The Advantech EPC-R3720 is a fanless edge AI box computer built on the NXP i.MX8M Plus Cortex-A53 processor, with 6 GB of LPDDR4 memory, 16 GB of on-board flash, and two GbE LAN ports. Thinvent's closest match is the Industrial PC IPC1 series, which is also fanless and has Intel and AMD x86 processors with larger RAM and storage options.
Advantech EPC-R3720 vs Thinvent Industrial PC IPC1
| Advantech EPC-R3720 | Thinvent IPC1 (Intel N5095A) | Thinvent IPC1 (AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | NXP i.MX8M Plus Cortex-A53 | Intel Celeron N5095A | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U |
| Cores/Threads | 4 cores | 4 cores | 6 cores |
| RAM | 6 GB LPDDR4 | 8 GB DDR4 | Up to 64 GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 16 GB on-board eMMC | 2 TB SSD | 2 TB SSD |
| Form Factor | Industrial box computer | Industrial PC | Industrial PC |
| Operating System | Yocto Linux, Android | Ubuntu Linux 24.04 LTS | Ubuntu Linux 24.04 LTS |
| Fanless | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ethernet | 2 x GbE | 1 x 1000 Mbps | 1 x 1000 Mbps |
Key differences
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Higher RAM ceiling: The Thinvent IPC1 with the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U supports up to 64 GB of DDR4 RAM, against a 6 GB maximum on the EPC-R3720.
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Larger storage: Thinvent IPC1 models include a 2 TB SSD, against 16 GB of on-board flash on the EPC-R3720.
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More cores on the AMD model: The Ryzen 5 7530U has 6 cores, against 4 cores on the EPC-R3720.
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Operating system choice: Thinvent IPC1 buyers can choose Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, or no OS. The EPC-R3720 runs Yocto Linux or Android.
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Trade-off: The EPC-R3720 has two GbE LAN ports and an integrated NXP processor with a rear I/O module range. The Thinvent IPC1 has one Ethernet port and a standard x86 layout. We could not confirm the EPC-R3720's NPU or AI performance figures beyond the datasheet claims, so we leave them out of this comparison.
Which one should you choose?
Choose the Advantech EPC-R3720 if your application is built around the NXP i.MX8M Plus platform, needs dual Ethernet ports, and runs Yocto Linux or Android. Choose a Thinvent IPC1 if you need x86 processing, more RAM and SSD storage, or a choice of Windows or Linux operating systems.
