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ZimaBoard: Hackable mini-PC, server and single-board computer unveiled

The ZimaBoard will be available to order through Kickstarter from US$216. (Image source: Icewhale Technology Limited)
The ZimaBoard will be available to order through Kickstarter from US$216. (Image source: Icewhale Technology Limited)
The ZimaBoard is an unusual-looking machine, and one that serves as a mini-PC, a server and a single-board computer. The ZimaBoard features an Intel processor and is passively cooled.

The ZimaBoard certainly caught our attention when we saw a picture of it. The device does not look like many mini-PCs, and would not be out of place in Cyberpunk 2077. Nonetheless, it will be soon available to order on Kickstarter and from just US$69. There are actually two versions of the ZimaBoard, one called the 216 and the other the 832. The two machines share much of the same hardware, although there are a few key differences.

Starting with the similarities, all versions of the ZimaBoard have two SATA 6.0 Gb/s and two Gigabit Ethernet ports along with dual USB 3.0 Type-A connections. Additionally, there is a PCIe 2.0 4x connection that is accessible from the outside of the device. Moreover, Icewhale Technology Limited has included a Mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connection that can output in up to 4K at 60 Hz.

The ZimaBoard measures 120 x 74.5 x 25 mm and supports Linux, Windows, OpenWrt, pfSense, Android and Libreelec. Linux comes pre-installed, though. The inclusion of Windows support should allow the ZimaBoard to be used as a conventional mini-PC, despite its unusual look.

(Image source: Icewhale Technology Limited)

What distinguishes the ZimaBoard 216 and ZimaBoard 832 from each other is their processor, RAM and onboard storage. Both feature Intel processors, but the ZimaBoard 216 has a dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 with 2 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 16 GB of eMMC flash storage. By contrast, the ZimaBoard 832 has a Celeron N3450, a quad-core processor, along with 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage.

It is unclear when Icewhale Technology Limited plans to bring the Zimaboard to Kickstarter. However, you can sign up to a mailing list to receive notice of when the machine will be available to back through the crowdfunding website.

(Image source: Icewhale Technology Limited)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 12 > ZimaBoard: Hackable mini-PC, server and single-board computer unveiled
Alex Alderson, 2020-12-16 (Update: 2020-12-16)