Raspberry Pi has raised prices on many Pi 4, Pi 5, and Compute Module models as memory costs surge in 2026, undermining its once-low-cost SBC positioning.
  • pelya@lemmy.worldEnglish
    684·
    2 months ago

    Y’all need a price chart. You are literally getting what you are paying for.

    Raspberry Pi 5, 16 GB RAM

    • Price: $205 (don’t trust the price on RPi website, no way you are buying it for $145).
    • Generic desktop PC: runs Blender and video editors.
    • AI agent: yes.
    • Computer vision: yes, with face recognition and real-time AI filters.
    • SDR signal processor: you can broadcast an HD TV station on it.
    • Servers: whatever you want, can host Amazon and Netflix.

    Raspberry PI 5, 1 GB RAM

    • Price: $45.
    • Generic desktop PC: you can edit office documents.
    • AI agent: lol no.
    • Computer vision: a movement sensor for your surveillance camera.
    • SDR signal processor: you can broadcast FM radio.
    • Servers: home file server and torrents.

    Raspberry PI 4, 1 GB RAM

    • Price: $35.
    • Does everything that Raspberry Pi 5 does, but 0.6 GHz slower.
    • Does not throw a tantrum when your power supply outputs 4.999 volts instead of 5 volts 5 amperes.
    • The ultimate Raspberry Pi for all your hardware projects.

    Raspberry PI Zero 2, 512 MB RAM

    • Price: $15 on a website, $19 in shops.
    • Generic desktop PC: probably runs Solitaire.
    • AI agent: dream on.
    • Computer vision: a movement sensor for your surveillance camera, and it won’t support HD cameras.
    • SDR signal processor: you can record FM radio, not much else.
    • Servers: online garage door opener.
    • Ethernet adapter sold separately, if you don’t want your garage door opener to drop offline at random because of unstable WiFi.

    Raspberry Pi Pico, 264 KB RAM

    • Price: $4.
    • Generic desktop PC: nope.
    • AI agent: absolutely impossible.
    • Computer vision: nope.
    • SDR signal processor: nope.
    • Servers: unsecure garage door opener.
    • Ethernet adapter requires soldering skills.
    • You don’t need 40 programmable pins to control one garage door.
    • Just buy ESP32 instead.

    ESP32-C6-Zero, 400 KB RAM.

    • Price: $3.50.
    • Does everything that Raspberry Pi Pico does, but better.
    • Works for a year from three AAA batteries.
    • AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      2 months ago

      A few years ago I installed Linux on a $40 used Chromebook with 4gb RAM. It runs Blender, Freecad, Minecraft, Celeste, Portal, Kdenlive, etc perfectly acceptably. It has CPU performance a tiny bit worse than the Pi 5, but is x86 and comes with a mouse, keyboard, battery, etc.

      I don’t think comparing performance over used PCs is ever going to be favorable for a pi, I think the reasons to get one are reliability, gpio, and the small form factor.

      • ouRKaoS@lemmy.todayEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        I linuxed a $50 Chromebook & I use it to do sketchy shit that I don’t want to try on my main rig. “Hey, I found a flashdrive at the park! Let’s plug it into the ChromeBurner”!

    • HertzDentalBar@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      3·
      2 months ago

      That’s not really bad pricing it’s actually cheaper than I paid for my 4 according to the chart and that was a bunch of years ago

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      Only sane post on the page.

      Here are the facts. I believe the pi 4 is what people are whining doesn’t exist.