Four years have elapsed since the release of the Raspberry Pi 4, and the tech community eagerly awaited its successor. And now, the Raspberry Pi 5 is officially here, packing impressive upgrades and introducing in-house silicon for the first time, all with a starting price of just $60.
One of the most noteworthy enhancements in this iteration is its performance. At its core, the Raspberry Pi 5 sports a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor clocked at 2.4GHz. When juxtaposed with its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4, it’s apparent that this new chip offers a performance increase of two to three times. Graphics, too, receive a generous bump with the inclusion of the 800MHz VideoCore VII graphics chip, touted by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to provide a significant rise in graphics performance.
But the novelty doesn’t end with just the performance. For the first time, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has introduced its in-house component: the RP1 southbridge. Essentially, the southbridge is an integral part of the motherboard that facilitates communication with various peripherals. The inclusion of the RP1 southbridge signifies a remarkable shift in peripheral performance and functionality, ensuring swift data transfer speeds to external UAS drives and other peripherals.
One interesting feature this device boasts is the two four-lane 1.5Gbps MIPI transceivers, enabling users to hook up dual cameras or displays. Additionally, a debut in the Raspberry Pi lineup is the single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface, designed for high-bandwidth peripherals. Though, it’s worth noting that leveraging this feature requires a separate adapter, like the M.2 HAT.
The Raspberry Pi 5 is no slouch in terms of connectivity options. Users will find dual 4Kp60 HDMI display outputs compatible with HDR, a microSD card slot, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and a power connection via a 5V DC USB-C port. Added benefits include support for Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), and a doubled peak SD card performance with the SDR104 high-speed mode. With these enhancements, the Raspberry Pi 5 becomes a compelling choice for varied applications, be it a cost-effective desktop PC, a home media server, or even a homemade security setup.
As for the pricing, the Raspberry Pi 5 offers a choice between two RAM configurations. The 4GB variant is priced at $60, while the more robust 8GB model will set you back $80. It’s a slight uptick from the Raspberry Pi 4’s pricing model of $55 for 4GB and $75 for 8GB. However, given the multitude of upgrades and enhancements, many would argue that the price is justified. Those eager to get their hands on one won’t have to wait long, as it’s set to be available by the end of October.
In sum, the Raspberry Pi 5 isn’t just a simple upgrade; it’s a transformative evolution of a beloved microcomputer, setting new benchmarks for performance, versatility, and innovation.
