We usually focus on open-source hardware because, for many, it offers more possibilities than proprietary hardware, but in this case, we're going to make an exception. The Asus Thinker Board is a single-board computer (SBC) from Asus that shares some characteristics with the Raspberry Pi. This means it's not an open-source board, but we can use it for certain projects or functions, just like on a Raspberry Pi or Orange Pi.
Asus Thinker Board belongs to Asus and that is a guarantee as the company is an expert on boards, but it is not very fond of releasing many of its products.
The Asus Thinker Board is an affordable board, especially when compared to other Raspberry Pi clones and alternatives. It costs around $60 , compared to the Raspberry Pi's $35. Its processor is the Rockchip RK3288 , a fairly powerful chip compatible with more GNU/Linux distributions than the ARM platform. The GPU is the Mali-T764. Like the Raspberry Pi, the Asus Thinker Board features a 40-pin GPIO header , making many DIY projects possible.
Asus Thinker Board is a great proprietary alternative to Raspberry Pi 3
The Asus Thinker Board comes with 2GB of RAM, an HDMI port for display output , built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, an Ethernet port, and four USB ports. Internal storage depends on the microSD card used and the operating system; currently, it will support either Debian or Kodi, allowing you to create a multimedia center with this board.
If we compare the specifications with the Raspberry Pi, the difference in RAM and GPIO pins is striking . This suggests that the Asus Thinker Board is ideal for those looking for a mini PC, while the Raspberry Pi is ideal for those who want to use a board for open-source projects, don't you think?