Pi 5 is still good if you want a modern, supported device to run Linux and any Linux-y things with either a small quiet fan or a passive heatsink/case. 3D Print

Pi 5 is still good if you want a modern, supported device to run Linux and any Linux-y things with either a small quiet fan or a passive heatsink/case. 3D Printer control, retro gaming with more grunt than Pi 4, small 'micro' server, etc. It's in a middle ground between Pi 4 (which is cheaper and can idle a tiny bit little lower) and N100 (which is nominally more expensive—varies greatly by region, but is faster with better IO and more compatibility, though integrating with GPIO-related stuff is more annoying). The CM5 makes more sense for a lot of use-case specific purchases though, like I upgraded my Home Assistant Yellow from CM4 to CM5 and the performance difference is noticeable. Other manufacturers make much faster (and more efficient, though similarly-priced, accounting for performance) SBCs now, but the support side (e.g. I download an image and it runs 2, 3, 5, or 10 years from now) is much worse, unless you're used to hacking on Linux kernels and following device-specific forums to resolve your issues.