Next-Gen Core i7-Based VPX SBC Maintains SWaP Characteristics
The rugged SBC346 3U VPX single-board computer (SBC), buoyed by the integration of fourth-generation Intel Core i7 (“Haswell”) quad-core technology, will find its way into command and control, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), radar/sonar, electronic warfare, and confined-space signal-processing (e.g., unmanned vehicles) applications. It comes in five build levels, from air-cooled for benign environments to fully rugged conduction-cooled for deployment in the harshest arenas. Despite the increased performance (15% higher CPU processing speeds, 30% higher 3D performance), GE Intelligent Platforms’ SBC maintains the same size, weight, and power (SWaP) characteristics as its predecessor. An x16 PCI Express link (Gen3-capable) maximizes bandwidth to high-performance peripherals, such as GPGPUs, or to enable multiple high-bandwidth links to multiple peripherals using a combination of x4 an x8 PCI Express ports. The SBC346 supports up to 16 Gbytes of memory; I/O includes three Gigabit Ethernet ports, one VGA port, two SATA 6-Gbit/s ports, two COM ports, up to three USB 2.0 ports, audio (on some build variants), and up to eight GPIO pins.