Radxa has introduced the Dragon Q8B, a compact single-board computer built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Compute Platform. The board combines an 8-core processor, up to 29 TOPS of AI performance, dual 2.5GbE networking, and multiple PCIe expansion options in a 100 × 75 mm form factor for edge computing, robotics, industrial automation, and intelligent vision applications.

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is manufactured on a 5 nm process and integrates an octa-core Kryo CPU with four Arm Cortex-X1-based Kryo Prime cores running at up to 3.0 GHz and four Arm Cortex-A78-based Kryo Gold cores operating at up to 2.42 GHz. Graphics processing is handled by the Qualcomm Adreno 690 GPU, which supports DirectX 12 and DirectML.

Radxa also highlights up to 29 TOPS of AI performance through the Qualcomm AI Engine, with support for machine vision, speech processing, automation workloads, and deployment of compact language models.

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 block diagram

Memory options include up to 32GB of LPDDR4X RAM connected through a 128-bit memory interface operating at up to 4266 MT/s. Video capabilities are provided by Qualcomm’s fifth-generation Adreno video processing unit, supporting hardware decoding of 4K video at up to 120 fps and hardware encoding at up to 4K60. Supported codecs include H.265, H.264, and VP9.

For storage, the board provides a microSD card slot, a UFS 3.1 module connector, and two M.2 M-Key 2280 slots. One M.2 slot operates over PCIe 3.0 x4 while the second uses PCIe 3.0 x2. An additional FPC connector exposes a PCIe 3.0 x1 interface for further expansion.

Dragon Q8B bottom view

Display connectivity includes an HDMI 2.1 FRL port supporting resolutions up to 4K at 120 Hz, alongside two USB Type-C ports with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode that also support displays up to 4K120. According to Radxa, the platform can drive up to three 4K displays simultaneously and incorporates Qualcomm Spectra ISP technology for camera-based applications.

Dragon Q8B top view

Networking features include dual 2.5GbE Ethernet ports connected through a QPS615 Ethernet AVB/TSN bridge. The implementation supports standards including IEEE 802.1AS-rev, 802.1Qav, 802.1Qbv, 802.3br, and 802.1Qbu, targeting robotics, industrial control, and time-sensitive networking deployments. Wireless connectivity can be added through an M.2 E-Key 2230 slot, with motherboard revision 1.3 and later supporting Wi-Fi 7 modules.

Dragon Q8B power supply interfaces

Additional I/O includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a 3.5 mm audio jack, microphone connector, RTC connector, fan connector, and a 40-pin GPIO header supporting UART, I2C, SPI, and GPIO interfaces. Power can be supplied through USB Type-C Power Delivery or a 12V to 20V DC input header.

Radxa Dragon Q8B

The Dragon Q8B supports Radxa OS, Ubuntu, Armbian, Arch Linux, Nix OS, and Windows. The platform also provides UEFI boot support and compatibility with Qualcomm AI Hub for deployment of optimized machine learning models.

Documentation for the Dragon Q8B is available through the Radxa Wiki and includes getting started guides, system usage information, low-level development resources, firmware flashing procedures, and software downloads.

Specifications listed for the Dragon Q8B include:

• Processor:
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 SoC
    • 8-core Kryo CPU
      • 4× Kryo Prime cores up to 3.0 GHz
      • 4× Kryo Gold cores up to 2.4 GHz
• Graphics/AI:
  • Qualcomm Adreno 690 GPU
  • Qualcomm AI Engine
    • Up to 29+ TOPS AI performance
• Memory:
  • Up to 32GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • 128-bit memory interface
  • Up to 4266 MT/s
• Storage:
  • 1× microSD card slot
  • 1× UFS 3.1 module connector (Gear 4 x2)
  • 1× M.2 M-Key 2280 slot (PCIe 3.0 x4)
  • 1× M.2 M-Key 2280 slot (PCIe 3.0 x2)
• Audio:
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Microphone input connector
• Display:
  • 1× HDMI 2.1 FRL port (up to 4K120)
  • 2× USB Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode (up to 4K120)
  • Support for up to three 4K120 displays
• Networking:
  • 2× 2.5GbE RJ45 ports
  • AVB/TSN support
  • 1× M.2 E-Key 2230 slot for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules
  • Wi-Fi 7 module support on board revision V1.3 and later
• USB:
  • 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
  • 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
  • 2× USB 2.0 Type-A
  • 1× USB Type-C power input
• I/O Interfaces:
  • 40-pin GPIO header
  • UART, I2C, SPI, and GPIO support
  • PCIe 3.0 x1 FPC connector
• Other Features:
  • RTC connector
  • Fan connector
  • Power button
  • EDL button
• Power:
  • USB Type-C Power Delivery input
  • 12V to 20V DC input header
  • External power button support
• Mechanical:
  • 100 × 75 mm

Further Information