JaguarBoard is a $45 Intel-powered Raspberry Pi alternative

By Justin Pot January 21, 2016

JaguarBoard: x86-based Single Board Computer

Like the idea behind single-board computers a la Raspberry Pi, but wish they could use the mainstream x86 versions of Linux distros, or even Windows 10? Here’s the board you’re looking for.

The JanguarBoard is a single-board computer with an Intel Atom Z3735G Bay Trail processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of eMMC storage. It has currently raised over $23,000 on Kickstarter, well in excess of its initial $3000 goal. January 22 is the deadline if you want to contribute.

Single-board computers aren’t new. There’s a wide range of them out there, the Raspberry Pi being the most common. People use such boards for all kinds of DIY projects, from robotics to media centers to ad-filtering DNS servers.

But the Pi, and other boards like it, run on ARM-based processors. Because these processors can’t run operating systems made for x86 processors, users need to track down ARM-specific Linux distros.

The JaguarBoard, then, is unique because its Intel processor can run all the usual, desktop operating systems.

“This JaguarBoard is developed on X86 architecture, and we aim to support a wide variety of OSs,” Jaguar Electronic HK states on the Kickstarter page. “We have tested its compatibility with Microsoft Windows and many Linux systems and software applications to ensure it works. So far so very good!”

Early bird Kickstarter pledges as low as $45 got a board, which may be indicative of the final price point. Right now, however, $65 contributions on Kickstarter is the cheapest way to lock down a board for yourself. For that you’ll get the board, a USB hub, and a 16 GB memory card.

If you’ve been looking for a single board computer than can run mainstream operating systems, contribute now. But even if you’ve missed the deadline, it’s good to know that affordable single-board Intel computers are becoming a reality.

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