Khadas VIM3 vs Orange Pi 5 Plus

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

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Orange Pi 5 Plus scores 7.4/10 overall, ahead of the Khadas VIM3 at 6.6/10.

The Khadas VIM3 leads on software support.

The Orange Pi 5 Plus leads on performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

Khadas VIM3

6.6/10verdict: buy

The Khadas VIM3 is for tinkerers who want a six-core Arm board with NVMe support and a 40-pin header. It suits media, display and embedded projects where the NPU and flexible storage matter. It is less suited to anyone who wants a board that runs cool with no extra cooling.

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Orange Pi 5 Plus

7.4/10verdict: buy

The Orange Pi 5 Plus suits homelabbers who want an RK3588 board for a NAS, router or multi-display project. It gives them dual 2.5GbE and an NVMe slot on one board. It asks for more patience with software than a Raspberry Pi does.

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	Khadas VIM3	Orange Pi 5 Plus
Software support	30%	6/10	5/10
Performance	25%	7/10	9/10
Storage	15%	8/10	9/10
I/O and networking	15%	7/10	8/10
Value	15%	5/10	7/10
Overall		6.6/10	7.4/10

Specifications

Spec	Khadas VIM3	Orange Pi 5 Plus
Processor (SoC)	Amlogic A311D, four Cortex-A73 cores at 2.2GHz and two Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz, with 5 TOPS NPU	Rockchip RK3588 (8nm), four Cortex-A76 cores up to 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores up to 1.8GHz, Mali-G610 MP4 GPU, 6 TOPS NPU
Memory	2GB or 4GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4X	4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB (optional configurations)
Storage options	eMMC 5.1 16GB or 32GB, micro-SD slot, M.2 2280 socket for NVMe (PCIe 2.0 x1)	QSPI NOR flash 16MB/32MB, microSD slot, eMMC module socket (16GB to 256GB modules), M.2 M-key PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet with Wake-on-LAN; AP6398S 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0	Two 2.5G Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only via M.2 E-key module (not on board)
GPIO	40-pin GPIO header, 2.54mm pitch	40-pin expansion header (Raspberry Pi compatible) with GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, CAN and PWM
Video outputs	HDMI with CEC, MIPI-DSI display interface, touch-panel connector	Two HDMI outputs, one HDMI input, HDMI 2.1 8K output, Type-C DP1.4A, MIPI DSI
Power input	VIN connector 5–12V; USB-C port 5–20V USB Power Delivery input	USB-C power input, recommended 5V/4A supply; no USB PD negotiation

Strengths and weaknesses

Khadas VIM3

+ M.2 NVMe socket alongside eMMC and microSD
+ Six-core A311D with NPU; owners praise efficiency
+ Several official OS images, including mainline Linux
− Owners report heat and instability without a fan
− Power delivery quirks reported, including bootloops and shutdowns
− RAM stops at 4GB

Skip it if:

Buyers who want a fanless, cool-running board with no extra cooling
Anyone needing more than 4GB of RAM
Builders who can't test and choose their power supply carefully

Read the full Khadas VIM3 review ›

Orange Pi 5 Plus

+ Dual 2.5GbE ports and an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
+ RK3588 with RAM options up to 32GB
+ Owners praise its low price for the hardware
− Mainline Linux is listed as not supported
− Heavy sustained loads need a heatsink or active cooling
− Wi-Fi and Bluetooth need an extra M.2 E-key module

Skip it if:

Beginners who want Raspberry Pi level software polish and community help
Anyone who needs mainline Linux support
Buyers who need built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth without adding a module

Read the full Orange Pi 5 Plus review ›

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