Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 Unveiled With 10x CPU Performance

Raspberry Pi has introduced the Compute Module 3, the latest generation of its Compute Module (CM) hardware. According to the company, the Compute Module 3 offers about ten times the CPU performance of the original Compute Module 1, as well as twice the RAM. The CM1 board, the original Compute Module, as released back in early 2014.

While the original Compute Module was based on the original Raspberry Pi's BCM2835 processor, the latest CM3 generation hardware is based on the Raspberry Pi 3's hardware. Explaining its latest board and its purposes, Raspberry Pi says:

The Module takes care of the complexity of routing out the processor pins, the high speed RAM interface, and core power supply, and allows a simple carrier board to provide just what is needed in terms of external interfaces and form factor.

The company is launching two different versions of the CM3, one featuring a BCM2837 processor with a max 1.2GHz, 1GB RAM, and 4GB eMMC flash. The other CM3 model is referred to as the 'Lite' version, featuring the same hardware save for the 4GB eMMC flash, which is replaced with an SD card interface for adding either an SD card or eMMC.

The CM3 Lite is priced at $25 USD, and the CM3 Standard is priced at $30 USD. The older Module version, says Raspberry Pi, is not being made obsolete. Likewise, the new Module is backward compatible with designs utilizing the original CM.

SOURCE: Raspberry Pi