It’s not a must, but the SSD towards outside of the board and there is no place to mount:
SBC market is getting hot, nice!
Personally for something developed this small and dense it sure begs the question as to why the designers would allow the mount like that as it requires a screw at the end to hold the ssd in the connector slot and if someone try’s mounting that without the right standoff on a board under the whole thing i can just see all the pee’d off people over broken ssd’s and boards.
Maybe if you guys had a proper case for it with the ssd installed that way the proper standoff would be used… but then the cost goes up.
That’s just bad designing and not really thought out properly, almost like the slot was added as a after thought to the overall design, to late into the design cycle.
Kinda a shame as otherwise its not a bad looking board but seeing that scares me as to the overall thinking that went into the whole board.
For someone not wanting to use a ssd its not a big deal but then your loosing out on one of the features that competitors take advantage of.
Otherwise it don’t like a bad board,
Agree that the M.2 connector not a best solution currently,
- The width of the VIMs SBC board is 82.0MM
- The length of the 2280 SSD is 80.0MM, plus the M.2 connector and the standoff screw, the total length will be at least 85.0MM
Yep, our team also talked similar way when we design the Edge-V(VIM3 just followed the Edge-V), but as we designed the DIY-Case first then the Edge-V and VIM3, so the DIY-Case just without the proper standoff for the 2280 SSD.
Thanks for the feedback!
ya its too bad that happened like that other wise it dosn’t look to bad visually but without actually having one its hard to say how well the firmware/hardware fit really is.
that socket like that really scares me tho… i do a lot of MacBook motherboard repairs (i do the repairs that apple won’t) and one of the issues i have come across over the years is that friggen ssd connector and even with a scope and the right tools its still a pain to fix as usually when they move the pull traces and then the work really begins.
I don’t think the M.2 socket will be used by many here so I think it’s a mute point where we are concerned to be fair.
I will post a more in depth review of my thoughts on the device once I have spent more time with it but initial impressions have left me very impressed with the KVIM3.
@gouwa If i place a order today for the vim3 pro + case + heatsink + fan when are you expecting to have stock to ship?
We will arrange the shipment before 10th August, including the 3705 cooling fan.
That’s great thank you
Impressive, that board is really compact. Is it possible to get it with removable eMMC?
Took me way to long to pick between the N2, GT-king, AM6 or vim3 but I’ve finally made my mind up and ordered the vim3 pro and I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas 
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Thanks for the clarification.
The idea of using an M2 SSD on the built in board slot is very appealing from a perspective of speed and the enhancement of multi boot options.
It would be useful if Khadas could produce some videos showcasing it’s features.
The one thing that separates it from the others is the M.2 slot, so I would love to see a video showing both the benefits of improved speed over the eMMC and if it currently a possibility, multi boot options (perhaps using Petitboot) showing CE, Android and Linux.
Right now, the N2, based upon what is has been shown to be capable of is the one that I would go for but if the Vim 3 can show the real benefits of the M.2 option, then my upgrade money will be to this one.
@Wizzi07 I think you will be happy with your purchase.
Its surprising how small the board really is because its smaller than the Pi and the TV boxes, I didn’t think the device would be inside the matchstick box that it comes inside.
Unfortunately I can’t give any more views on the device yet as I haven’t started working on it yet.
I would like to give one small bit of advice to users who purchase the DIY case and that is to make sure you position the antenna in the specially designed spot as I almost missed it, there is a groove at the bottom of the case that they sit into and little notches at the top to stop them moving and there is even a gap in one of antennas so it sits perfectly over the IR sensor. I was very impressed that this was thought of and I think it’s great to see attention to detail like this.
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I was also surprised at the size when I saw your earlier photo of it next a shell card… thanks for the antenna tip! It does seem like they really have spent a lot of time designing and making sure everything is the best it can be. The way the case, heatsink and fan all comes as a kit to build yourself is a nice touch aswell. What really swayed my decision was the a311d processor they could have easily used the Rev.A s922x like originally planned but I think by changing it it really showed their determination to use the best and latest parts in their devices … I hate to ask the dreaded “how long” question but do you currently have any idea when the first build might be available for it? i probably won’t be receiving it til mid August time because I opted for economy shipping with hopes I might avoid import costs it would be nice to receive it and be able to flash CE right away
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That’s exactly why I put the photo there for a real world example. 
It is worth noting that my VIM3 came with Samsung eMMC and RAM, so I agree with you there, it’s definitely quality components have been picked by the Khadas Team but this is the difference between buying an SBC vs your cheap TV box, the quality is worlds apart when you buy an SBC and people just don’t seem to care until they start having problems because of it.
We should have something available before your expected delivery date.
In relation to this I think I just got unlucky, the invoice attached to the parcel was marked as $20 value so how Fedex came up with such an absurd amount is beyond me, and it’s also worth noting that not everybody who received a VIM3 was stung with these charges.
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Can I use this dtv tuner in WIM3?
https://www.tbsiptv.com/tbs5520se-multi-standard-universal-tv-tuner-usb-box
I can answer the Fedex charges thing as I have an associate that works for them.
If a vendor undervalues a product or lies about it’s production value, then some more eagle eyed along the checking process will evaluate this, slap on the 20% statutory charges and then add an additional shipping fee.
It’s designed to make importers think twice about the regulations for future purchaser.
Saves on being having the boys in knock on your door too.
In Ireland stating an undervalued price could lead to them impounding the product.
could is a very loose term 
What would you prefer that the true value is declared each time you order from overseas adding 20% to all your orders?
Needless to say it was a development sample with no value, the package also did not seem like it had been opened by customs nor had the invoice in the shipping pouch been inspected so the charges had clearly just been made up.
I’m almost ready to bite the bullet on a Vim3 but after seeing the thermal issues with the Pi 4, I will be keen to see what the temps are like on the Vim3 under load with just the heatsink (want to avoid a fan).