The HackBoard 2 is a single-board computer with an Intel processor, up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of eMMC storage, an M.2 slot for additional storage, and support for Windows, Linux, and other operating systems.

The folks behind the board launched a crowdfunding campaign in late 2020 with the goal of shipping units in the first half of 2021. That… didn’t happen. But the HackBoard 2 is now shipping to backers, and folks who missed out on the crowdfunding campaign can order one now for $175 and up… if you don’t mind spending that kind of money on a little PC with a 4-year-old processor.

At the heart of the HackBoard is an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, which is 6-watt, 2-core, 2-thread chip based on Intel’s Gemini Lake Refresh architecture. It’s a chip that was very common amongst entry-level Chromebooks for a few years, but since it’s an x86 processor it can support a wide range of operating systems including many GNU/Linux distributions, Windows 10, or Windows 11.

But the Celeron N4020 chip was released in 2019 and it’s a few generations old at this point. Intel’s Jasper Lake chips brought significant boost in CPU and graphics performance when they were released in 2021. And this year’s Alder Lake-N chips bring even bigger performance gains.

Since the HackBoard 2 was designed in 2020, it’s not surprising that it features a Gemini Lake Refresh chip. It just would have been nice to see the company upgrade to something a bit newer sometime in the few years it’s taken to bring this device to market.

While all models of the HackBoard 2 ship with the same processor, customers can choose from several memory, storage, and operating system system options. Prices currently range from $175 for a 4GB/64GB/Debian model to $300 for an 8GB/512GB/Windows model.

Other features include an Intel AC9650 wireless card with support for WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and additional connectors that help put the “hack” in HackBoard, including:

  • 40-pin GPIO header
  • 30-pin eDP screen connector
  • 6-pin touchscreen interface
  • 5-pin speaker connector
  • 10-pin battery input connector (for 3.7V battery
  • 5-pin USB 2 camera connector

The board measures 120 x 80mm (4.7″ x 3.2″) and also has two M.2 connectors on the bottom that can be used to add an SSD, cellular modem, or other add-ons.

press release

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 16,183 other subscribers

Join the Conversation

3 Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Bmax has a mini pc with this chip (along with a proper case) for $92 on amazon right now. Unless you are getting this for the gpio (which you can easily do with some cheap arduino microprocessor dev boards)… you are exactly right, this came way too late.

    Reply

  3. Hackboard 2 feels like it’s “a day late and a dollar short”

    Seriously, is this SBCs even a viable product at this price range? This SBC is competing with more powerful modular boards like the Odroid H3+ and the N100 Edge if you want a “true” SBC.

    Reply