Hardkernel Reboots the ODROID H-Series of Single-Board Computers with New ODROID-H3, ODROID-H3+
With a quad-core Intel Celeron or Pentium Silver processor at their heart, these compact SBCs pack a punch.
Hardkernel has announced the return of its ODROID H-series family of single-board computers, launching two new models in the family: the ODROID-H3 and the ODROID-H3 Plus.
"The ODROID H-series is back," Hardkernel's Lisa Park announced today, after the discontinuation of the company's earlier models in the H-series family. "It is more powerful, offers higher performance and comes in two brand new models. A configurable Unlimited Performance mode allowing the CPU to run in sustained turbo boost mode."
Unlike the majority of maker-centric single-board computers, which are built around systems-on-chips featuring Arm architecture processor cores, Hardkernel's ODROID H-series uses x86-64 processors — the Intel Celeron N5105 or Pentium Silver N6005 "Jasper Lake" chips for the ODROID-H3 and ODROID-H3 respectively. The former offers a 2GHz base and 2.9GHz boost clock across four cores; the latter increases the boost clock to 3.3GHz.
Both boards are supplied without memory, instead offering SODIMM slots for up to 64GB of DDR4 PC4-23400 RAM, split into 32GB per slot, while storage support includes a four-lane PCI Express Gen. 3 M.2 slot for Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) solid-state storage and two SATA 3.0 ports plus an eMMC socket. Elsewhere on the boards are two 2.5-gig-Ethernet network ports, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 video outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a 24-pin peripheral expansion header, analog audio input, output, and a digital optical S/PDIF audio output.
Regardless of model, the CPU — built to a 10W thermal design profile (TDP), with Hardkernel measuring full CPU-and-GPU power draw at around 18W — requires cooling, with a chunky passive heatsink supplied as standard. For sustained or enclosed use, a header can power an optional cooling fan.
The announcement of the new H-series boards comes a week after the company unveiled the ODROID-GO ULTRA, a six-core Arm-based portable games console targeting retro-gaming emulation and based on the company's earlier ODROID-N2+ single-board computer.
The ODROID-H3 and ODROID-H3+ are now available to order from Hardkernel's web store, priced at $129 and $165 respectively; a power supply is not included, but a 15V 4A brick can be added for $9.40.
