Rock 5B: Powerful RK3588 SBC

Rock 5B RK3588 single board computer review, including hardware specification, and demos running Debian and Android. Also drive speed tests and Kdenlive rendering test, and experiments with the HDMI input. :)

My earlier review of the Rock 3A is here:

And the video in which I ran the Kdenlive rendering tests for the Raspberry Pi 4 and Khadas VIM4 is here:

The M.2 drive speed and Kdenlive rendering tests for the LattePanda 3 Delta are in included my review of the board here:

And my test of the M.2 drive speed on the Odroid M1 is part of my review of the board here:

For additional ExplainingComputers videos and other content, you can become a channel member here:

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:46 Unboxing
02:55 RK3588 Power (specification)
07:14 Cooler & Drives
09:41 Debian (inc drive speed tests)
14:40 Desktop Apps (inc Kdenlive test)
17:05 HDMI Input
18:47 Android

#Rock5B #RK3588 #ExplainingComputers

[Aruneh]

I wish SBC makers could agree on common things so we could have standard Linux support and not have to use manufacturer provided images with spotty support at best.

[MicrobyteAlan]

Very interesting SBC. Thanks as always. Stanley and Mr in a single episode. Watch for a Falcon heavy launch maybe Tuesday.

[RenatoT]

Just bought one for my NAS, actually based on the Orange Pi 5. I think the 5B is a great upgrade with 2.5 Gbps, 2 USB 3.0 ports where I connect 2 USB 3.0 hubs with 10 ports each, and a full-size M.2. Thanks for the great review... as usual! ;)

[esra_erimez]

This board seems to check all the boxes for a nice ARM development workstation: RAM size, NVMe, and form factor. Nice!

[liontuga]

Looks like a solid piece of hardware. That video “inception” at the end was a nice touch, Chris.

[Poifix]

Very much enjoyable watching you fiddle around with computers as usual.
Even though I'm not that into SBCs or Linux I still enjoy learning about tech. And there is something soothing about your content. Please don't change to much my good Sir. ❤

[darlakim]

As always, enjoying your Sunday videos. It’s certainly interesting to note how far we’ve come from when the RPi-4b was first introduced, and ARM processors in this space was primarily educational and experimental. But this is the foundation of innovation and adoption. I think it’s wonderful to see so many other companies furthering the drive towards SBCs on ARM architecture, and appreciate how your videos highlight this progress. Thanks again! -d

[dakzer]

Got my 15GB Rock Pi 5b from Allnet today. Installed ubuntu, and apart from a problem with hdmi sound which needs changing after a reboot, and the GPU hardware acceleration not working, everything else is pretty good and stable. And despite the voltage ratings, can be run using 5V, for general use, and even works with raspberry pi accessories such as the waveshare UPS. Fantastic bit of kit, and is really well built. The metal case is rock solid, and I am pretty sure it would survive an earthquake. Appears that the GPIO 40 pin is similar to raspberry pi, which means other raspberry pi accessories could work with it. A great buy, I am glad I went for the Rock Pi over the Orange Pi, as their support forums, is pretty good for resolving any issues.

[WSallai]

Congratulations on achieving 400-videos!🎉

[puerlatinophilus]

I love that you made a direct performance comparison to other SBCs. I once asked for it and you delivered. And I love it! It really gives me a way to compare it to my Pi and see what I should expect from it. From the bottom of my heart: thank you! Your content is unique, enlightening and very helpful.

One thing I'd love to see in the future: A CPU benchmark that focuses on producing single-threaded and multi-threaded performance numbers. I think sysbench is a great tool for that.

But I don't want to bother you with suggestions. Your content is already wonderful as is :)

[treshanremolano]

What a great simple transition in the end - from desktop to your camera view!

[samaitcheson]

Thanks Chris.
Definitely interested in that HDMI input. Might make some old video tech smart.
Please keep us updated.

[FritzPinguin]

I love your emphasized "very soon" at the very end of every video, which makes me come back for each and every of your fantastic videos. Keep up the great work, please! 👍👍👍 Greetings from Thailand

[Josh]

This seems to be an amazing board! Will consider for future projects.

[perrymcclusky]

First time I heard of a 'Pico-ITX Form-factor'. This is another impressive SBC. I like the way the development of SBC's are heading. Looking forward to your next video!

[richcurtin]

Great video, this is a fantastic board now manufactured and distributed by OKdo and the team that used to manufacture & distribute Raspberry Pi so great to see such good progress on software and expect good availability globally 🎉

[Rod_Knee]

The trend seems to be lack of software support with non-RPi SBC's, especially when they're new. For example, I was unsurprised that there is no GPU acceleration under Debian, and the awful performance of the video capture under Debian. I'd be keen to buy a Rock 5B, if and when we see solid open source drivers for all the included hardware.
Another great video Chris, much appreciated.

[Praxibetel-Ix]

Good morning, Chris! And a happy early Halloween to you and everyone else here. I actually smuggled my breakfast to my room to watch this! A hoopy piece of thinking? You can say that. It was worth the risk! 🤣

Anyway, the Rock 5B is certainly a fast SBC! I was impressed to see it fare better on the drive speed test than the Odroid and the LattePanda 3 Delta. And of course, it really made my day to see both Stanley and Mr. Scissors assisting with opening the packaging.

Oh, by the way, congratulations to you and the Pico W robot for getting an article on the Raspberry Pi site! 🥳

[cmput]

I've had mine on pre-order since Jan 2022. Glad to see that its as good as i hoped! Can't wait to receive mine

[Quemedices]

As Raspberry continues to be unavailable for the average user, it’s good to see such a good review of alternatives. Let’s see if other SBC takes the place of Raspberry