The topic of I recommended this SBC before the Raspberry Pi became impossible to buy – it holds… is currently the subject of lively debate — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
I’ve adored the Raspberry Pi family ever since I got my RPi Zero back in the day, but I’m not satisfied with the price-to-performance ratio of the mainline boards in this uber-popular single-board computer lineup. Compared to the dirt-cheap price tags on the Zero series, a trend that fortunately still holds up to this day, the numbered boards started to feel somewhat expensive.
With the memory shortage causing further turmoil in the Raspberry Pi’s pricing and supply, it’s really hard to recommend these ARM boards to anyone who doesn’t explicitly need GPIO connectivity. In fact, I loved how well the ZimaBoard 2 performed in typical home server tasks when the SBC was unveiled ages ago. And with the Raspberry Pi’s recent pricing trends, the ZimaBoard 2 holds up even better for entry-level home labs in 2026.
As much as I appreciate the energy-efficient nature of ARM processors, they can be a little iffy for somewhat demanding projects – on both the performance and compatibility fronts. To add insult to injury, the ARM processors that ship with mainline Raspberry Pi boards tend to get outdated by the time the SBC even hits the shelves, and this trend was painfully obvious for the RPi 5. But even if you leave the slower performance of the Raspberry Pi family aside, you’ve got unsupported packages and distros to contend with. Sure, the RPi series has better support than its ARM rivals, but it automatically loses on the compatibility front as soon as x86 systems like the ZimaBoard 2 step into the ring.
With x86 mini PCs becoming more budget-friendly, I find it hard to recommend Raspberry Pi SBCs
for example, I’ve run everything from TrueNAS (the official version, I mean) and Unraid to Proxmox and ESXi on the ZimaBoard 2, and the SBC had no compatibility or performance issues whatsoever. And I’ve got the N150 processor to thank for that. Even if it consumes more energy than the ARM CPU in the Raspberry Pi, it’s really responsive in server workloads, including virtualization projects. Toss its iGPU into the mix, and it crushes the Raspberry Pi 5 in emulation and hardware transcoding operations. That’s pretty important when you’re planning to store ripped movies, TV shows, and ROMs on your SBC-powered NAS…
Considering that the ZimaBoard 2 is marketed as a tiny Network-Attached Storage server, it easily surpasses its Raspberry-flavored rival when it comes to hoarding your data. For starters, it includes two SATA ports that can power full-fledged 3.5-inch hard drives, and you can use the eMMC storage to house the underlying operating system. That’s a big deal compared to the mere microSD slot, USB ports, and (expensive) SATA hats you can use on the Raspberry Pi.
It also houses a dedicated PCIe 3.0 slot, which is not only faster than the Gen 2 port on the Raspberry Pi 5, but it doesn’t require wacky adapter combos when connecting PCIe cards. I’ve used it with an NVMe-to-PCIe card in the past, and it’s good enough for adding high-speed SSDs to the SBC. Likewise, I even got my 10G TP-Link card (albeit at slightly throttled speeds due to the PCIe Gen 3.0 interface) working with the ZimaBoard 2 without any issues whatsoever. That’s pretty impressive for a tiny home server node, though I didn’t really need the extra NIC since the ZimaBoard 2 has impressive Ethernet provisions built into it.
I always appreciate NAS chassis that ship with two Ethernet ports instead of one, and the ZimaBoard 2 gets extra brownie points for understanding that assignment correctly. Unlike the 1G port on modern Raspberry Pi systems, each Ethernet port on the ZimaBoard 2 has 2.5G speeds. Combine that with the superior compatibility of the N150 processor, and you’ve got the best SBC for a custom-built OPNsense (or Pfsense, if that’s what you’re into) firewall. In fact, its Intel I226-V Ethernet controller works better than cheap NICs on FreeBSD-powered setups. Or even ESXi, for that matter.
If your DIY projects are even remotely demanding, the ZimaBoard 2 is clearly the better option. Depending on where you pick up a new Raspberry Pi 5, its ZimaBoard 2 counterpart either costs about the same or $50 more. But its superior processing capabilities, terrific OS support, and better specs make it a solid option for typical home server projects.
That said, my biggest issue with the ZimaBoard 2 is that it doesn’t support GPIO pins. So, if you’re planning to create circuitry projects, it’s better to opt for a Raspberry Pi board (preferably a Zero unit) instead.
Why it matters
News like this often changes audience expectations and competitors’ plans.
When one player makes a move, others usually react — it is worth reading the event in context.
What to look out for next
The full picture will become clear in time, but the headline already shows the dynamics of the industry.
Further statements and user reactions will add to the story.