This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Leonard Liao
SBCs powered by Rockchip’s RK3588S chipset are gaining traction across AIoT and robotics. With its strong CPU, GPU, NPU, and multimedia support, the RK3588S delivers a versatile platform for both experimentation and deployment. That’s what we need!
In this post, we’ll explore RAM and CPU benchmarking on RK3588S-based SBCs, using Firefly and Kiwi Pi 5 as examples. We’ll look at why the RK3588S is a solid choice, how to run tests, and how the boards compare.
The RK3588S is built on an 8nm process and integrates multiple compute units:
CPU: 4× Cortex-A76 (2.2GHz) + 4× Cortex-A55 (1.8GHz)
GPU: ARM Mali-G610 MC4 (OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.2)
NPU: 6 TOPS AI acceleration (INT4/8/16, FP16, BF16, TF32)
VPU: 8K/60fps decoding, 8K/30fps encoding
Memory: Up to 32GB LPDDR4X
Connectivity: HDMI 2.1, USB 3.1, PCIe, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6
This balance of compute, graphics, and AI performance makes it one of the most compelling SoCs for next-generation SBCs.
SBC Examples
Firefly RK3588S Boards
ROC-RK3588S-PC – industrial & embedded AI applications
Kiwi Pi 5
A developer-friendly SBC in a compact 56×85 mm form factor:
CPU/GPU/NPU: RK3588S, Mali-G610, 6 TOPS NPU
Memory: 4–32GB LPDDR4X (our test used 8GB)
Storage: 64GB eMMC (expandable to 512GB), microSD slot
Video: HDMI 2.1 (8K@60fps), Type-C DP 1.4 (8K@30fps)
I/O: 2× MIPI-CSI, USB 3.1, USB 3.0, 26-pin GPIO
Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, Gigabit Ethernet
OS Support: Linux 5.10/6.10, Android 12, Debian 11, Ubuntu 22.04
How to Benchmark CPU and RAM
Testing ensures both stability and performance. Recommended tools:
sysbench – CPU performance
7-zip benchmark – compression/decompression throughput
memtester – RAM stability
Example: Kiwi Pi 5 (Ubuntu 20.04)
sudo apt install sysbench -y
sysbench cpu --threads=8 run
Sysbench results:
Events/sec: ~14,247
Total events (10s): 142,506
Avg latency: 0.56 ms
95th percentile latency: 1.08 ms
Max latency: 24.20 ms (rare spike)
Interpretation:
Stable CPU throughput (~14.2k operations/sec)
Almost all operations complete within 1 ms
Occasional spikes likely due to background processes or thermal throttling
Thread imbalance expected due to big.LITTLE design (A76 vs A55 cores)
Memtester:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install memtester -y
sudo memtester 512M 1
512MB tested, stable across loops
Firefly ROC-RK3588S-PC Example
CPU speed: ~14,000–14,800 events/sec
Avg latency: 0.55–0.60 ms
95th percentile: ~1.0 ms
Observations:
Nearly identical performance to Kiwi Pi 5
Slightly better sustained throughput possible due to larger board size and better cooling
RAM speed variations (different DDR configs) can impact results
Direct Comparison
Feature Kiwi Pi 5 Firefly ROC-RK3588S-PC
CPU Events/sec ~14,247 ~14,000–14,800
Avg Latency 0.56 ms 0.55–0.60 ms
95th Percentile 1.08 ms ~1.0 ms
Max Latency 24.2 ms 10–14 ms typical
Thread Fairness Uneven (big.LITTLE) Uneven (big.LITTLE)
Result: Both SBCs show nearly identical CPU benchmark results. Differences arise mainly from cooling and RAM configurations.
Benchmarking RK3588S SBCs demonstrates consistent performance across different vendors. Firefly boards are well-suited for industrial applications with more expansion options, while Kiwi Pi 5 shines as a compact, developer-friendly choice with strong wireless support.
For workloads in AI inference, robotics, multimedia processing, or IoT, both options deliver robust performance. Your choice depends on whether you prioritize expandability (Firefly) or compact flexibility (Kiwi Pi 5).
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Leonard Liao