ZimaBlade: New single-board computer launches as ZimaBoard successor with two Intel processor options

IceWhale Technology has presented a successor to the ZimaBoard, a single-board computer (SBC) that received over US$100,000 from backers on Kickstarter. This time, the company has taken to Crowdsupply to finance the ZimaBlade, an SBC that measures 107 x 80 x 23 mm. Like the ZimaBoard, the ZimaBlade is an x86-based board that IceWhale Technology has designed to be used as a small server or even some retro gaming.

So far, IceWhale Technology has offered the ZimaBlade in two versions, dubbed the ZimaBlade 3760 and ZimaBlade 7700. However, there are also Advanced and NAS kits for the latter that add various accessories, as well as a three-node cluster option sold as the ZimaBlade 12-Core 48 GB Cluster. According to IceWhale Technology, the ZimaBlade 3760 relies upon the Intel Celeron N3350, a dual-core processor with a 6 W TDP. By contrast, the ZimaBlade 7700 utilises the quad-core Celeron J3455 that Intel also affords a 10 W TDP.

Please note that Intel launched both processors in 2016. As such, they rely on its Apollo Lake architecture, which it based on 14 nm nodes. Additionally, both ZimaBlade variants have a single SODIMM slot that supports up to 16 GB of DDR3L RAM, plus 32 GB of eMMC flash storage. For reference, the SBC supports CasaOS, LibreElec, OpenWrt and Windows operating systems. Currently, the ZimaBlade 3760 is available to back on Crowdsupply for US$64, with the ZimaBlade 7700 coming in at US$96. While IceWhale Technology hopes to begin shipping in on January 31, 2024, it has yet to reach its US$50,000 funding goal. Please see the company's crowdfunding page for more information. 

Purchase the ZimaBoard 832 on Amazon