ZimaBoard

2021 · single-board computer

Specifications

Cpu: Intel Celeron N3350 (232 tier, dual-core 1.1 GHz base, 2.4 GHz burst) or Celeron N3450 (432/832 tiers, quad-core 1.1 GHz base, 2.2 GHz burst), Apollo Lake, 6 W TDP, fanless with the whole case acting as heatsink
Gpu: Intel HD Graphics 500
Ram: max: 8 GB LPDDR4 (832); soldered, tier-fixed, not upgradable · base: 2 GB LPDDR4 (232)
Ports: 2x SATA 6 Gb/s (with power headers) · 2x Gigabit Ethernet · 2x USB 3.0 Type-A · 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2 · 1x PCIe 2.0 x4 slot · 12V DC input
Display: none built in, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2 up to 4K@60
Storage: base: 32 GB eMMC 5.1 (all retail tiers; the 2021 Kickstarter-era 216 tier had 16 GB) · options: 2x SATA 6 Gb/s ports with onboard drive power for 2.5" or 3.5" drives · NVMe SSD or extra SATA via a PCIe 2.0 x4 expansion card
Os Support: latest: ZimaOS officially supported; standard x86-64 board, also runs Debian, Ubuntu, Proxmox, OpenWrt, pfSense, TrueNAS and Windows · shipped: CasaOS (Debian-based), preinstalled on the eMMC
Release Price: Kickstarter (January 2021): $69.90 for the 216 tier and $129.99 for the 832 (planned retail $99.99 and $179.99); 2022 retail lineup: $119.90 (232), $159.90 (432), $199.90 (832)

Variants

Revisions

ZimaBoard 232Celeron N3350 dual-core, 2 GB LPDDR4, 32 GB eMMC. Retail replacement for the Kickstarter-era 216 tier (2 GB / 16 GB).

ZimaBoard 432Celeron N3450 quad-core, 4 GB LPDDR4, 32 GB eMMC.

ZimaBoard 832Celeron N3450 quad-core, 8 GB LPDDR4, 32 GB eMMC. IceWhale's spec sheet also lists the closely related quad-core J3455 for some production runs.

Upgrade paths

storage

2x SATA 6 Gb/s drives (2.5" or 3.5", power supplied by the board), plus more via PCIe SATA or NVMe adapter cards · The two powered SATA ports are the core of the ZimaBoard homelab pitch: plug drives straight in, no external power needed.

drive cost only; Y-cables and drive stands sold as accessories

EASY

ports

PCIe 2.0 x4 open slot: NVMe adapters, SATA HBAs, 10GbE and 4x GbE NICs, coral TPUs and other low-profile cards · Bandwidth caps at PCIe 2.0 x4 (about 2 GB/s), which limits 10GbE and fast NVMe somewhat.

varies by card

EASY

RAM

Soldered LPDDR4, fixed per tier (2/4/8 GB) · No SO-DIMM slot; buy the tier you need.

LOCKED