Rockchip's 130+ chips—how on earth do you choose? Understand the entire Rockchip family at a glance—no need to dig through datasheets when selecting chips

If you've ever bought a TV box, a dev board, or a smart speaker, AI cameras, large commercial displays, or even a robot vacuum—— Chances are you've already worked with Rockchip(Rockchip) chips you've already dealt with.

RK3588 developed ARM desktop PCs, RK3568 the industrial control gateways it builds, RV1126 driven by 4K smart cameras, RK3308 smart speakers powered by…… this company founded nearly 20 -year domestic chip-design company that has quietly built up 130 + chip product line.

But here's the problem: With so many chips, how do you actually choose?

This article helps you make sense of the entire Rockchip family sorted out. After reading this, you'll be able to answer at least three questions:

•Which chip should I pick for my scenario?

•What's the difference between this chip and that one?

•What exactly is the structure of Rockchip's product system?

I. Rockchip Who is it? One-line intro

Rockchip Electronics (Rockchip), headquartered in Fuzhou, 2001 founded that year, 2020 listed on the STAR Market that year.

Simply put, what they make is SoC(System-on-Chip)—— take CPU, GPU, NPU, memory controllers, and various interfaces are all integrated into a single chip. Customers receive this chip, add peripheral circuitry and software, and can build a complete product.

II. Chip Panorama: 130 + chips are divided into six major categories

Rockchip  product lines aren't a random mess; they can be grouped by function into six major categories:

III. Generational Evolution: From 40nm ARM9 to 8nm A76+A55

Rockchip  chip development can be simply divided into six generations:

The key trend boils down to four points:

•CPU: A9 → A17 → A53 → A76

•GPU: Mali-400 → T760 → G52 → G610

•NPU: none→ 1 TOPS → 6 TOPS

•Display: 1080p → 4K → 8K

IV. Core SoC family breakdown

4.1 TV box/ OTT series (RK3036 ~ RK3328)

this is Rockchip the product line with the highest shipment volume. From entry-level boxes at a few dozen yuan to several-hundred-yuan 4K HDR boxes, covering the entire OTT market.

One-line summary: for low-end, high-volume picks, choose RK3036, for 4K HDR choose RK3328.

4.2 mid-range/ Industrial control series (RK3288 / RK3399)

these two are Rockchip \\ the most iconic "perennial favorite"\\ chip.

RK3288: 2014 released that year and still shipping today. 4×A17 + Mali-T760 + 4K@60 + rich interfaces (MIPI DSI, LVDS, eDP, GMAC), making it ideal for commercial displays, industrial control, and embedded PC a versatile all-purpose solution.

RK3399: 2016 released that year, 2×A72 + 4×A53 + Mali-T860 + USB 3.1 + PCIe + dual MIPI CSI/DSI, a direct high-end competitor to the Raspberry Pi. RK3399Pro also added 3 TOPS NPU, can be used for edge AI inference.

4.3 AIoT Mainstream series (RK35xx)

this is Rockchip currently the best-selling product line, and it's also the focus of this article.

RK3566 vs RK3568 core difference:

•RK3566: interfaces are sufficient, suitable for tablets, e-readers, and smart panels

•RK3568: interfaces loaded to the max——USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, SATA, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, 3 channel CAN, suitable for industrial scenarios

RK3562: in RK3566 removed from the base 4K display and some interfaces, NPU from 1T reduced to 0.8T, lower price, suitable for those that only need 1080P entry-level scenarios.

4.4 Flagship series (RK3576 / RK3588)

this is Rockchip currently the most powerful chip, competing against Qualcomm's Snapdragon and MediaTek's Dimensity series.

RK3588 killer specs:

•8 core CPU: 4×Cortex-A76(large core)+ 4×Cortex-A55(small core)

•Mali-G610 MP4 GPU

•tri-core NPU: 6 TOPS(INT4/8/16/FP16)

•Video: 8K@60 decoding/ 8K@30 encoding

•Memory: quad-channel LPDDR5, maximum 32GB

•Interfaces: 2×HDMI 2.1, PCIe 2.1×4, 4×SATA, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, 4×MIPI CSI

•Process: 8nm

RK3588 vs RK3588S: same die, S version has a smaller package and fewer interfaces (1×HDMI TX, 1×GMAC, 2×MIPI CSI), suitable for small form factors PCB design.

V. Other Families at a Glance

voice / audio SoC(RK3308 / RK21xx)

vision / IPC SoC(RV11xx)

companion chips

•RK8xx PMIC: SoC of"power manager", RK806(10 channel Buck + 10 channel LDO) is a flagship-class solution

•RK6xx bridging: HDMI ↔ LVDS/eDP converter, RK628 supports 4K

•RK9xx wireless: RK962 is Wi-Fi + BT 5.3 Combo chip

•RK730: pure audio Codec, headphones/ speaker output

VI. Quick Selection Guide: 3  questions to lock in a chip

Q1: What product are you building?

Q2: How much AI compute power?

Q3: What's your budget?

VII. Chip Naming Rules Quick Reference

Rockchip A chip's suffix isn't chosen at random:

summary

Rockchip  chip system can be summed up in three sentences:

1. RK3xxx series is the mainstay SoC: covering everything from budget TV boxes to premium dev boards

2. RK35xx is currently the best-selling product line: RK3566/RK3568 is AIoT first choice, RK3588 is the flagship pinnacle

3. Companion chips are also complete: PMIC, wireless, bridging, and audio Codec One-stop solution

ONE MORE THING

Thinkcore Team is an embedded board solution provider, developer, and motherboard supplier, specializing in the design, manufacturing, sales, and technical sharing of embedded motherboards. Our chipset portfolio includes Rockchip, Allwinner, and others. We welcome inquiries and collaboration!

E-mail: developer@thinkcore.cn

This article is reprinted from here

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wAt-Q3Zovn3LqaoykFLrQQ