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BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black vs IceWhale ZimaBoard 2

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The IceWhale ZimaBoard 2 scores 6.3/10 overall, ahead of the BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black at 5.0/10.

The BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black leads on software support.

The IceWhale ZimaBoard 2 leads on performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

The biggest difference is performance, where the IceWhale ZimaBoard 2 scores 7/10 to the BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black's 3/10.

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

5.0/10verdict: good, not the best

The BeagleBone Black is for people building embedded, hardware-interfacing or low-demand single-purpose projects. It suits those who want onboard eMMC, two large expansion headers and officially listed Debian images. It is a poor fit for anyone wanting a general-purpose desktop or a board with fast networking.

Typically about £74 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

ZimaBoard 2

IceWhale ZimaBoard 2

6.3/10verdict: good, not the best

The ZimaBoard 2 is for homelabbers who want a compact x86 board for a small NAS or Docker host. It offers an Intel N150, dual 2.5GbE and two SATA ports, with 8GB or 16GB of soldered RAM. It suits people who value low power draw and quiet running over upgradeability.

Typically about £288.89 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightBeagleBoard BeagleBone BlackIceWhale ZimaBoard 2
Software support30%7/105/10
Performance25%3/107/10
Storage15%6/107/10
I/O and networking15%5/108/10
Value15%3/105/10
Overall5.0/106.3/10

Specifications

SpecBeagleBoard BeagleBone BlackIceWhale ZimaBoard 2
Processor (SoC)TI Sitara AM3358 (AM3358BZCZ100), 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8, SGX 3D graphics, NEON, 2x 200 MHz PRUsIntel N150 (4 cores, 4 threads, up to 3.6GHz)
Memory512 MB DDR3L 800 MHz8GB (832) or 16GB (1664) LPDDR5 4800 MHz, soldered and not upgradable
Storage options4 GB 8-bit eMMC onboard; microSD connector32GB (832) or 64GB (1664) onboard eMMC; two SATA 6Gbps ports
Networking10/100 Mbit Ethernet (RJ45). No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on this board.Dual 2.5GbE
GPIOTwo 46-pin expansion headers (LCD, UART, eMMC, ADC, I2C, SPI, PWM)not listed
Video outputsHDMI, LCD interface, stereo audio over HDMIOne Mini DisplayPort 1.4, up to 4K at 60Hz
Power input5 V DC via 2.1 mm barrel jack or mini-USB; a 1 A 5 V supply is typical12V DC barrel input, 60W adapter

Strengths and weaknesses

BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black

  • + Official Debian 13.7 and 12.15 images with three kernel branches
  • + Two 46-pin expansion headers plus two 200 MHz PRUs
  • + 4 GB eMMC onboard alongside a microSD connector
  • − Only 512 MB of RAM
  • − Ethernet is 10/100 and there is no Wi-Fi
  • − USB host port is limited to 500 mA

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on the same board
  • Anyone running several containers or VMs that need more than 512 MB of RAM
  • Users who need faster than 10/100 Ethernet or high-current USB devices
Read the full BeagleBoard BeagleBone Black review ›

IceWhale ZimaBoard 2

  • + Dual 2.5GbE with about 275 to 280 MB/s reported real-world
  • + Low idle power draw, and silent without the fan
  • + Two SATA 6Gbps ports plus a PCIe 3.0 x2 lane
  • − RAM and eMMC are soldered and cannot be upgraded
  • − Throttling and 90s C package temperatures in passive tests
  • − UK buyers can only pay in US dollars on Zima's store

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want to upgrade RAM or onboard storage later
  • Anyone planning sustained heavy load with passive cooling
  • Projects that need a Raspberry Pi-style GPIO header
Read the full IceWhale ZimaBoard 2 review ›

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