Radxa ROCK 5C 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 Radxa ROCK 5C scores 6.5/10 overall, ahead of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B at 6.4/10.

The Radxa ROCK 5C leads on performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B leads on software support.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B scores 10/10 to the Radxa ROCK 5C's 5/10.

Radxa ROCK 5C

6.5/10verdict: good, not the best

The ROCK 5C is for homelabbers and developers who want a lot of CPU and RAM in a small board. It suits people who are happy to follow Radxa's own Debian and Android images or the third-party systems listed for it. It is a weaker fit if you want native M.2 storage.

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	Radxa ROCK 5C	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Software support	30%	5/10	10/10
Performance	25%	9/10	5/10
Storage	15%	5/10	4/10
I/O and networking	15%	6/10	5/10
Value	15%	7/10	5/10
Overall		6.5/10	6.4/10

Specifications

Spec	Radxa ROCK 5C	Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Processor (SoC)	Rockchip RK3588S2	Broadcom BCM2837, quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 at 1.2 GHz
Memory	4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB; V1.1 uses LPDDR4X, V2.1 uses LPDDR5	1GB RAM
Storage options	1x eMMC connector, 1x microSD card slot, no SPI flash; no native M.2 slot; PCIe 2.1 1-lane via FPC connector	microSD slot only, for OS and data
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet (PoE via optional HAT), WiFi 6, BT 5.4 with external antenna connector	100Base Ethernet; wireless LAN and Bluetooth
GPIO	40-pin header, Raspberry Pi-style layout, 3.3V logic, up to 27 GPIO	40-pin extended GPIO header
Video outputs	1x HDMI 2.1 up to 8K, 1x MIPI DSI up to 2K	Full-size HDMI, 4-pole stereo and composite video port, CSI camera port, DSI display port
Power input	5V via USB Type-C; at least 10W recommended, 25W with full USB and PCIe load	Micro USB, up to 2.5 A switched supply

Strengths and weaknesses

Radxa ROCK 5C

+ Eight-core RK3588S2 with 6 TOPS NPU
+ RAM options from 4GB up to 32GB
+ Raspberry Pi-style 40-pin header
− No native M.2 slot; microSD bottlenecks storage
− No power supply in the box
− PCIe drive stays powered when board is off

Skip it if:

Buyers who want a native M.2 NVMe slot on the board
Buyers who want a power supply included in the box

Read the full Radxa ROCK 5C 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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