When comparing ASUS Tinker Board S vs Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, the Slant community recommends Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ for most people. In the question“What are the best single-board computers?” Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is ranked 9th while ASUS Tinker Board S is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is:
Thanks to a new thermal management plate (heat spreader), as well as better voltage regulation, the CPU gained a nice little 200 MHz bump in clock speed over the Pi 3 Model B. Applications on the Pi 3 B+ are a little faster and snappier than their predecessor.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Fair performance
The Asus Tinker Board S is a more powerful single-board computer than a Raspberry Pi Model B since it has a more powerful microprocessor as well as larger and faster RAM memory.
Pro Stays cool
The ASUS Tinker Board S doesn't have problems related to overheating because it comes with a massive heatsink that can dissipate all heat generated by the board's powerful microprocessor.
Pro Simple setup
All you need to do to set this board up and running is to upload the appropriate Android or Linux image. Both images can be obtained from the ASUS's official web resource in the form of downloadable .zip files. Simply download the files and drivers on your computer and use the Etcher to flash the Tinker Board S. Overall, the process takes around 10 minutes to complete.
Pro Has on-board WiFi and Bluetooth
You'll have no problem connecting to a WiFi network or Bluetooth peripherals with the Tinker Board S since it comes with an onboard 802.11 b/g/n - compliant WiFi and Bluetooth transceiver.
Pro Has some on-board storage
Unlike the previous version of the ASUS's Tinker Board, the model S comes equipped with a 16GB eMMC storage which means that you'll always have some space to store the computer's OS as well as some extra applications.
The eMMC memory performs on par with the more commonly known SD memory used on the majority of other single board computers out there since both of those are based on NAND.
Pro Fits the Raspberry Pi's case
You'll not have to tinker around finding the case for this single-board computer since it has the same form factor as the Raspberry Pi 3. You can find a variety of cases that start at around $6.50 here.
Pro Multi-OS platform
Right now, Tinker Board S can run both Android and Linux. Linux comes in the form of TinkerOS_Debian that is based on a well-known Debian distribution while the TinkerOS_Android is based on the Android 6.
Pro Outputs in 4K
This single board-computer has enough juice to stream the 4K media at the frame rate of 30Hz through its HDMI port.
Pro Less risk to fry a board with a cheap power supply
You're less likely to fry this SBC than some of the other ones because the Tinker Board S has the low-voltage detection circuitry which will shut down the computer if it detects inappropriately low voltage coming from the power supply. Usually, cheaper power adapters are the ones that fail to reach the needed 5V mark.
Pro Better build
Clear and colorful design.
Pro Faster CPU than the original Pi 3 Model B
Thanks to a new thermal management plate (heat spreader), as well as better voltage regulation, the CPU gained a nice little 200 MHz bump in clock speed over the Pi 3 Model B. Applications on the Pi 3 B+ are a little faster and snappier than their predecessor.
Pro World-class support and software
What really sets the Raspberry Pi apart from the competition, and makes it leagues apart from every other SBC out there, it the software and support you get from every corner of the ecosystem regarding anything you want to make, build or do with the Pi. The most up-to-date kernels, the widest supported bundles, hats for every occasion, step-by-step instructions, and if you're trying something and get stuck, chances are high someone else has got stuck at the same spot, got past it, and left detailed instructions on how to get past it so nobody ever gets stuck there again. That is the best feature of the Raspberry Pi.
Pro Faster networking capabilities
Because of the Gigabit ethernet (although still sharing the USB 2.0 bus which limits its speed ceiling), it goes up to 3x faster than the original Pi 3 Model B. The new wireless chip supports 802.111ac, which also increases its throughput to 3x as well. Bluetooth 4.2 LE is much more stable, and it's just a nice little upgrade.
Pro Great community and developer support
The various addons boards means this is the board to go with for starters into development. Without much knowledge you can get a project up and running in a short amount of time.
Cons
Con Comes without a power supply
You'll need to spend some extra money on a power supply unit since this board doesn't come with the one.
Con Once eMMC gets stuck it’s a headache
Once you get the eMMc stuck with switching operating system it’s a real nightmare to fix it
Con MicroUSB power connector
Con Power-hungry
This single-board computer is quite demanding when it comes to power since it is recommended to be used with a 3A power supply.
Con Superseded
the newer Model 4 is available for the same price and can do everything this does and more.
Con USB and Ethernet bandwidth shared
For cloud servers (OwnCloud, NextCloud, FTP, Media Hosting, etc...) it will take a dip on the transfer performance (when using ethernet combined with a USB Storage device) as the same controller handles the USB and Ethernet interfaces. Better performance than its predecessor, but something to keep in mind.
Con Only USB 2.0
It only has USB 2.0 ports which are painfully slow but they are also limited to 0.5 A which is not enough to power a HDD reliable.
Con Not for power users
The Pi has a 5V/2.5A DC power input which is not enough.
Con Bluetooth is very unstable - never fails to fail
Many times after successfully pairing devices it just stops working. One speaker worked for about 5minutes then stopped. Since then it will pair but will not connect. Yes the speakers work in Windows and with a Samsung Galaxy S8. Its seems to have more to do with the Raspbian OS, since using a BlueTooth dongle with it gives the same results.