ODROID-C5

odroid c5 as a docker host

I'm using the C5 running the hard kernel image release of Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.12.0-amlogic-odroid-arm64 aarch64). If you search forums you will find you can't run a standard Ubuntu + kernel release because the SoC drivers are not "upstreamed". However, I have been happy with the stability and low power usage. I run a docker host with two containers running pihole and magic mirror server. Power usage is around 1 Watt when I last independently checked the odroid by itself. I measure 5 Watts total with my raspberry pi 3b+, network switch, and Odroid all on the same outlet... but the pi and switch are using all the power. I also want to add they have solid response times and a support team.

Good Hardware & Poor Software

The C5 SBC has some great hardware specs, but... Amlogic hasn't yet released to the open source community all of the S7D hardware interfaces that make it possible to mainline the Linux kernel or U-Boot loader. So when you purchase this board, you must accept using only that which HardKernel provides. That limits you to a significantly hacked 5.15 kernel and 2023.01 u-boot. The Ubuntu OS may be satisfactory for many and you have the option of Android and Yocto with the limitations I just mentioned. You can browse linux-meson.com to get a better picture of where things stand. If I would have known this prior to purchase, I would probably buy another M1S, which has most everything mainlined and even HAOS support. For the tinkerers out there, these boards aren't going to someday become less expensive. If you have the funds, snag one of these and put it on the shelf for when the software catches up. When mainline releases finally become available, this C5 board will really shine. Maybe Linux kernel version 8.0...?

Excellent performance and strong thermal tolerance

I have run this board in a vented plastic enclosure, in a room which gets as hot as 85-87F , running Rust compilation on all four cores for long periods. It didn't seem to break 160F on the SoC, with no heatsink, and no fan, and no throttling! This unit is great, highly recommend it.