ZimaBoard 2: An Interesting Intel-Powered Linux Home Mini Server
From an Ubuntu 26.04 development snapshot I ran a number of benchmarks for looking at the power/thermal characteristics of the ZimaBoard 2.
When looking at the Intel N150 CPU power consumption exposed via the PowerCap/RAPL interface, under load the N150 in the ZimaBoard 2 was consuming right at the stated 10 Watts. The peak power consumption recorded under load was 14.5 Watts.
The Intel N150 does run warm with the passive cooling by default. On average the N150 in the ZimaBoard 2 was running in the 90s under load.
Even during single-threaded Python scripts, for example, the N150 was already running in the 80s~90s and the aluminum chassis hot to the touch. So if you are planning on tasking the ZimaBoard 2 with any consistent, heavy loads it may be worthwhile making use of the 4-pin fan header on the device.
Overall the ZimaBoard 2 was a nifty little SOHO server for those wanting to connect up to a few drives or other PCIe x4 devices and looking for a passively-cooled, Intel x86_64 based low-power solution. ZimaOS also worked well from the software side or you can easily load up the Linux or BSD platform of your choice.
Pricing on the ZimaBoard 2 832 with 32GB eMMC / 8GB of RAM is $279 USD or $349 USD for the ZimaBoard 2 1664 with the 64GB eMMC / 16GB RAM.
Those wanting to learn more about the ZimaBoard 2 can do so at Zimaspace.com. Thanks to Zima for sending over this review sample for testing at Phoronix.
If you enjoyed this article consider joining Phoronix Premium to view this site ad-free, multi-page articles on a single page, and other benefits. PayPal or Stripe tips are also graciously accepted. Thanks for your support.