If you opt for a Tinker Board S R2.0, you’ll get a 1.8 GB quad-core CPU, 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. The Tinker Board should have enough power to take on your more ambitious “Pi” projects, like home entertainment systems or smart home controllers.

The Tinkerboard’s processor is more powerful than the one you’ll find in the Pi 4 B, so you may be able to get even more ambitious with your builds. However, when they’re available, you can get Pi 4s with up to 8 GB of RAM, which is more than the 2 GB that the Tinkerboard offers. Then there is the price. You can pick up a Tinkerboard S R2.0 on Amazon for $149.99 — which is more than some of the inflated Pi 4s are currently selling for. In short, this is a good option if you need more processing power or you can’t find a Pi 4, even at a premium. Other boards on this list have also opted for 2GB of RAM, but their price tags are much more palatable.

The Linux-powered ODROID XU4Q benefits from “Samsung Exynos5422 Cortex-A15 2Ghz and Cortex-A7 Octa core CPUs” along with 2GB of DDR3 RAM. On paper, this potentially makes the UX4Q the most powerful micro-computer on this list. It also comes with a very large heatsink attached, presumably to soak up some of the heat from its relatively powerful processor. With regards to ports, ODROID has managed to cram two USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, a Gigabit Ethernet, and an HDMI port onto the tiny board.

In terms of price, at just over $100, the ODROID XU4Q is in the middle ground. This is cheaper than the current prices the few Pis available are going for but notably more expensive than some other options and the Pi’s MSRP. Despite the price and the processing power, from the information available, I doubt the XU4Q could run 4K video, even if it had a port for it, which does limit its applications slightly.

With a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, a 4K Ultra HD ARM Mali-450 750MHz GPU, and 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, the Libre Computer Board AML-S905X-CC (or “Le Potato”) is roughly on par with a Pi 4 and superior to a Pi 3. The company claims their potato is around 50% faster than the Pi 4’s predecessor. But the best things about the Libre Computer Board are the fact it is in stock and its price. The board is compatible with Android, Linux, and more than likely any other open-source software you can get your hands on.

For me, Libre’s little potato is the pick of this list and what I would go for to get me through the Pi shortage. At $55, it isn’t a million miles away from what you would pay for a similarly priced Pi 4 in happier times. It’s certainly a lot cheaper than some of the grossly inflated microcomputers flying around these days.