You have to set up a homelab! Zimaboard Review

An x86 Raspberry Pi, but with PCIe, 2x SATA, 2x 1Gbe!

ZimaBoard is a low-cost single-board server designed for makers and geeks. It offers the expandability of an x86 single-board computer (SBC) and the form factor of Raspberry Pi, making it a versatile tool for a variety of applications.

Design and Build Quality

The ZimaBoard 832, one of the models in the ZimaBoard series, is a compact, robust device with a rectangular case. The bottom side is made of glossy plastic, while the top side is a solid alloy, which helps dissipate heat from the PCB, no fan! The device is equipped with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a Mini-DisplayPort 1.2 4k@60Hz, and a PCIe 2.0 4x slot.

Front I/O

PCIe Gen2 x4

2x SATA with SATA Power

Performance

The ZimaBoard 832 uses an Intel Celeron Apollo Lake processor, the quad-core N3450, which can go up to 2.2GHz (2MB L2 cache). It’s not a powerhouse, but it should be perfectly fine for server purposes and some other applications. The device is also equipped with an Intel HD Graphics 500 GPU (200-700MHz), 8GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage. In terms of performance, the ZimaBoard 832 has a decent level of computational power.

Use Cases

The ZimaBoard can be utilized for a wide variety of use cases that take advantage of its capabilities as an x86 microserver:

Homelab Server: The ZimaBoard is an excellent option for setting up a homelab server for learning, experimenting, and testing new technologies. Its x86 architecture allows it to run common server operating systems like Linux and Windows. The PCIe slot also allows adding additional storage or networking capabilities.

Network Router: With its dual ethernet ports, the ZimaBoard can act as a high-performance router running open-source routing software like OpenWrt. This provides more flexibility and customization options compared to consumer routers.

Network Attached Storage (NAS): The ZimaBoard’s SATA ports allow connecting multiple hard drives to set up a NAS for centralized file storage and backup. RAID can be configured for redundancy. The PCIe slot also allows adding SSDs or NVMe drives for improved performance.

Media Server: The ZimaBoard has enough processing power to transcode multiple video streams. Combined with ample storage, it can serve as a Plex Media Server, Emby server, or Kodi backend to stream media to multiple devices.

Smart Home Hub: ZimaBoard can act as a smart home controller running software like Home Assistant to automate and control devices over , WiFi, Bluetooth etc. The PCIe slot allows adding wireless cards if needed.

Game Servers: Lightweight game servers for Minecraft, CS:GO, Garry’s Mod etc can be hosted on the ZimaBoard for gaming with friends. The x86 architecture has better compatibility with game server software compared to ARM SBCs.

Web Server: The ZimaBoard can host websites and web apps using Apache, Nginx, Node.js etc. The dual ethernet provides redundancy and segregation of LAN and WAN traffic.

VPN Server: Create a VPN server with OpenVPN or Wireguard to access your home network securely from anywhere. The ZimaBoard provides plenty of bandwidth for multiple VPN clients.

Docker Host: The ZimaBoard is an excellent platform for running Docker containers. This allows deploying applications in isolated environments and easily replicating them across multiple devices.

Data Collection and Processing: ZimaBoard can collect data from IoT sensors, preprocess it, and forward it to cloud/analytics services. Its x86 architecture enables running more sophisticated analytics software compared to ARM SBCs.

Software Development: Programmers can use ZimaBoard to host git repositories, continuous integration/deployment pipelines, and other development tools. The PCIe slot allows adding more storage for repositories and build artifacts.

Lightweight Desktop PC: While not its primary purpose, ZimaBoard can act as a basic desktop PC for light office and web browsing workloads when paired with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

This is tip of the iceberg, the ZimaBoard is a versatile tool for DIY tech enthusiasts. Its x86 architecture, PCIe expandability, dual networking, and generous I/O make it suitable for a wide variety of server, networking, and IoT applications. It provides an affordable way to learn and experiment with self-hosted infrastructure

CasaOS Review

CasaOS is an open-source project developed by the ZimaBoard team. It is designed to simplify the management of home server applications and provides a user-friendly web interface.

User Experience

The CasaOS web interface provides an intuitive and visually appealing control panel to manage the ZimaBoard. The dashboard displays system resource utilization – CPU, memory, storage, and network. Common settings terminal, poweroff and restart are available.

One of the key features of CasaOS is its built-in App Store. These applications cover a wide range of use cases, including file management, media streaming, data backup, and more. Some of the popular applications available in the CasaOS App Store include Nextcloud, Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Nginx, and Syncthing, among others.

CasaOS focuses on making self-hosted apps effortless to deploy. Apps can be managed directly from the UI. The interface follows modern web design standards and is optimized for desktop and mobile access. You also have terminal access via SSH.

CasaOS Settings

Docker Management

At its core, CasaOS relies on Docker to deploy and run apps in isolated containers. But it hides away the complexity of Docker and provides a simple UI. Apps can be installed as Docker containers from the App Store or custom Docker Compose files can be deployed.

CasaOS’s integration with Docker means that it can support virtually any Docker image. This opens up the possibility of running thousands of applications on CasaOS. Any application that has a Docker image can be converted into a CasaOS app, significantly expanding the range of applications that you can run on your ZimaBoard.

Community and Support

CasaOS is developed openly on GitHub. Its documentation covers common usage scenarios and troubleshooting. The developers are responsive on the Discord. The open-source model allows users to fix bugs, add enhancements, and extend functionality.

Being based on mainstream open-source software like Docker and Linux allows tapping into those communities for help. Docker’s large adoption means most apps have official or community-built Docker images ready to be deployed.

I use cloudflare tunnels to access my homelab. A app was made available due to request!

Overall Assessment

CasaOS is a valuable tool for those looking to self-host apps and manage their home data. It’s user-friendly, feature-rich, and supported by a vibrant community.

CasaOS’s Docker capabilities are particularly noteworthy. With Docker, you can install thousands of apps and manage them easily via the beautiful CasaOS interface. This makes it an excellent choice for those who want to experiment with different applications without having to go through complex installation processes.

In conclusion, both ZimaBoard and CasaOS offer unique features and capabilities that make them valuable tools for tech enthusiasts. While they may have some limitations and are still works in progress, their flexibility, affordability, and community support make them worth considering.

The ZimaBoard, with its ample port flexibility, allows you to do pretty much anything you want. Whether you want to add a 10G network card or need decent space and decide to add an SSD as a boot drive and HDD for storage, the ZimaBoard has you covered. The PCIe x4 Gen2 slot comes in handy, although Gen3 would be much better in terms of future-proofing.

The CasaOS, with its beautiful UI and pre-installed eMMC storage, is a breath of fresh air in the world of self-hosting apps. It uses Docker to ‘install’ applications and provides an app store where you can install an app with a click. This ease of access makes the ZimaBoard and CasaOS an excellent choice for newbies.

In terms of performance, we tested the dual-core model with 2GB RAM & it works pretty well. It’s available for $99, and it goes up to $179 for the quad-core CPU and 8GB RAM model. The performance of the quad-core CPU and 8GB model can be speculated to be much better. Zimaboard Shop

Overall, the ZimaBoard and CasaOS are like a Raspberry Pi for network and homelab enthusiasts and newbies. They are recommended for those who like to tinker around and are a worthwhile investment.

September 2023 Update:

They have upgraded the base model internal storage from 16GB to 32GB, a relief!

They launched zimablade for $64, check it out!

They announced zimacube, UPTO: i5 12th gen, TB4, 6HDD Bays, 4 M.2, 32GB DDR5

Brand Checklist (Note: These are like to have, not cons)

[*} PCIe Gen3/4 (Gen3, ZimaCube)

[*}Better CPU (i5 12th gen, ZimaCube)

[*}Type-C instead of Barrel Jack (Zimablade has USB-C with PD and video out)

[*}CasaOS Custom Loading Applists

[*}Decent File Manager

[ ] Windows Drivers for eMMC