Hello from Daniele and question

daniele

Hello,
I have just joined this community and I would immediately have one simple question. Can you please advise the basic difference between:

- up
- up core
- up squared?

Thnaks,
Daniele

eduncan911

Hello and welcome Daniele!

UP has a comparison chart for several technical and connector differences:

http://www.up-board.org/up/comparison-up-versus-edisongalileo-joule/
(also remember, Intel has disconnected all of their IoT options here - but the UP differences are nicely laid out too)

After reviewing that link, here's a bit more information:

UP (aka "UP Board")
[ul]
[li]The original KickStarter project that started it all[/li]
[li]Uses the Raspberry Pi form-factor[/li]
[/ul]

UP Squared (aka "UP^2", "UP2")
[ul]
[li]More powerful CPU options along with more memory and more storage options[/li]
[li]More connectors (dual 1 Gbps NICs, HDMI and DisplayPort, USB3 ports, etc)[/li]
[li]Expansion slots for standard add-on cards (M.2 slot, mPCIe/mSATA slot)[/li]
[li]Can use more power than the UP Boards, due to the additional accessories[/li]
[li]All of these extra slots and connectors means a bigger board though. Though, still pretty small for what it all packs in a single package.[/li]
[/ul]

Both the UP Board and UP^2 have in common:
[ul]
[li]Has the same 40-pin GPIO pin header, just like the Raspberry Pi[/li]
[li]In turn, Raspberry Pi HATs do work on the UP Board and UP^2, but some customizations may be needed[/li]
[/ul]

UP Core
[ul]
[li]Smallest and lightest size of all 3 boards - smaller than a Post IT note[/li]
[li]In turn, being smallest means you have limited connectors (only 1 USB, and 1 HDMI). Though you can expand with additional dongles[/li]
[li]Onboard WiFi and Bluetooth! (the other two UP boards do not have these)[/li]
[li]Exact same CPU, Memory and Storage options as the UP Board[/li]
[li]Will have a line "Expansion/Carrier Boards" available for sale later on[/li]
[li]May be able to design your own Carrier board and have it built[/li]
[/ul]

All three boards have in common:
[ul]
[li]Full Intel CPU: Runs Windows 10, 10/Pro and most flavors of Linux[/li]
[li]Onboard storage - install the OS directly onto the board[/li]
[li]Same 5V barrel connector for power (though the UP^2 requires more amps if you load it up, whereas the UP Core has the lightest power usage)
[/ul]

...and a lot more.

Basically, think about your project and what solution you need. That should help you narrow down which one to get.

If wanting a board to play with, you can't go wrong with the UP Board. With its Raspberry Pi format and its expandability it fits the vast majority of RPi projects out there. Additional, the UP^2 has a lot more expandability options if you want "all options available."

I personally prefer the UP^2, cause of its horsepower, RPi GPIO and M.2/mPCIe slots. The DisplayPort also is nice, since my monitors have DP and directly connects to the chain of multi-monitors I have. It's dual-nics is nice for a home internet gateway I am building with a 2nd UP^2 board. I also own a couple of UP Boards as well that fit nicely in our Robotic projects my 6 year and I have built.