Choosing the right processing hardware is key to building effective NDT and SHM systems. This article compares microcontrollers and FPGAs, highlighting their trade-offs in speed, power, scalability, and real-time performance. It explains when low-power, flexible microcontrollers are sufficient and when high-performance, parallel-processing FPGAs become essential, helping engineers design smarter, more efficient monitoring solutions tailored to modern infrastructure needs.