Raspberry Pi 5 vs Radxa X4
Benchmarks, specifications, and real-world performance data
Tested by Bret Weber Last updated
Fastest
Radxa X4
2,981 GB6 multi-core
Best value
Radxa X4
29.8 GB6 pts/$ at $100
Most efficient
Raspberry Pi 5
6.5W under load
Expert Summary
The Radxa X4 uses an Intel N100, so you get x86 compatibility. Windows runs natively, and you don't need to hunt down ARM-specific builds of software. It has 2.5GbE networking and a proper M.2 2230 slot for NVMe (PCIe Gen3 x4), which means storage and network speeds blow past what the Pi 5 can do.
The downside? Power draw. The X4 needs more juice and better cooling to avoid throttling. It uses an RP2040 to handle GPIO, which works, but the Pi 5 is still the safer choice if you're doing anything with HATs or low-level hardware projects as you can't access the GPIO directly, it has to go through the USB connection. The X4 makes sense if you need x86 compatibility or want a high-speed network node. The Pi 5 makes sense if you want something that sips power and has the full community behind it.
Read our individual reviews:
Multiple benchmark runs available. Perfect for seeing how different OS versions, kernels, and carrier boards may impact performance numbers. For example, Raspberry Pi OS vs Ubuntu on the Raspberry Pi 5, or official vs third-party carrier boards for your CM5.
Every figure above comes from hardware run in-house by Bret Weber, on the exact OS build, kernel, firmware and boot device listed here. Boards are tested to a fixed procedure so results stay comparable between them: see our testing methodology for how each benchmark is run.
Detailed Reviews
Read our comprehensive reviews from bret.dk featuring data and benchmarks from sbc.compare:
CPU Performance
Processor performance across single and multi-core workloads
Geekbench 6
Higher Scores are Better
7-Zip Benchmark
Higher Scores are Better
High Performance Linpack
Higher Scores are Better
UnixBench
Higher Scores are Better
PassMark CPU
Higher Scores are Better
CPU Mining (cpuminer-multi)
Higher Hashrates are Better
Memory Performance
Memory bandwidth and throughput benchmarks
PassMark RAM
Higher Scores are Better
GPU Performance
Graphics rendering with OpenGL and Vulkan, plus raw Vulkan compute throughput
glmark2 (OpenGL)
Higher Scores are Better
Only this board has been tested so far, so there is nothing to compare against yet.
vkmark (Vulkan)
Higher Scores are Better
Only this board has been tested so far, so there is nothing to compare against yet.
AI & LLM Performance
Large Language Model inference performance
Ollama LLM Benchmark
Higher Scores are Better
Storage Performance
Disk I/O throughput measured with FIO
fio Storage Performance - M.2 NVMe
Higher Speeds are Better • Crucial P5 Plus (1024GB M.2 NVMe), Western Digital Black SN770M (500GB M.2 NVMe)
fio Storage Performance - microSD
Higher Speeds are Better • Raspberry Pi 64GB (64GB microSD)
Only this board has been tested so far, so there is nothing to compare against yet.
Network Performance
Ethernet and WiFi throughput measured with iPerf3
iPerf3 Network Performance
Higher Speeds are Better
Power & Thermal
Power consumption at idle and under various workloads
Power Consumption
Lower is "Better"
Cooling & Thermal Testing
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster, the Radxa X4 or the Raspberry Pi 5?
The Radxa X4 is faster in our testing, scoring 2,981 in Geekbench 6 multi-core versus 2,188 for the Raspberry Pi 5, a 36% advantage.
Which board is the best value?
Of the boards in this comparison, the Radxa X4 offers the best performance per dollar: 29.8 Geekbench 6 multi-core points per dollar at $99.99.
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