Non-86 hardware

When IBM first released the PC in 1981, they chose the Intel 8086 processor launched in 1978. This marks the origin of the modern personal computer as we know it today. The x86 architecture, as of 2021 is 43 years old and during its existence (particularly in the past decade) it has amassed significant controversy, and so computer enthusiasts are now turning to more "unconventional" hardware with somewhat "exotic" architectures.

Available hardware

ARM

Anecdote goes like this: Acorn was working on a 6 MHz chip. One day, somebody noticed the chip was running without its power supply connected (ACKCHYUALLY it was powered by leakage from the power rails leading to the I/O chip). Thus, ARM1 was born, and with it, a new generation of personal computers, embedded devices and handhelds.

The Fruit Pis

The world didn't end in 2012. Instead, the Raspberry Pi Foundation, in association with Broadcom, released the Raspberry Pi: an ARM-based single-board computer. Originally meant to feature a single-core 700MHz ARM11 and 128MB of SDRAM, it now ships with as much as 8 GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM and a quad-core 1.5 GHz BCM2711 ARMv8-A processor.

After the Pi's explosion in popularity, other manufacturers followed suit (naming their boards after fruits as well). The main competing boards are:

Raspberry Pi 4 B	Banana Pi M5	Orange Pi 4
Raspberry Pi Foundation	Shenzhen SINOVOIP Co., Ltd.	Shenzhen Xunlong Software Co., Ltd.
Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz	Amlogic S905X3 Quad-Core Cortex-A55 Processor	Rockchip RK3399 (28nm HKMG process) 6-core ARM® 64-bit processor ,main frequency speeds up to 2.0GHz
2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM	4GB LPDDR4 RAM	Dual 4GB LPDDR4
Micro-SD card slot for loading operating system and data storage	16G eMMC flash onboard MicroSD slot with support for up to 256GB expansion	EMMC Flash (Default Empty) or 16GB EMMC Flash

Pine64

Pine64 a Hong Kong-based organization that currently manufactures Linux-based devices using the ARM architecture. Their devices have been very well received, with some praising the absence of blobs on their single-board computers and others condemning the presence of such inside the LTE modem of the PinePhone.

Below is a table of some Pine64 ARM-powered devices:

PinePhone	Pinebook Pro	PineTab	ROCKPro64	Quartz64 Model A	SOPINE A64
Phone	Laptop	Tablet	Single-board computer	Single-board computer	Computer-on-module
Quad-Core Allwinner A64 @ 1.152 GHz	Hexa-Core Rockchip RK3399	Quad-Core Allwinner A64 @ 1.152 GHz	Hexa-Core Rockchip RK3399	Quad-Core Rockchip RK3566 @ 2.0 GHz	Quad-Core Allwinner A64 @ 1.152 GHz
Up to 3GB LPDDR3 RAM	4GB LPDDR4 RAM	Up to 2GB LPDDR3 RAM	Up to 4GB LPDDR4 RAM	4GB, 8GB LPDDR4	2GB of LPDDR3 RAM
Bootable microSD and 16GB/32GB eMMC	Bootable microSD and 64GB eMMC M.2 NVMe expansion option	Bootable microSD and 64GB eMMC	Bootable microSD or optional eMMC module	eMMC module socket (supporting up to 128GB) and microSD slot	128Mb SPI Flash

POWER/PowerPC

Once the pride and joy of the AIM Alliance, PowerPC hardware had been on decline since Apple decided to transition the Mac line of computers to the x86 architecture. Regardless, a few "renegades" decided to keep development of the platform alive, Which brigs us to:

Talos II

The Talos II is the first Power ISA workstation available to the general public since Apple discontinued the Power Mac G5 in mid-2006. It's built around the POWER9 processor from IBM. Available for pre-order since 2017, its price has gone up from $4,750.00 to $7,171.40 which makes it more of a luxury than a necessity (we're talking about the base model by the way!)

Below is a table of other offerings from Raptor Computing Systems:

Blackbird™ Mainboard (Board Only)	Talos™ II Lite Mainboard (Board Only)	Talos™ II Mainboard (Board Only)	Blackbird™ Secure Desktop	Talos™ II Entry-Level Developer System	Talos™ II Desktop Development System
1 POWER9-compatible Sforza CPU socket Supports up to an 8-core 160W TDP processor at full speed Higher core count CPUs are not officially supported SMT4 capable	1 POWER9-compatible CPU socket Supports up to a 22-core 160W TDP processor at full speed SMT4 capable	2 POWER9-compatible CPU sockets Supports up to TWO 22-core 160W TDP processors at full speed SMT4 capable	1 POWER9-compatible Sforza CPU socket Supports up to an 8-core 160W TDP processor at full speed SMT4 capable	1 POWER9-compatible CPU socket Supports up to a 22-core 160W TDP processor at full speed SMT4 capable	2 POWER9-compatible CPU sockets Supports up to TWO 22-core 160W TDP processors at full speed SMT4 capable
2 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 256GB total main system memory	8 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 1TB total main system memory	16 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 2TB total main system memory	2 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 256GB total main system memory	8 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 1TB total main system memory	16 DDR4 ECC registered RAM slots Individual 128GB DDR4 DIMM support Supports up to 2TB total main system memory
Micro ATX form factor	EATX form factor	EATX form factor	uATX mainboard in slimline chassis with 300W TFX power supply	EATX chassis with 500W ATX power supply	EATX chassis with 500W ATX power supply
1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot 1 PCIe 4.0 x8 slot	1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot 1 PCIe 4.0 x8 slot	3 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots 2 PCIe 4.0 x8 slots	1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot 1 PCIe 4.0 x8 slot	1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot CAPI 2.0 capable 1 PCIe 4.0 x8 slot	3 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots (2 inactive with single CPU) 2 PCIe 4.0 x8 slots (1 inactive with single CPU)

NXP QorIQ AMP Series

A descendant of the mighty PowerPC G4 (MPC7400), the original QorIQ series is built around the e6500 core, which in turn is an evolution of the PowerPC e600 (developed after MPC7448, the last true G4). NXP has since switched to ARM cores for its Qoriq line. Regardless, development boards are still available, with the T2080 being sold for $1499.00 in 2021.