If you get away with a 1/2 GB RAM version I'd say the Pi 5 is worth it, otherwise cheap mini PCs are better. I've found mini PCs to be more reliable than the Pi

If you get away with a 1/2 GB RAM version I'd say the Pi 5 is worth it, otherwise cheap mini PCs are better. I've found mini PCs to be more reliable than the Pi's I've owned as well (including the 5), though a lot of that is mitigated if you go for an m.2 hat on the Pi. In general though, if you're thinking of using a Pi more like a regular computer there isn't really anything special about it that makes it worthwhile. Well, beyond "I get to tinker more" if you particularly like assembling the thing, picking out the exact case, finding your favorite m.2 hat, etc. Even if you enjoy doing all that by the time you're done you still end with a PC that is worse than one you could just buy but maybe with a claim of saying you saved $20 doing so. Where I like the Pi is use cases that don't quite fit with a normal mini PC like IP KVM.