Remaining at the forefront of open source technology trends, Intel presents the $99 Minnowboard Max. A compact single-board computer compatible with Linux and Android, the Minnowboard Max operates on a 1.91GHz Atom E3845 processor and offers affordable pricing, attracting various tech enthusiasts.
Contrary to popular belief, the Minnowboard Max isn’t designed to compete directly with Raspberry Pi. Instead, its primary function is to offer DIY enthusiasts and hackers a financially accessible entry into experimenting with x86 architecture-based systems. This single-board computer also sports add-on boards known as ‘Lures’ to expand its functionalities while featuring an open-source graphics chipset. Through its competitive pricing, Intel is looking to rejuvenate its low-power Atom processor’s relevance.
On the other hand, Raspberry Pi, primarily used for educational purposes, operates on a Broadcomm system-on-chip with a 700MHz ARM processor and stands as one of the most popular single-board computers (SBCs) currently available.
No noteworthy changes to the specifications of Minnowboard Max have been made:
-Processor — Atom E3800 (Bay Trail-I) series integrated with Intel HD 4000 Graphics:
Range from single-core E3815 @ 1.46GHz (5W TDP) to quad-core E3845 @ 1.91GHz (10W TDP)
-RAM — options for 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB DDR3 RAM are available
-Flash — 8MB SPI flash (for UEFI/Coreboot/etc.)
Coastline I/O includes:
MicroSD slot, Micro-HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port (RJ45), Dual USB ports — 1x USB 3.0 host; 1x USB 2.0 host, and 1x SATA 3Gb/sec port
-Expansion connectors:
Low-speed connector (26-pin) — SPI, I2C, I2S audio, 2x UARTs (TTL-level), 8x GPIO (2x supporting PWM), +5V, GND
High-speed connector (60-pin) — 1x PCIe Gen 2.0 lane, 1x SATA 3Gb/sec, 1x USB 2.0 host, I2C, GPIO, JTAG, +5V, GND
-Other features — serial debug port (header); firmware flash port (header); heatsink; ACPI 5.0 support
-Operating temperature — 0 to 70°C
-Power — 5VDC
-Operating systems — Debian GNU/Linux; Yocto Project Linux; Android 4.4
source: Saurabh Singh/EFYTIMES News Network
Minor enhancements were applied in 2025 for readability.
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