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Unix Bench 5.1.3

Results are an index relative to a SPARCstation 20-61 (rated at 10.0)

The new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B does very well, but is trumped by the ODROID C1.

hdparm

Results are in megabytes per second.

UHS-1 is significantly faster than plain SD, and eMMC beats UHS-1

dd

Results are in megabytes per second.

The MIPS CI20 has great write rates with eMMC… and surprisingly low read rates.

Power Utilization

(click on image for larger version)

(click on image for larger version)

Shorting the “off” header on the ODROID C1 apparently turns it totally off, to 0mA.

The A+ is still the most miserly with power when running, and the ODROID C1 and Banana Pro use the most power, closely followed by the new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

Support

There is no arguing that the Raspberry Pi has the most active forum of all of the single board computers, and provides excellent community support. When community support is not enough, then Raspberry Pi Foundation employees and volunteers jump in and help. The only down side is that the sheer volume of postings gets to be a bit overwhelming at times, but new users are more likely to find their questions answered before they even ask – if they read the FAQ’s and search the forums.

Of the other single board computers mentioned in this review, I’d say that the Odroid forum are the next most active, and Hardkernel staff also provides great support, and are very active in tracking down and fixing issues found with the ODROID C1.

The Lemaker forums are good, and Lemaker staff responds quickly, but the volume of posts is lower. Both the Odroid and Lemaker forums are more technical user oriented, with few beginners.

Conclusion

NO ONE expected the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. (I wish they had called it the Model C … I find the new name awkward)

I am quite impressed with how snappy the new Pi is – the older model Pi’s are painfully slow when browsing the web, compiling large programs, or doing any heavy work, while the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is pleasantly fast.

Previously I would not recommend a Raspberry Pi as a desktop replacement or general purpose computer, as it was too slow for such use, while still being fast enough for education.

Now, I can recommend the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B as a general purpose computer.

While the ODROID C1 generally out performs the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, it does not have the camera and LCD connectors, nor analog audio out. Mind you, the Pi does not have Gigabit Ethernet, eMMC, RTC, IR input, or an extra serial console.

Neither the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B nor the ODROID C1 have SATA, however the Banana Pro has both Gigabit Ethernet and SATA, which is a huge advantage for small servers.

I have absolutely no doubt that the new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B will sell like the proverbial hotcakes, as it is not only a great little computer for education, but is also a great little general purpose computer.

What I liked:

• quad core performance
• 1GB LPDDR2
• price
• camera CSI connector
• LCD DSI connector
• good Raspbian compatibility

What I did not like:

• no SATA
• no Gigabit Ethernet
• no eMMC
• no RTC
• changes needed for all GPIO libraries

Related Links

• Raspberry Pi 2: Raspbian vs. Linero (ARMv6 vs ARMv7)
• Raspberry Pi Model A+ Review
• Raspberry Pi Model B+ Review
• Banana Pi Review
• Banana Pro Review
• MIPS Creator CI20 Review
• ODROID C1 Review
• Raspberry Pi Model B+ USB WiFi Adapter Tests
• Banana Pi USB WiFi Adapter Tests
• Elf RoboPi/Raspberry Pi Robot
• RoboPi product page
• Pi Rtc Dio product page
• Pi Jumper product page
• EZasPi product page

Article Index

1. Introduction
2. A Closer Look
3. Feature Comparison, Operating Systems, Software Compatibility
4. Common Applications, GPIO, Multimedia, Hardware Compatibility
5. (more) Hardware Compatibility, WiFi USB Stick Compatibility
6. Documentation, Benchmarks
7. (more) Benchmarks, Power Utilization, Support, Conclusion

I’d like to thank DougieLawson and Fidelius for sending information & a correction. cnx-software found an error on the powerchart for the old B – now fixed 🙂

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