Cheapest x86 machine?

Question

I was looking for a cheap x86 machine for assembly development and other hackery and I was wondering if such a system exists. The system must meet the following requirements:

Under $100 including price of memory.
Must not be a compute stick or must be able to run headless.
Must be able to run non-custom Linux distributions.

john kieran · Accepted Answer

There are several developers working towards this right now! Unfortunately most of these projects are still in the "Crowdfunding" or "Pre-order" stages.

One promising board, the "UP-Board" currently on Pre-Order: http://www.up-board.org/

$99  
2GB RAM  
16GB EMMC memory  
Intel processor (Compatible with Windows 8.1/10, Unknown if compatible with Linux)

Another promising board, the "Lattepanda" currently still in the Pre-Order stage located here

$89  
2GB RAM  
32GB EMMC memory  
Intel atom (quad-core) processor (Compatible with Windows 8.1/10, Linux various)

Honorable mentions:

MinnowbardMAX  
JaguarBoard

If you are looking for a board that is currently available at your price point and also X86, you are out of luck. However, if you upped your price point by between $50-$100, you'd find some neat boards on Amazon

NOTE: I am involved with the Lattepanda project as a backer, however I do not own or operate it.

ProDigit · Answer

Atomic Pi, ~$35 on Amazon.
Runs an Atom X5 Z3850 CPU (quadcore, with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB SSD), very energy efficient.
Good for Linux, not Windows.

Sasuke Sam · Answer

you can buy Atomic pi which will cost you 43$ if you stay in india then  you can't get it you have to buy it from us ( amazon.com ) and all the costum duty charges and shipment charge will make around 111$

https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Pi-High-Speed-Peripheral/dp/B07N298F2Bpecs: intel processor
              2 gb ram
and rest you find out from google ?

Keeely · Answer

The cheapest x86 solution is probably going to be based on an RDC chip.  See http://www.rdc.com.tw/.  The OpenWrt project carried some information on devices that contained these chips:  https://openwrt.org/docs/techref/targets/rdc, however it seems lately many designs have been replaced by ARM-based solutions.  Here is one x86-based device still for sale that could be hacked:

http://www.frineta.lt/eshop/product.php?id_product=239&id_lang=1

That said, RDC have come up with newer chips that must have found their way into newer SBCs, e.g. EmKore (http://www.rdc.com.tw/?route=home/emk).  I presume someone is making SBCs based on those.

Adam Wykes · Answer

You can buy used. For example, This - HP DC7800 Ultra Small Form Factor Desktop Computer (Refurbished) - is an extremely cheap x86 platform that does actually have some upgrade potential. It costs $50, but is more powerful than some SBC options and certainly more configurable.

It is the cheapest such machine I am aware of from large suppliers online. You may be able to source considerably better machines locally.

Cheapest x86 machine?

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