Who would buy a Raspberry Pi for $120?

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2025-01-09 08:30:05

That is indeed a puzzling question, brought about by Raspberry Pi's introduction of the newest Raspberry Pi 5 model, with 16 GB of RAM.

I spent a couple weeks testing the new Pi model, and found it does have its virtues. But being only $20 away from a complete GMKTec N100 Mini PC with 8GB of RAM, it's probably a step too far for most people.

For most, the 2 GB ($50) or 4 GB ($60) Pi 5 is a much better option. Or if you're truly budget conscious and want a well-supported SBC, the Pi 4 still exists, and starts at $35. Or a Pi Zero 2 W for $15.

...very much unlike Apple's memory and storage pricing for the M4 Mac mini, which follows an equation that ranges from "excellent deal" to "exorbitant overcharge".

Before I get to the reasons why some people might consider spending $120 on a Pi 5, I ran a bunch of benchmarks, and one of the more pertinent results is HPL:

This compares the performance of the 8 GB Pi 5 against the new 16 GB model. For many benchmarks, the biggest difference may be caused by the 16 GB model having the newer, trimmer D0 stepping of the BCM2712. But for some, having more RAM helps, too.