Software Support
The Orange Pi 5 Ultra supports a variety of Ubuntu images, including Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) and Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish). These long-term support (LTS) versions offer stability, security updates, and the latest features and improvements. The Orange Pi 5 Ultra also supports a wide range of software, making it versatile for various applications. Besides Ubuntu, it can run other Linux-based operating systems like Debian, Armbian, and Manjaro. Additionally, it supports Android 13, turning your Orange Pi 5 Ultra into an Android tablet or game console.
You can also explore open-source projects like DietPi for a lightweight Debian experience, Batocera for retro gaming, and RebornOS for a customizable Arch Linux experience. Plus, there’s even support for running a version of Windows on the Orange Pi 5 that should potentially also run on the 5 Ultra, sense they are based on the same Rockchip RK3588 chip.
User Experience
Running the Gnome desktop environment turned out to be surprisingly smooth and efficient, surpassing my initial expectations. We had anticipated that it might lag or require significant system resources, given that the GNOME desktop is often labeled as resource heavy. However, the performance was satisfactory, enabling a smooth experience, comparable to that of a mid-level Mini PC device.
All in all, we were pretty happy to see that it could work smoothly even on an SBC (single-board computer) that usually has a hard time with fancy stuff. And having 16GB of RAM really made a big difference in that.
What is the expected amount of free RAM available?
Depending on the RAM configuration of the model, our device is equipped with 16GB of available RAM. Approximately 4% of this is utilized by the operating system. It’s important to note that this assessment is based on a clean, fresh installation with minimal services running. If additional processes are active in the background, more RAM will likely be consumed.
Running Ubuntu Under Kernel Ver 5.10.160 (Screenshots)
Orange Pi needs to stop this nonsense. ANOTHER board?? Nobody can keep up with software – Armbian isn’t even supporting the Max.
You don’t have to use Armbian, although it offers long-term support. The Orange Pi Ubuntu image works well, and I’m sure that a DietPi image will be available soon.
Well, there is a factory and employees, so people need continuous work all the time.