Gigabyte stalls
Gigabyte is a major player in computer peripherals and accessories Mandy Cheng/AFP/GettyImages

Computer hardware manufacturer Gigabyte has now entered the single-board PC market with a device that is slightly larger than a Raspberry Pi, but with more features.

Single-board CPUs have key components like processors and RAMs fused into the board, making it impossible to upgrade. PCs, on the other hand, have slots that can be upgraded at any time.

The Gigabyte GA-SBCAP3350 tries to find the perfect balance between the two.

According to Gigabyte, the single-board PC has an Intel Celeron N3350 processor fixed to the board, but allows for upgrades to increase storage and RAM by the user.

The board's dimensions are compact at 146 x 102mm but are slightly larger than its competition, the Raspberry Pi 3, which measures 85 x 56mm.

The GA-SBCAP3350 will also be able to push 4K video through the included HDMI port. It will feature a dual Gigabit LAN and claims "better network responsiveness in crowded LAN environments".

Gigabyte claims that their proprietary Glass Fabric PCB design also protects the board from humidity-related damages.

The device's heat management is handled by a solid block of aluminium which transfers heat away from its DIE surface. The block has a number of CNC-drilled mounting holes as well.

Gigabyte has yet to reveal the launch date and price of the GA-SBCAP3350. Meanwhile, the Raspberry Pi's price currently ranges from £24 ($19.95) for its base variant to £32.50 ($35) for its top-end quad-core version.

Here are the specifications for the Gigabyte GA-SBCAP3350:

GA-SBCAP3350 (rev. 1.0) specifications:

  • Built-in Intel® Celeron™ N3350 (up to 2.4 GHz) dual-core processor
  • GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ Technology with 2x Copper PCB Design
  • Single channel DDR3L SO-DIMM slot support
  • 2 x RS232/422/485, 2 x RS232, Digital I/O 8-in/8-out
  • Mini-PCIe slot for half-length WIFI card support
  • Mini-PCIe dual purpose slot for mSATA SSD support
  • LVDS Header mux with eDP signal for system integrated flat panel display support
  • Amplified speaker header able to drive up to 2W system integrated speaker
  • All solid capacitors with humidity protection new Glass Fabric PCB design
  • Dual GbE LAN with high ESD protection support WOL and PXE
  • SBC 146x102mm form factor with wide range 9~36V DC-In power design