Summary of RADXA UNVEILS ROCK 3 MODEL B SBC BASED ON PICO-ITX
Radxa’s Rock 3 Model B is a Pico-ITX–based SBC (100 x 75 mm) using the RK3568 (quad A55 up to 2.0 GHz, Mali-G52 EE, 0.8-TOPS NPU). It adds onboard WiFi/BT via SDIO, a second GbE port, native SATA, M.2 B-key for 4G/5G (with SIM) and SSDs, plus M.2 M-key (NVMe PCIe 3.0 x2). It supports up to 8GB LPDDR4, empty eMMC slot, USB3/USB2, USB-C QC/PD, HDMI 2.0, audio jack, RTC, Debian 10 image, and ships in volume around late August with open-source resources.
Parts used in the Rock 3 Model B:
- Rockchip RK3568 SoC (quad A55, up to 2.0 GHz)
- Mali-G52 EE GPU
- 0.8-TOPS NPU
- Up to 8GB LPDDR4 (3200MT/s)
- Empty eMMC socket
- Onboard WiFi/BT via SDIO
- M.2 B-key slot (supports 4G/5G modules and SSDs)
- SIM card slot
- M.2 M-key slot (NVMe PCIe 3.0 x2, M.2 2280 support)
- Native SATA interface
- 2x USB 3.0 ports
- 2x USB 2.0 ports
- USB Type-C port with QC/PD power support
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports
- HDMI 2.0 port
- 3.5mm audio jack
- RTC with battery connector
- Pico-ITX / Pi-Co ITX 100 x 75 mm board
Radxa has announced a Rock 3 Model B SBC, which features the same RK3568 as the Rock 3A, and additionally features WiFi/BT, a second GbE port, native SATA, and M.2 B-key and SIM slots for 4G/5G instead of E-key. The Model B enables native SATA and dual GbE ports, offering enhanced support for NAS and networking applications.
The Rock 3 Model B is seemingly based on the Pico-ITX form factor, but with little tweaks, which makes Radxa call it the Pi-Co ITX. According to Radxa, the 100 x 75mm board should be large enough to fit an M.2 2242 LTE/5G module or 2230 WiFi module and also mount an M.2 2280 SSD module without needing the raised adapter board which the Rock 3A and Rock Pi 4 uses.
The Rock 3 Model B shares some specs with the Rock 3A, which includes the up to 2.0GHz, quad -A55 Rockchip RK3568, which features a Mali-G52 EE GPU and a 0.8-TOPS NPU. The Rock 3B also enables up to 8GB LPDDR4 with 3200MT/s throughput, and it is fitted with an empty eMMC slot. It is also equipped with 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, and a USB Type-C port with QC/PD power support. The Rock 3B offers a native SATA interface instead SERDES multiplexing like the Rock 3A
The Rock 3B utilizes the SDIO to provide onboard WiFi. The company replaces the M.2 E-key slot for WiFi with an M.2 B-key slot, which will support 4G/5G with the help of a SIM card slot, and also SSDs. Like the Rock 3B features an M.2 M-key slot that supports NVMe with PCIe 3.0 x2. The Rock 3B also enables an HDMI 2.0 port, audio jack, and RTC with the battery connector. The Rock 3 Model B offers Debian 10 image just like the Rock 3A, and shipment starts in volume around late August. The Radxa boards are available with schematics and other open-source resources and are community-backed.
Read more: RADXA UNVEILS ROCK 3 MODEL B SBC BASED ON PICO-ITX
- What SoC does the Rock 3 Model B use?
It uses the Rockchip RK3568 quad-A55 SoC up to 2.0 GHz with Mali-G52 EE GPU and a 0.8-TOPS NPU. - Does the Rock 3 Model B support WiFi and Bluetooth?
Yes. It provides onboard WiFi and Bluetooth via SDIO. - Can the Rock 3 Model B support 4G or 5G modules?
Yes. It replaces the M.2 E-key with an M.2 B-key slot and includes a SIM card slot to support 4G/5G modules. - Does the Rock 3 Model B support NVMe SSDs?
Yes. It has an M.2 M-key slot that supports NVMe with PCIe 3.0 x2. - Is native SATA available on the Rock 3 Model B?
Yes. The Rock 3 Model B provides a native SATA interface rather than SERDES multiplexing. - How much RAM does the Rock 3 Model B support?
It supports up to 8GB of LPDDR4 memory at 3200MT/s. - What expansion and I/O ports are available?
It includes 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, USB-C with QC/PD, dual GbE, HDMI 2.0, audio jack, and RTC connector. - What form factor is the Rock 3 Model B?
It is based on Pico-ITX with a 100 x 75 mm footprint, referred to as Pi-Co ITX by Radxa. - Does the Rock 3 Model B support eMMC storage?
Yes. The board is fitted with an empty eMMC slot. - What software image is available for the Rock 3 Model B?
Radxa offers a Debian 10 image for the Rock 3 Model B.
