even some 3D games. It supports Linux, Android, and Windows 10. And it has an embedded Arduino 101 board with a built-in gyroscope and a six-axis accelerometer. The high power and customizability offered by the Arduino board make this SBC an extremely versatile tool for casual and power users alike. It is not an overkill to say that this could replace all the CPU. In today’s scenario tech companies are looking to scale down their products and it is ok to say that this could be a game-changer.

If you want to know more about UDOO X86 II check their profile on kickstarter here