Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›
all judged against single-board computers at a similar priceThe Raspberry Pi 5 4GB scores 7.9/10 overall, ahead of the Radxa ROCK 5C at 6.5/10.
The Radxa ROCK 5C leads on performance and value.
The Raspberry Pi 5 4GB leads on software support, storage and I/O and networking.
The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 5 4GB scores 10/10 to the Radxa ROCK 5C's 5/10.
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.
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The Raspberry Pi 5 4GB is for homelabbers and developers who want a small Linux board with official OS support and a standard 40-pin GPIO header. It suits people moving up from a Pi 4 who want more CPU performance for services, projects or display output. Buyers should be ready to sort out a proper 5A power supply and think about cooling.
Typically about £105.60 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
| Criterion | Weight | Radxa ROCK 5C | Raspberry Pi 5 4GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software support | 30% | 5/10 | 10/10 |
| Performance | 25% | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Storage | 15% | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| I/O and networking | 15% | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Value | 15% | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Overall | 6.5/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Spec | Radxa ROCK 5C | Raspberry Pi 5 4GB |
|---|---|---|
| Processor (SoC) | Rockchip RK3588S2 | Broadcom BCM2712, quad-core Arm Cortex A76 processor @ 2.4GHz, 512KB L2 per core and 2MB shared L3 cache |
| Memory | 4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB; V1.1 uses LPDDR4X, V2.1 uses LPDDR5 | LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM, offered in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB variants |
| 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 card slot with SDR104 support; M.2 storage needs a separate adapter over PCIe 2.0 x1 |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet (PoE via optional HAT), WiFi 6, BT 5.4 with external antenna connector | Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0/BLE, Gigabit Ethernet; PoE+ needs a separate HAT |
| GPIO | 40-pin header, Raspberry Pi-style layout, 3.3V logic, up to 27 GPIO | Standard 40-pin header |
| Video outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1 up to 8K, 1x MIPI DSI up to 2K | Dual 4Kp60 HDMI output with HDR support; VideoCore VII GPU; micro-HDMI connector |
| Power input | 5V via USB Type-C; at least 10W recommended, 25W with full USB and PCIe load | 5V/5A DC via USB-C with Power Delivery support |
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