Why Use Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi, as the most popular Linux embedded development board internationally, has garnered significant attention, especially in projects by geeks and makers where the Raspberry Pi appears frequently. This has created a high level of support from the open-source community.
What are the advantages of the Raspberry Pi over many domestic Linux development boards in China? The only advantage is community support, as currently, in terms of performance, cost-effectiveness, and peripheral functions, many domestic development boards have surpassed the Raspberry Pi. Therefore, if you are an experienced player in Linux embedded development, the Raspberry Pi is not your primary choice; instead, the Orange Pi might be more to your liking.
However, for beginners, the Raspberry Pi remains the most convenient and recommended board for learning Linux embedded development. I also hope that domestic companies can quickly establish an open-source ecosystem, giving consumers more choices.
How to Choose the Version You Need
At this point in time, it is not recommended to purchase any version other than the Raspberry Pi 5, as the prices of Raspberry Pi models are generally not cheap. Currently, the price of the Raspberry Pi 4B 4G in domestic stores is around 340 Chinese Yuan, while the Raspberry Pi 5 4G sells for about 510 Chinese Yuan. However, the Raspberry Pi 5 has about twice the CPU performance improvement compared to the Raspberry Pi 4B, and the GPU improvement is also significant. Therefore, unless budget constraints are an issue, it is still recommended to choose the Raspberry Pi 5 directly.
Regarding memory options, the Raspberry Pi 4 offers 1G, 2G, 4G, and 8G memory choices. For small project development, 2G is sufficient. The 8G version of the Raspberry Pi 4B is not worth choosing because the CPU performance of the Raspberry Pi 4B will be insufficient before you use up the 8G. The Raspberry Pi 5 has two memory options, 4G and 8G. This remains the same; if you have the need to deploy AI models, the 8G is recommended; otherwise, 4G is definitely sufficient.
Accessory Purchases
Normally, when you buy a Raspberry Pi, you only get the board with no other accessories, which is quite disappointing. Therefore, I have listed a few essential accessories for your reference below.
Power Supply
The Raspberry Pi 5 requires a very high power supply, needing 5V5A. Although it is a PD protocol, most PD chargers on the market cannot reach the 5V5A standard, and it cannot handshake with 9V3A, so its power supply is quite awkward. Either purchase the official Raspberry Pi power adapter or a third-party one. However, if you do not have high performance requirements, the original 5V3A power adapter for the Raspberry Pi 4B can also be used, including ordinary PD adapters. But the current limit on the USB interface will be restricted to 600mA, which needs to be noted.
Active Cooler
Due to the significant core performance improvement of the Raspberry Pi 5 but the relatively outdated 16nm process, the heat generation is enormous. Basically, without active cooling, it will overheat shortly. Therefore, I believe that an active cooler for the Pi5 has become a necessity.
There are two types of coolers: fixed-speed fans and PWM adjustable-speed fans. I strongly recommend choosing a PWM adjustable-speed fan because a fixed-speed fan needs to occupy the precious 5V GPIO interface. However, the PWM fan has a separate location on the motherboard for installation, without needing to occupy additional GPIO interfaces. Moreover, the adjustable-speed fan can automatically adjust the rotation speed based on the CPU’s current temperature by modifying the config file. There is no need to buy the official Activate Cooling; there are many third-party PWM adjustable-speed fans on Taobao, with no significant difference in effect but at half the price or even lower.
Other accessories like the Raspberry Pi case are optional based on personal preference; there is no need to buy them if not needed.
