This video reviews the DeepComputing P550, a $400 developer board featuring the RISC-V architecture. While its performance is slow compared to modern ARM boards like the Raspberry Pi 5, it is currently the fastest RISC-V single-board computer (SBC) available, significantly outperforming previous generations. The board boasts ambitious hardware, including a 20 TOPS NPU and an Imagination GPU, though software support for these features is still in development. The video highlights the rapidly maturing RISC-V software ecosystem, with excellent developer tool support and a near-mainline Linux kernel. Extensive testing showcases its capabilities, including limited PCIe NVMe speeds, successful integration of older AMD GPUs, and the remarkable feat of running Windows games like The Witcher 3 through complex emulation layers, albeit at unplayable frame rates. The conclusion is that the P550 is an expensive but vital tool for developers, representing an exciting and significant step forward for the RISC-V ecosystem as it closes the gap with ARM.
A Deep Dive into the DeepComputing P550 RISC-V Board
0:00:02 Introduction to the P550: The video introduces the DeepComputing P550, a developer board built on the open RISC-V architecture. Despite its high price of $400, its performance is comparable to decade-old computers.
0:00:26 Ambitious but Incomplete Hardware: The board includes advanced features like a 20 TOPS NPU for AI and an Imagination GPU. However, the software to fully utilize this hardware is not yet available out of the box.
0:00:42 Unique Form Factor: The P550 uses a Mini-DTX form factor, which is 33mm longer than the more common Mini-ITX, potentially causing compatibility issues with some small PC cases.
0:01:15 The Fastest RISC-V Dev Board Yet: While slow by modern standards, the P550 is the fastest RISC-V board the creator has tested, proving to be more than twice as fast as previous models like the Vision 5 2 and the Framework RISC-V board.
0:02:35 A Rapidly Improving Software Ecosystem: Software support for RISC-V is maturing quickly. Most developer tools work without needing to be compiled from source, and the Linux kernel requires only about 100 patches over mainline, which indicates strong future support.
0:04:21 High Idle Power and Cooling Issues: The board has a high idle power consumption of around 8 watts because the CPU lacks a power-saving governor. By default, the CPU fan runs at full speed, which is unnecessary for the low temperatures observed.
0:06:27 PCI Express Capabilities and Bottlenecks: The board has a full-size PCIe slot (wired as x4 Gen 3). Testing with an NVMe SSD yields speeds of only ~800 MB/s, far below the interface's potential, indicating a CPU bottleneck.
0:07:40 Successful AMD GPU Integration: Thanks to open-source drivers, the board works with older AMD GPUs like the R5 230 and RX 480. This enables improved native Linux gaming and GPU-accelerated AI.
0:09:03 Pushing the Limits with Windows Emulation: In a major proof of concept, the creator successfully installs and runs The Witcher 3 (a AAA Windows game) using a combination of Wine, Box64, and dxvk. The installation took over 7 hours, and the game runs at an unplayable 0-2 FPS, but the fact that it works at all is a huge achievement for the platform.
0:12:24 AI Performance and Workarounds: On-chip AI is not yet functional. Running LLMs on the CPU is 20 times slower than a Raspberry Pi 5. However, by using an external AMD GPU with Vulkan acceleration, the board can achieve a usable 15-30 tokens per second on smaller models.
0:13:42 A Niche Board for Developers: The video concludes that the P550 is not for consumers but is a well-supported and powerful platform for developers. Its capabilities signal that the RISC-V hardware ecosystem is rapidly becoming more compatible and competitive.