Radxa’s Latest ROCK 5C and ROCK 5C Lite Boast PCIe 2.1 Interfaces and PoE Support

Radxa has recently launched two new single-board computers – the ROCK 5C and the ROCK 5C Lite. The ROCK 5C is built around the RK3588S SoC, while the ROCK 5C Lite is built around the RK3582 SoC. The company has made these boards fundamentally different; the only commonalities between them are an 8K display output, USB ports, and interfaces for cameras and displays, along with a PCIe 2.1 interface and PoE support.

The ROCK 5C features an RK3588S SoC with Quad Cortex-A76 and Quad Cortex-A55 cores, while the ROCK 5C Lite is equipped with an RK3582 SoC, which includes Dual Cortex-A76 and Quad Cortex-A55 cores. The memory configuration also differs; the ROCK 5C can have a maximum of 32GB DDR4 memory, whereas the Lite version can support up to 16GB of memory.

Finally, the RK3588S (ROCK 5C) features an Arm Mali-G610MC4 GPU and a 6TOPs@INT8 NPU, while the RK3582 (ROCK 5C Lite) has a 5TOPs@INT8 NPU but no GPU support.

Previously we have covered many different SBCs including the Banana Pi BPI-M2, Milk-V Duo S, Toybrick TB-RK3588SD, and many others feel free to check those out if you are interested in SBCs like this.

ROCK 5C and ROCK 5C Lite Specifications:

• ROCK 5C:
  • SoC – Rockchip RK3588S
  • CPU – Octa-core (Quad Cortex-A76 & Quad Cortex-A55)
  • GPU – Arm Mali-G610MC4
  • NPU – 6TOPs@INT8
  • Memory – 2GB to 32GB LPDDR4x
  • Multimedia – 8K H.265/VP9 decode, 4K H.264 decode, 8K encode
  • Storage – eMMC connector, microSD card slot
  • Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack with mic input
  • Video Output – HDMI 2.1 (up to 8K), MIPI DSI (up to 2K)
  • Video Input – 4-lane MIPI CSI or 2x 2-lane MIPI CSI
  • USB – 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.0 Type-A OTG
  • Ethernet – Gigabit Ethernet with PoE support
  • PCIe – 1x PCIe 2.1 interface
  • Wireless – WiFi 6 and BT 5.4 with external antenna connector
  • GPIO – 40-pin header with multiple interfaces
  • Power – 12V input, various DC power in/out
  • Form Factor – 86mm x 56mm
• ROCK 5C Lite:
  • SoC – Rockchip RK3582
  • CPU – Hexa-core (Dual Cortex-A76 & Quad Cortex-A55)
  • GPU – N/A
  • NPU – 5TOPs@INT8
  • Memory – 1GB to 16GB LPDDR4x
  • Multimedia – 4K H.264 and H.265 decode at 60fps
  • Storage – eMMC connector, microSD card slot
  • Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack with mic input
  • Video Output – HDMI 2.1 (up to 8K)
  • Video Input – 2-lane MIPI CSI
  • USB – 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.0 Type-A OTG
  • Ethernet – Gigabit Ethernet with PoE support (additional HAT required)
  • PCIe – 1x PCIe 2.1 interface
  • Wireless – Not Specified
  • GPIO – 40-pin header with multiple interfaces
  • Power – 12V input, various DC power in/out
  • Form Factor – 86mm x 56mm

As we all know, RADXA provides complete support for software and documentation for their products. The company mentions that it will support operating systems like Ubuntu, LibreELEC, OpenWrt, FreeBSD, and many others. In terms of documentation, you can find more information about the Rock 5C on their docs page. However, as of now, I have not found any related documentation for the ROCK 5C Lite.

Arace Tech’s online store is accepting pre-orders for ROCK 5C and ROCK 5C Lite in various memory options, with the Lite ranging from $29.90 for 1GB to $104.90 for 16GB, and the standard 5C ranging from $49.90 for 2GB to $199.90 for 32GB. Additionally, a Heatsink 6540B is available for $4.99, and a 25W PoE HAT for $18.99. For more details, check the Radxa’s announcement page.

Please follow and like us: