Asus Tinker is a solid choice for a single board computer. It’s become my go to favorite when I want an SBC with a bit of oomph; one that can run a complex makefile without choking or keep a few browser tabs open without grinding to a crawl.
With the new “S” model, it’s simpler to get into action that before: Skip the microSD card, skip digging that card writer out of storage, just plug the Tinker Board S directly into your main computer via USB. Write the OS to the built-in 16GB of storage as if it were a USB drive.
You can still do it the old way, if you’d like — the microSD card slot is still there. But if you wanted to use an SD card as your main drive, then the (somewhat cheaper) Tinker Classic may be the better choice.
Aside from the fast built in flash drive and the easier setup it brings, what’s changed between the Tinker Classic and the Model S? Nothing major. Same processor. Same GPU. Same memory. Same WiFi, same Bluetooth, same wired ethernet. This is a good board and ASUS left the core alone.
