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New 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 on sale now at $120
- DamonHD 2y agoAlso see: https://github.com/geerlingguy/sbc-reviews/issues/21#issuecomment-2579400396 https://github.com/geerlingguy/sbc-reviews/issues/21#issueco...
- relistan 2y agoFinally. I was seriously looking at competitor's boards for more RAM. Now despite some of the competition being faster, the convenience and ecosystem factor is in favor of the RPi, and I'm in. Now, if I can actually get one...
- qwertox 2y agoI agree. While the hardware is a bit lower spec'd than what other SBC manufacturers like Radxa, Banana Pi and others have to offer, even at a better price, nothing comes close to how Raspberry Pi supports their products. You get solid OS support right from the beginning, and HATs are designed for their boards. I still have a Raspberry Pi 1st Gen running as an OpenVPN server, which I upgraded last year to the back-then latest official Raspbian 12. I also have a Radxa ROCK 5B with 16 GB RAM which is crazy fast compared to the Raspi 4 (this R4 is currently the core of my network), but the OS support is a horrible experience. So I just ordered mine, which will allow me to finally upgrade and merge 2 Raspi 4, and move the MongoDB database from the Radxa over to the Raspi again, since MongoDB stopped supporting devices up to and including the Raspi 4 around 3 years ago. The only two issues I had with Raspberry Pi was the problem they caused when they upgraded the camera stack, and now the move from Raspbian to Raspberry Pi OS, which will affect around 5 of my older, low memory boards (mostly Zeros).
- sho_hn 2y ago> You get solid OS support right One thing that frustrates me after running Raspberry Pis for years is that RPiOS doesn't really support in-place upgrades. You have to more or less set them up a new with each major release, despite the Debian origins where this is of course robustly possible.
- nicce 2y agoBluetooth is serious issue on older models, at least. It is very unreliable. I wonder if it is finally fixed in the latest model…
- geerlingguy 2y agoIt's been solid for me on the Pi 5.
- JSTrading 2y agoWho needs 16GB ram on a PI! Like what are the actual use cases?
- geerlingguy 2y agoI covered a few potential use cases in my blog post [1], but I'll list them here for brevity: 1. LLMs / AI: you can run llama2:13b on the Pi 5 natively, though at a pokey 1.4 t/s or so. Training small models for use with camera projects is easier too. 2. Web apps / consolidating containers: You could run a few 'beefy' websites off one Pi, as they're often memory constrained more than CPU-bound nowadays (my Drupal site requires 256 MB per PHP thread). (Though an N100 mini PC could be a better option if you care less about the energy efficiency). 3. Experimental gamers (probably like 1/10,000th the size of the other markets) who want to run modern AAA games with eGPUs on arm64... I'm one of like 10 people I've heard of who have attempted this lol 4. Clustering enthusiasts: usually we have more dollars than sense, and having arm64 nodes that cost $120 new with 16 GB of RAM per node means we can have more raw container or MPI capacity than with 8 GB nodes... [1] https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/who-would-buy-raspberry-pi-120 https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/who-would-buy-raspber...
- _joel 2y agoMore RAM for ZFS perhaps, Jeff?
- geerlingguy 2y agoHeh, indeed—that's my plan for the 16 GB Pi 5, to swap it out for the 32 TB all-SSD Pi NAS setup I've been running for the past year! https://github.com/geerlingguy/arm-nas https://github.com/geerlingguy/arm-nas
- magicalhippo 2y agoHowever you can get an N100-based box for about $150 (including shipping) with 16GB RAM and 500GB NVMe storage[1]. The N100 has a more powerful CPU[2], and can use OpenVINO which llama.cpp supports, so better token performance than the Pi. The N100 has far better storage performance due to x4 M.2 slot, and if you need even more RAM you can upgrade[3] it to 32GB. The RPi 5 was a very niche board to begin with, the 16GB option at $120 even more so IMO. [1]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007511663921.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007511663921.html (semi-random example) [2]: https://bret.dk/raspberry-pi-5-review/#Raspberry-Pi-5-Benchmarks https://bret.dk/raspberry-pi-5-review/#Raspberry-Pi-5-Benchm... [3]: https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/179c9m1/comment/k58n4wt/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MiniPCs/comments/179c9m1/comment/k5... (needs to be single module, not dual)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- naranha 2y agoNow do one with ECC!
- pulse7 2y ago... and one with 32GB/64GB/128GB ECC RAM ... and one with USB4/USB4 2.0 ... and one with 2.5/5/10Gbps Ethernet ... and one with M.2 SSD port ... and one with 2nm litography
- _cenw 2y agoI am surprised my local reseller seems to actually have stock. Usually whenever RPi says "now on sale" that means "check in half a year". The price is still way off though, as always.
- Gasp0de 2y agoAt $120 it's just not a very attractive price. You can get more powerful mini-pcs for $150, and microcontrollers with as many GPIOs for $5.
- txdv 2y agoBought a mini pc with N100 and 16GB of ram, SSD included, no need to buy an enclosure, everything setup and ready, just needed to install Linux from a USB stick with the normal procedure. I might have chosen RPI5 if it had 16GB ram, but I went with x86 and I like it because there are no software issues anymore (redpanda was not working on rpi)
- shortrounddev2 2y agoWhat do you do with your Mini PC? I was interested in one but I just used an old thinkpad to run some stuff instead
- 7839284023 2y agonot OP, but: Home Assistant, zigbee2mqtt, Arr-Software-Suite, navidrome etc. Basically a small server for self-hosted applications.
- boredpudding 2y agoI have used the ASRock N100DC-ITX with some ram, ssd and an old disk. I run: Jellyfin, Home Assistant, VPN, Nextcloud, Qbittorrent. More things are on https://selfh.st https://selfh.st Everything is in Docker + Portainer. Makes it super easy to manage. The setup uses 17 watts.
- andrepd 2y agoThis is the kind of stuff that is perfect for some old laptop you have lying around. Good power efficiency and no e-waste :)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ErneX 2y agoI bought 3 Dell Optiplex Micros just a few weeks ago. The ones I got have 6c12t and support up to 64GB of ram + one sata and one nmve drive. I use them as xcp-ng hosts.
- dns_snek 2y agoWho are these for? Raspberry Pi made sense as an educational and dirt cheap hobbyist platform when it sold for ~$30. At $120 + accessories it's just another expensive toy.
- dagw 2y agoWe use them for all kinds of one off R&D projects at work. University students and researchers build all kinds of stuff with these. I know several companies who build low volume specialty industrial applications powered by RPi hardware. In all these cases the difference between $50 and $150 is meaningless
- rbanffy 2y agoIt's still a reasonably competent very small desktop computer, and the best supported small ARM machine you can find.
- nottorp 2y agoYes but at this price it competes with machines with real nvme storage and upgradeable ram. And it’s not even low power any more.
- teamonkey 2y ago2W idle isn't low-power?
- nottorp 2y agoIt requires active cooling doesn't it...
- smurfdaddy 2y agoI've had good luck with entirely passive cooling for a pi5. It was 12 bucks for a the osb cnc aluminum version. https://www.digikey.com/en/blog/edatecs-two-fan-less-cnc-cases https://www.digikey.com/en/blog/edatecs-two-fan-less-cnc-cas...
- lakomen 2y agoOrange Pi has more bang for the buck. http://www.orangepi.org/html/hardWare/computerAndMicrocontrollers/details/Orange-Pi-5-Ultra.html http://www.orangepi.org/html/hardWare/computerAndMicrocontro... I would respond but HN is limiting how much I can post per day, only 4 posts. Orange Pi 5 is the go to solution for IRL streaming right now as well as router. The openwrt project has created a special variant of the orange Pi, but the regular one is cheaper and has more features. Both are very well supported. Claiming it's an eventual paperweight is FUD and not true.
- moffkalast 2y agoOrange Pi is pointless as a competitor even with vastly better specs, since it doesn't maintain a good support ecosystem and is just an eventual paperweight. The choice is really between Raspberry with good custom software support, and an x86 minipc that will run literally anything generic effortlessly.
- omeid2 2y agoYou have no idea how common Orange Pi is in low MOQ custom devices that comes out of China.
- Havoc 2y agoIt's usage case dependent I guess but I haven't noticed much of a difference. Both my raspberry pis and orange pis run armbian so they're isn't much difference on a software level for just running software (k3s, docker etc).
- caseyy 2y agoI hope this is a one-off expensive Pi and not an indication of a new pricing strategy. It would be very disappointing if these hacker computers became expensive toys. The article is very feel-good with the carbon credits and all, but the inflating pricing is a disservice to the hacker community. It shouldn’t be sort of greenwashed.
- diggan 2y agoLocally (Spain), the new 16GB model costs ~140 EUR, while the 2GB model costs ~60 EUR. So if you just want a very cheap RPI, seems it's still out there, you just cannot aim for 16GB (or go for something else than RPI).
- caseyy 2y agoIndeed, there are options. But rpi 3 was launched for €32/$35. I hope rpi 6 is not launched starting at €120/$120+, that’s all I’m saying. It would make it inaccessible for hobby projects that need more than one and to most kids that need to buy it for computer science classes (or schools that budget for these things). Those were very important purposes for pi, the main purposes, according to some. And yes, one might say — but inflation. To which I would say — bust cost of living crisis. Anyways, computing should be accessible to everyone, it’s what Steve Jobs called a bicycle for the brain. If raspberry cannot afford do make this pi cheaper, they should design one they can afford. So long as there are cheap pis (as you mention), I will continue to love the brand. Even if they have premium models. But if they shift to more expensive pricing for all pis, which is sort of what seems to be happening very gently, that would be disappointing. That’s my point.
- diggan 2y ago> But rpi 3 was launched for €32/$35 It also had 1GB RAM, 1.2GHz CPU and 100mbit Ethernet, while the RPI 5 has 2.4GHz CPU, iGPU, hardware HEVC decoder, 2GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet and more. But yeah, overall I agree, they seem to be slowly raising the prices (even when accounting for inflation) which isn't too hopeful to see, but at least they seem to have some footing to raise the prices, as the new ones has a lot more features than the old ones. In the end, there are alternatives that will give you more performance/spent money, although probably with worse software support...
- kbumsik 2y agoAs a homelab guy, the only thing I wish is multi-gig ethernet. (2.5gbe)
- geerlingguy 2y agoWith you there, the Pi 5 can handle 2.5 or even 5 GbE pretty adequately.
- magic_smoke_ee 2y ago2.5 GbE is too slow for my home lab. I want 10 GbE-T PoE++ without having to add a craptastic hat that has a lot of failures. My network test boxes run 100 GbE of various flavors supported by E810-CQDA2.
- kbumsik 2y agoRight. PoE will be fantastic.
- inray 2y ago16GB is fine, although I would prefer an rpi5 revision B with onboard nvme connector. I've always wondered why they didn't do it in the first place when there is enough room for a 2230 disk.
- paulcole 2y agoThey should also sell the dusty drawer it’ll end up in.
- sylware 2y agoIs there pi5s with the arm cores which were hardware-fused-disabled, namely without the royalties paid to arm? (In other words, with a RISC-V firmware)
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- pmkary 2y agoWasn't the whole point of Raspberry Pi being cheap and accessible?
- whiskers 2y agoIt is still cheap and accessible. The cheapest Pi model is just over $10 [1], the most expensive is $120 [2]. And within that range there are a number of options with different CPU power, connectivity options, and RAM. Take your pick! [1] Raspberry Pi Zero - https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero [2] Raspberry Pi 5 16GB - https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-5 https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-5
- SergeAx 2y agoI can't remember, how exactly we got from $20 RPi to $120 RPi?
- whiskers 2y agoBecause now there is a large range of options. Here's your $20 Pi (still supported and available to buy): https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w Here's your $120 Pi (many times faster and with 32 x the RAM): https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-5 https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-5 The choice is right there for you with many other options in between...
- whiskers 2y agoThere's been much debate about Raspberry Pi straying from its mission to provide affordable computers. I disagree. Raspberry Pi offers models ranging from $10 to $120, all readily available — more so than ever. Adjusted for inflation, the original $35 Raspberry Pi Model B (launched 2012) would be $50 today. The Raspberry Pi 5 2GB is also $50 today and vastly outperforms the original, delivering far greater bang for buck. Though I can’t speak to their internal decisions, it’s seems from the outside that they continue to try to maximise the value of the Raspberry Pi while maintaining the original price point. Disclaimer: Co-founder of Pimoroni, one of the first Raspberry Pi resellers.
- danielktdoranie 2y agoI think that’s a fair price for a 16GB RAM Raspberry Pi 5 I wonder if this means the 16GB Pi 500 wedge computer will be $150?