C.H.I.P. vs Pi Zero: Which Sub-$10 Computer Is Better? (makezine.com)

Make Magazine weighs in on an issue that's suddenly relevant in a world where less than $10 can buy a new, (nominally) complete computer. Which one makes most sense? Both the $9 C.H.I.P and the newest, stripped-down Raspberry Pi model have pluses and minuses, but to make either one actually useful takes some additional hardware; at their low prices, it's not surprising that neither one comes with so much as a case. The two make different trade-offs, despite being just a few dollars apart in ticket price. C.H.I.P. comes with built-in storage that rPi lacks, for instance, but the newest Pi, like its forebears, has built in HDMI output. Make's upshot? The cost of owning either a C.H.I.P. or a Pi is a bit more money than the retail cost of the boards. Peripherals such as a power cable, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are necessary to accomplish any computer task on either of the devices. But it turns out the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero costs significantly more to operate than the Next Thing Co. C.H.I.P.

Comments

Lack of network connectivity is a deal breaker

[supremebob]

Perhaps it's just me, but most of the use cases that I can think of for a small embedded device like the Raspberry Pi Zero require either Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity (preferably Wi-Fi for a mobile applications) to remotely access and administer it.

Since the CHIP has built in Wi-Fi, it just seems more useful for an embedded IoT type application. You could add Wi-Fi pretty easily to the old Raspberry Pi's with a USB Wi-Fi adapter, but even that is more difficult on the Zero because it doesn't have full size USB ports anymore.

I think that I'll pass on this one, and wait for a rev with Wi-Fi.