Everything You Need to Know About the Latest Mini PC Monster: Raspberry Pi 5

If you are a fan of Raspberry Pi, you probably have heard about the latest model that was announced in September 2023: the Raspberry Pi 5. This mini PC is a huge upgrade from its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4, and it offers a no-compromises user experience for enthusiasts, educators, and professional design engineers worldwide.

In this article, we will cover the main features, specs, price, and use cases of the Raspberry Pi 5, and we will also show you how to get one for yourself.

What are the main features of the Raspberry Pi 5?

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed in-house by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in Cambridge, UK. It has a 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, which is over twice as fast as the Raspberry Pi 4’s CPU. It also has a VideoCore VII GPU, which supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2, making it ideal for graphics-intensive applications and gaming.

The Raspberry Pi 5 also boasts dual 4Kp60 HDMI display output, which means you can connect two monitors at once and enjoy high-resolution video playback. It also has a 4Kp60 HEVC decoder, which enables you to stream 4K video content from online platforms like Netflix and YouTube.

The Raspberry Pi 5 has two variants: one with 4GB of RAM and one with 8GB of RAM. The RAM is LPDDR4X-3200, which is faster and more power-efficient than the LPDDR4-2400 used in the Raspberry Pi 4. The RAM size determines how many applications you can run simultaneously and how smoothly they will perform.

The Raspberry Pi 5 also has improved connectivity options, such as dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ support (requires a separate PoE+ HAT), and two USB 3.0 ports that support simultaneous 5Gbps operation. It also has two USB 2.0 ports, a high-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support, two 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers, a PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals, a standard 40-pin GPIO header, a real-time clock, and a power button.

How much does the Raspberry Pi 5 cost?

The Raspberry Pi 5 is priced at $60 for the 4GB variant and $80 for the 8GB variant (plus your local taxes). This is slightly higher than the Raspberry Pi 4’s price of $35 for the 1GB variant, $45 for the 2GB variant, and $55 for the 4GB variant (plus your local taxes). However, considering the significant improvements in performance and features, the Raspberry Pi 5 is still a great value for money.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has also announced that it will ringfence all of the Raspberry Pi 5s it sells until at least the end of the year for single-unit sales to individuals, so that fans and enthusiasts can get their hands on them first. Additionally, print subscribers to The MagPi and HackSpace magazines will receive a single-use code that gives them priority access to Raspberry Pi 5 hardware.

You can pre-order your Raspberry Pi 5 from many of the Approved Reseller partners of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, such as [PC World](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2085982/raspberry-pi-5-finally-announced-mini-pc-monster.html), [XDA Developers](https://www.xda-developers.com/raspberry-pi-5-launch/), and [Tom’s Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/news/where-to-buy-raspberry-pi-5). The first units are expected to ship by the end of October.

What is Raspberry Pi used for?

Raspberry Pi is a versatile device that can be used for various purposes, such as:

– Learning how to code: You can use Raspberry Pi to learn programming languages like Python, Scratch, Java, C++, and more. You can also use it to create games, animations, websites, apps, and IoT projects.

– Making DIY projects: You can use Raspberry Pi to build your own gadgets and devices, such as robots, drones, smart home systems, media centers, retro gaming consoles, and more. You can also connect sensors, cameras, motors, LEDs, and other components to your Raspberry Pi using the GPIO pins or the PCIe interface.

– Running desktop applications: You can use Raspberry Pi as a low-cost and energy-efficient desktop computer that can run various applications, such as web browsers, office suites, email clients, video players, and more. You can also install different operating systems on your Raspberry Pi, such as Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, Windows 10 IoT Core, and more.

How much RAM does a Raspberry Pi 5 have?

The Raspberry Pi 5 has two variants: one with 4GB of RAM and one with 8GB of RAM. The RAM is LPDDR4X-3200, which is faster and more power-efficient than the LPDDR4-2400 used in the Raspberry Pi 4. The RAM size determines how many applications you can run simultaneously and how smoothly they will perform.

Conclusion

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest and most powerful model of the Raspberry Pi family. It has a 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, a VideoCore VII GPU, dual 4Kp60 HDMI display output, 4Kp60 HEVC decoder, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE, Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ support, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a high-speed microSD card interface, two 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers, a PCIe 2.0 x1 interface, a standard 40-pin GPIO header, a real-time clock, and a power button.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is priced at $60 for the 4GB variant and $80 for the 8GB variant (plus your local taxes). You can pre-order your Raspberry Pi 5 from many of the Approved Reseller partners of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The first units are expected to ship by the end of October.

Raspberry Pi is a versatile device that can be used for various purposes, such as learning how to code, making DIY projects, running desktop applications, and more.

If you are interested in getting a Raspberry Pi 5 for yourself or for someone else, don’t miss this opportunity and order yours today!