# NanoPi M5

> Mid-range RK3576 SBC with 4x Cortex-A72 + 4x Cortex-A53 at 2.2GHz, up to 8GB RAM, dual Gigabit Ethernet, M.2 NVMe, HDMI 4K, 6 TOPS NPU, MIPI-CSI/DSI, 30-pin GPIO, and USB-C PD in a compact 90×62mm form factor.

## Quick Facts

- **Brand:** FriendlyElec
- **Board Type:** sbc
- **Price:** ~$65
- **Product Readiness:** consumer
- **CPU:** ARM Cortex-A72 4x2.2GHz,Cortex-A53 4x2.0GHz, RK3576
- **CPU Architecture:** ARM Cortex-A72
- **CPU Cores:** 8
- **RAM:** 3GB/4GB/8GB LPDDR4X
- **Flash:** 16MB SPI NOR,eMMC module
- **USB:** 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A,USB-C PD
- **Power:** USB-C PD (6-20V)
- **Operating Voltage:** 3.3V
- **Operating Temp:** 0°C to 70°C
- **Dimensions:** 90 × 62mm
- **Weight:** 58g
- **Antenna:** M.2 E-Key for WiFi module
- **SD Card:** microSD

## Connectivity

- **Ethernet:** 2x Gigabit

## Open Source

- **Firmware:** Yes
- **Schematics:** Yes
- **PCB Layout:** No

## Compatible Firmware

arduino

## Use Cases

- iot-gateway
- digital-signage
- retro-gaming

## Components

- **RK3576** (mcu): Rockchip RK3576 with 4x Cortex-A72 at 2.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 at 2.0GHz, Mali-G52 MC3, 6 TOPS NPU, 8K decode. — [Datasheet](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rock-chips.com%2Fuploads%2Fpdf%2F2024.01.12%2FRK3576%2520Brief%2520Datasheet%2520V1.0-20240112.pdf&ref=openhardware.directory&product=nanopi-m5&source=md-export)

## Protocols

- **SPI**: notes: 2x SPI via 30-pin GPIO
- **I2C**: notes: 3x I2C via 30-pin GPIO
- **UART**: notes: 4x UART via 30-pin GPIO + debug

## GPIO Map

| Pin | Name | Type | Functions |
|-----|------|------|-----------|
| GPIO1 | Digital I/O |  | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO2 | Digital I/O |  | digital-input, digital-output, pwm |
| GPIO3 | SPI/UART | SPI | digital-input, digital-output |
| GPIO4 | I2C/UART | I2C | digital-input, digital-output |

## Description

## Overview

The NanoPi M5 is FriendlyElec's mid-range SBC based on the Rockchip RK3576, offering a compelling balance of performance and price. Its eight cores — four Cortex-A72 at 2.2GHz and four Cortex-A53 at 2.0GHz — deliver strong multi-threaded performance, while the 6 TOPS NPU handles AI inference workloads.

Available with 3GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4X/LPDDR5 RAM, the board features dual Gigabit Ethernet, M.2 NVMe via PCIe 2.1, HDMI output up to 4K@60Hz, dual MIPI-CSI camera inputs, MIPI-DSI display output, and a 30-pin GPIO header with SPI, UART, I2C, and PWM. USB-C PD power input supports 6-20V.

Running Ubuntu, Debian, FriendlyWrt, Android 14, OpenMediaVault, or Proxmox VE on a Linux 6.1 LTS kernel, the M5 is well-suited for home servers, media centers, AI edge devices, and network appliances.

## Where to Buy

- [FriendlyElec](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.friendlyelec.com%2Findex.php%3Froute%3Dproduct%2Fproduct%26product_id%3D309&ref=openhardware.directory&product=nanopi-m5&source=md-export) — $65.00

## Resources

- [product](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.friendlyelec.com%2Findex.php%3Froute%3Dproduct%2Fproduct%26product_id%3D309&ref=openhardware.directory&product=nanopi-m5&source=md-export)
- [wiki](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.friendlyelec.com%2Fwiki%2Findex.php%2FNanoPi_M5&ref=openhardware.directory&product=nanopi-m5&source=md-export)
- [github](https://openhardware.directory/r?to=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Ffriendlyarm%2Fsd-fuse_rk3576&ref=openhardware.directory&product=nanopi-m5&source=md-export)

## Tags

`friendlyelec`, `nanopi`, `rk3576`, `sbc`, `npu`, `nvme`, `dual-gbe`

## Images

![NanoPi M5](https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/openhardware-directory/entities/nanopi-m5/e3655dfe8212.jpg)

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