In a surprising release this year, the Raspberry Pi 5, the latest iteration of the beloved microcomputer, has debuted, boasting significant upgrades. Notably, this version marks the Raspberry Pi to feature in-house silicon, promising a leap in performance compared to its predecessor.
At the heart of the Raspberry Pi 5 is a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor, clocking at an impressive 2.4GHz. This enhancement translates to a remarkable two to three-times performance improvement over the Raspberry Pi 4, making it a powerful computing solution. Accompanying this powerhouse is an 800MHz VideoCore VII graphics chip, substantially boosting graphics performance. A key feature of the Raspberry Pi 5 includes a component designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation—the Southbridge. This critical part of the chipset facilitates seamless communication with peripherals, significantly enhancing peripheral performance and functionality. With the RP1 southbridge, the microcomputer achieves faster transfer speeds to external UAS drives and other peripherals.
Furthermore, it introduces dual four-lane 1.5Gbps MIPI transceivers to connect two cameras or displays and a single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface to support high-bandwidth peripherals, albeit requiring a separate adapter like an M.2 HAT for optimal utilization. In terms of ports, the Raspberry Pi 5 impresses with dual 4Kp60 HDMI display outputs supporting HDR, a microSD slot, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, and a 5V DC power connection via USB-C. Additional features include Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) support, and peak SD card performance doubled with the SDR104 high-speed mode. These upgrades position the Raspberry Pi 5 as an even more versatile solution for applications ranging from an ultra-budget desktop PC to a media server or a DIY security system.
The Raspberry Pi 5 will offer multiple RAM options at launch, featuring a 4GB version priced at $60 and an 8GB version priced at $80. This competitive pricing structure places it slightly above the Raspberry Pi 4, making it an enticing choice for tech enthusiasts. The Raspberry Pi 5 is set to hit the market before the end of October, anticipating keen interest and adoption in the maker and computing community.
