Too bad the N100 is costing so much more now due to the ram and ssd shortage.
@dereis6481 Says:
Braucht noch jemand Pi? Seblst in den Slums haben die bessere Notebook Computer
@jaimaakali1658 Says:
This was a useful video and benchmarking was very helpful
@lilhaxxor Says:
I can't get enough of the outro, no matter how many times I hear it. "...talk to you again, very soon (tm)". This is a trademark right there.
@David-o1d8i Says:
Thanks for the post 📯
@nelsbjornjohnson Says:
poor man ,take off that wig ! embrace your baldness !
@practicalthinker5545 Says:
As of this writing, N100 mini PCs are the better choice.
Why?
1. Power Efficiency & Thermals
When under simultaneous load—general-purpose computing, media server, and home automation—the Raspberry Pi 5 is stuck at 8W most of the time, which negates its so-called power efficiency. Meanwhile, the N100 Mini PC handles these workloads effortlessly in low-power states because it was designed for real computing tasks, not just tinkering.
The Pi has no choice but to throttle once heat builds up, meaning its performance will drop when you need it the most. On the other hand, the N100 Mini PC can maintain its performance consistently—even in fanless operation.
Running the Raspberry Pi 5 at near-max load for long periods will shorten its lifespan, because it's not engineered for sustained, high-load computing. Active cooling helps, but it’s just fighting a losing battle. The N100, even passively cooled, doesn’t struggle like this.
2. GPIO & Maker Community Support
People always argue that the Pi wins because of GPIO, but USB GPIO breakout boards (like Adafruit FT232H) work just as well on x86 and can even handle higher I/O voltages than the Pi’s 3.3V GPIO.
The "Maker Community" argument is outdated. Home Assistant, Node-RED, and ESP32 boards are all widely supported on x86 hardware now.
3. Software & Compatibility
Pi fans love to claim it’s beginner-friendly, but only within its ecosystem. If you want to run software outside of Raspberry Pi OS, you run into ARM compatibility issues.
Meanwhile, the N100 Mini PC runs mainstream OSes (Windows, Linux, etc.) without modification. You don’t have to hunt down ARM-compatible Docker containers or deal with weird software limitations.
x86 = full software compatibility with no compromises.
4. Size & Modularity
Pi fans brag about its compact size, but as soon as you add a hat, external SSD, cooling fan, and a USB hub, it’s no longer "small." You end up with a mess of cables and adapters just to get basic functionality.
The N100 Mini PC has all of this built-in—storage, cooling, and ports—while GPIO breakout boards can just be USB dongles.
5. Community & Longevity
The Raspberry Pi’s community is huge—but what’s the point if the product is out of stock half the time?
N100 Mini PCs are widely available, cheaper, and more powerful. No scalpers. No waiting. Just buy one and get to work.
@berniecsx4556 Says:
Complaints about raspi prices are baseless. In 2020 I purchased a Pi-4 4G for A$102, in 2025 I purchased a Pi-5 8G for A$134. After 5 years of inflation, I got a machine that is twice as powerful with twice the ram for A$32 extra. Both were purchased from Core Electronics and I am happy with the price difference.
@williamBryan-k2e Says:
My thoughts 1) I built a N100 ( GMKTeck G3 - 16GBram - 1TB NVME ). I put Kubuntu 24.04 - NO driver problems at all - it all worked. Very good performance. I like KDE ( Kubuntu ) and the most intensive app is vlc playing video. very happy with that Mini. I have a Rasp. Pi 4 - and it struggled with video 1080P - dropped fames if the video just about filled the screen - and that is in vlc - not a browser. so I am glad to see the Rasp Pi 5 doing so well. Good review.
@axentfly5854 Says:
RPi is a thrash. Now Intel's solution are faster, cheaper and light. I have two PI's board, but I decided never use this shit anymore. All specifications are closed, unlike TI processors that are used in Beaglebone and etc.
@themydnighthour Says:
24.04-1 Ubuntu loads much slower but is absolutely more stable on the pi5. It runs wonderfully.
@varman001 Says:
raspberry pi is overrated and overpriced! go for a mini PC.
@SIS5595 Says:
Never use a raspi where you can simply use a PC. Save yourself troubles, headaches and even money.
@farishanafiah8461 Says:
I've been looking at MeLe's PCG02 Pro PC stick and Overclock4C/Quieter4C portable mini PC. Considering they all run on Intel N100, this is one of the rare exceptions where I'd skip Windows and go for Linux.
That said, I'm still eyeing the RPi 5 to couple it with UPERFECT's UPi B7 portable monitor. That would be a perfect 10.1" RPi tablet.
@briccimn Says:
Chris, you are always a reference.
You underline the human side of things.
Many can make a review, pour out numbers, comparisons... But everyday use is another thing.
Thank you.
@KevinNguyen-zn4vv Says:
They serve different purposes. The Pi is open sourced for programming and developing, while the x86 is for personal computing. In terms of cost/computational power -- the Pi is a POS.
@pleappleappleap Says:
Why is this so much slower than the LattePanda in the kdenlive render test?
@raverjames Says:
Next time please add an AI test - run inference on the same LLM model and time how long it takes for the same prompts.
@janhanson6296 Says:
this is awesome; he has the same vibe as the open university lecture that came on the bbc after the normal programming in the 90's
@SpeccyMan Says:
Comparing mismatched systems can hardly be a surprise when the results are in. Even before watching the video I knew the N100 would outperform the Pi 5. I would still choose the Pi 5 over the N100 simply because it offers good value and performance at its price point. I'd just like to see Linux Mint on it as I'm not a fan of Ubuntu. I have installed the cinnamon desktop over Raspberry Pi OS on mine with some Mint theming to get as close as possible and it performs well enough for my needs - even a Pi 4 does. To me, Ubuntu just seems to get uglier with every iteration since I last used it back at version 9.10 Karmic Koala.
@jayesh_15 Says:
Nice comparison 😊
@retrig202 Says:
The Radxa X4 is $89 with 8 gigs of RAM, an N100 processor, and a 64 Gig EMMC. RPi 5 form factor. Has an RP2040 chip on it to power a full 40 pin GPIO. It even has an 2230 M.2 nvme slot. No hat needed. Truly a Raspberry Pi killer in almost every single way. I love my Pi5, but it's hard to justify it. I was going to upgrade my brother's Pi400 to a Pi5 for his emulation needs, but it makes no sense. Settled on a N97 mini PC.
@contra_plano Says:
veeeerrryyyy niiiicccceee indeeeedd
@Andrew-sx4re Says:
n100 can run 4k videos 60fps. big difference
@harcial94 Says:
I have tried to find a reason to choose RPI5 over the N100, and the truth, the only one, are the GPIO ports, the N100 beats it in performance, and price. Power consumption, is about the same, the RPI5 at maximum use, with the fan connected, has exceeded 15w, the n100 in a plex server stays from 10 to 20w, maximum about 25w when they are running 2 mechanical disks, the consumption is because it has higher performance, in amazon there are offers and coupons of N100, for less than 150 dollars, 16gb ram and 512gb ssd, normally I have bought N100 for about $110-115 with 8 and 256, then RPI 5, is not a good option, not even cheap, I do not see why continue buying it for projects such as casasos, servers, docker, game emulators, nothing, I do not see anything attractive.
@johnk6757 Says:
radxa just announced the x4, an n100 machine for $60.. I'd actually be reversing your question, can a n100 replace a pi5? (yes)
@Kryptstar_mack Says:
There is an n97 in Japan with two HDMI on sale for $100 with 8gb of ram and 256gb none
@Barnardrab Says:
The Pi5 wins because it has 2 HDMI ports.
@alexandrbig6825 Says:
A strange comparison, n100 in the form of a ready-made micro PC costs about $150 with 16Gb memory, power supply, case, and 512GB drive. At the same time, we should not forget that there is a noticeably larger amount of software on the x86 architecture side. And also you can change the RAM amount on it, because it is not presoldered.
@YSam-rb9bz Says:
consider the size and price, pi 5 is such a great broad !
@briankleinschmidt3664 Says:
Type "hello" and make it big?
@willmil11 Says:
rasberry pi 5 runs better on rasberry pi os tho, you can put gnome on it to make it fair. The infernal snap store of ubuntu makes it unusable. For best performence overclock the cpu and gpu of the rpi5
/boot/firmware/config.txt
in the [all] section if not there add at the end of the file:
arm_freq=2900
gpu_freq=1100
over_voltage=6
Only on rpi os tho..
Sometimes you can push the cpu a bit farther to 3000mhz, if you get problems aka kernel panic etc. plug the sd card into a computer and change it back manually.
Only damage possible while overclocking is overheating or if you put over_voltage above 6
@abdulaziz1484 Says:
first boot ubuntu n100😮, ya iyalah lambat
@stuartlatham9814 Says:
Very good 🖖😎
@juriom7023 Says:
hello , ran your sysbench command on a 15 year old server mac computer, and the result was "Total time: 0.0012s" "total number of events 10000"? can this be?
@robertcartier5088 Says:
Without both systems running the same OS, I don't see the point of comparing them. Basically you've proven that a tiny OS specifically designed for a certain tiny system runs a little quicker than a full-blown commercial OS.
Ok, um...Woopy?! 👏🙄
@shanold7681 Says:
I think if you want a Light duty PC the N100 is a no brainer. There are endless prebuilt systems that cost basically the same as a pi 5 with everything you would need to cobble together your own mini pc.
@ii-9049 Says:
now we need to compare red and wet 🤡
@OriNachum Says:
Now I’m curious to see your N100 against LattePanda Mu
@garywillingham7853 Says:
Loved your PI5 vs N100 YTube presentation. Is there a link to a
complete 5:18 parts list needed to build one
@pieterboots8566 Says:
It is time for openai to make an operating system.
@cedrikb7124 Says:
Hi, very nice video. Are you sure that video rendering indeed uses hardware acceleration on the n100 ? because to me , but i may be wrong for example in handbrake it will use them (core i5) only if I select the adequate compression (QSV). isnt that due only to a better multi core performance ?
@rtc3000 Says:
I won't go for the PI. I feel that it's an over priced hobbyist product.
You could easily get a n100 mini pc plus this mini pc can play 4K easily too.
PI is too restrictive. No cables, assemble yourself, fixed ram sized, poorer quality case, add on for more ports etc.
Yuckie doodle
@瀚明院 Says:
The always free arm vps with 4 VMs from Oracle just runs that sysbench test at 1.9459s! respect!
@ssteele1812 Says:
I love the micro hdmi on the Pi. I wish more of these sbcs used it. Hell, there is also a mini display port that could be used or just throw the usbc on there with video out capabilities. I have all three of those cables already. Lol
As for this video. I am really impressed that the comparison came out so close. All vomes down to use case and connectivity preferences. Everything else was pretty much a wash.
@badpants Says:
Your boot test is invalid since the N100 has the overhead of the bios loading and that usually includes a delay so you can break into the bios. While testing the desktop response times, you fail to mention the resolution you are running at. You should test them both at 4K @ 60 Hz.
@talos86 Says:
In boot time comparsion, that Asrock board can be much more faster, if you can enable the Instant boot feature in Ubuntu and reduce the default 5 sec POST wait time. With Sata SSD my Asrock E350M1 need 12 sec to boot into Windows 10 desktop Instant boot enabled and the Post wait time reduced to 2 sec. No need for more to BIOS access, because ppl usually spam the Del or F2 buttons to accaes the (UEFI)BIOS.
@serpentine8914 Says:
interesting and highly relevant comparison 👍👍👍. These are machines that we'd most certainly love to get our hands on. Thanks🙏
@truthjunkie3 Says:
GMKTec G3 is only $135 w 8gb RAM and 256GB SSD. That includes the power supply. Equivalent Pi 5 I believe would be more expensive, not less.
@hwmasters Says:
how about unstable Pi5 for 24/7 usage, system just stucking after few hours?!
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