Khadas VIM3 vs Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

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

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Khadas VIM3 scores 6.6/10 overall, ahead of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B at 6.4/10.

The Khadas VIM3 leads on performance, storage and I/O and networking.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B leads on software support.

They score the same on value.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 10/10 to the Khadas VIM3's 6/10.

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.

Check price at Amazon UK

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Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

6.4/10verdict: good, not the best

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B suits people who want a small board for GPIO projects, simple services or learning. It fits builders who need a 40-pin header with camera and display ports. It is a poor fit for anyone who needs fast networking, USB 3 or storage beyond a microSD card.

Typically about £33 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	Khadas VIM3	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Software support	30%	6/10	10/10
Performance	25%	7/10	5/10
Storage	15%	8/10	4/10
I/O and networking	15%	7/10	5/10
Value	15%	5/10	5/10
Overall		6.6/10	6.4/10

Specifications

Spec	Khadas VIM3	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Processor (SoC)	Amlogic A311D, four Cortex-A73 cores at 2.2GHz and two Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz, with 5 TOPS NPU	Broadcom BCM2837, quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.2 GHz
Memory	2GB or 4GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4X	1GB RAM
Storage options	eMMC 5.1 16GB or 32GB, micro-SD slot, M.2 2280 socket for NVMe (PCIe 2.0 x1)	microSD slot only, for OS and data
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet with Wake-on-LAN; AP6398S 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0	100Base Ethernet; wireless LAN and Bluetooth
GPIO	40-pin GPIO header, 2.54mm pitch	40-pin extended GPIO header
Video outputs	HDMI with CEC, MIPI-DSI display interface, touch-panel connector	Full-size HDMI, 4-pole stereo and composite video port, CSI camera port, DSI display port
Power input	VIN connector 5–12V; USB-C port 5–20V USB Power Delivery input	Micro USB, up to 2.5 A switched supply

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 ›

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

+ 40-pin GPIO header plus CSI camera and DSI display ports
+ Built-in wireless LAN and Bluetooth
+ Production promised until at least January 2028
− Ethernet is 10/100 only, not gigabit
− No USB 3; four USB 2.0 ports
− microSD only, with no M.2 or NVMe support published

Skip it if:

Anyone who needs gigabit Ethernet or USB 3 for fast file transfers
Buyers who want NVMe or M.2 storage rather than a microSD card
People who need more than 1GB of RAM for several services or VMs

Read the full Raspberry Pi 3 Model B review ›

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