Select Locations: Raspberry Pi 5: ARM Cortex A76 Quad-Core CPU, 16GB RAM

netanderthal

Aug 8, 2025 9:03 PM

225 Comments

Joined Jun 2006

netanderthalAug 8, 2025 9:03 PM

225 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank netanderthal

At this pricepoint, i would get one of the Intel N100/N150 miniboxes from Amazon -- their idle is about 6W to PI5 3-4W but they are extremely more powereful and come with a case, ram, hard drive etc for around $120...

78

5

2

av911

Aug 8, 2025 9:07 PM

1.9K Comments

Joined Dec 2010

av911Aug 8, 2025 9:07 PM

1.9K Comments

Quote from netanderthal

:

At this pricepoint, i would get one of the Intel N100/N150 miniboxes from Amazon -- their idle is about 6W to PI5 3-4W but they are extremely more powereful and come with a case, ram, hard drive etc for around $120...

Different size dimensions. I was looking for for those mini/micro/flex machines, it's just too big for my application. Settled with a couple of Pi4 instead, still a smaller footprint than those computers.

5

rubbercat

Aug 8, 2025 9:13 PM

108 Comments

Joined Jan 2016

rubbercatAug 8, 2025 9:13 PM

108 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank rubbercat

It's sad to see Raspberry Pi lose the plot. Even for $99 you're still looking at, what, another $10 for a PSU, $5 cooler, $20 case... oh, did you want to use NVMe storage? That'll be another $50 for a 512GB kit. The proliferation of dirt cheap N150 boxes has completely destroyed the value proposition here.

105

5

stone_

Aug 8, 2025 10:42 PM

1.8K Comments

Joined Aug 2011

stone_Aug 8, 2025 10:42 PM

1.8K Comments

i would just buy refurbished minisforum instead.

6

4

randomchaos

Aug 8, 2025 11:49 PM

2.4K Comments

Joined Nov 2012

randomchaosAug 8, 2025 11:49 PM

2.4K Comments

Quote from av911

:

Different size dimensions. I was looking for for those mini/micro/flex machines, it's just too big for my application. Settled with a couple of Pi4 instead, still a smaller footprint than those computers.

The Aoostar N1 pro is too big?

3

SarcasticVacuum

Aug 9, 2025 10:31 AM

64 Comments

Joined Jan 2015

SarcasticVacuumAug 9, 2025 10:31 AM

64 Comments

I've enjoyed just about every edition of the Raspberry Pi over the years. Earlier this year when I needed another small form factor computer, I opted to try a Beelink over a RP5. It has better price to performance ratio, better specs, better cooling imo, and I didn't have to avoid scalpers to get MSRP.If case size isn't a priority and $100 for a Raspberry Pi seems high, give Beelink a try.(If anyone will use it as a server/docker manager, Coolify has been a good option for me.)

5

1

justye

Aug 9, 2025 10:52 AM

2.8K Comments

Joined May 2015

justyeAug 9, 2025 10:52 AM

2.8K Comments

People who still buy and promote this and don't use the GPIO pins or for whatever reason need something to be even smaller than a typical mini PC are honestly cultists at this point. When you look at responses to the absurdity of the new RPi pricing from the people on the raspberry_pi subreddit, it's obvious they really don't care about logic at this point.

17

2

LavenderPickle7682

Aug 9, 2025 11:11 AM

4.9K Comments

Joined Sep 2019

LavenderPickle7682Aug 9, 2025 11:11 AM

4.9K Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank LavenderPickle7682

Wow. I remember when these were $35. They needed a LOT of extras to get them up and running for casual use, but it was still inexpensive compared to a desktop or laptop -- even older models. They were great to use for technology education in remote areas/countries -- where a generic USB adapter + TV w/ HDMI are still pretty common. And other accessories are inexpensive.

Now at $100+...yikes. You can nab a microformfactor machine or an older (yet entirely capable) laptop....with far greater performance. And you get everything you need. Here you need to buy a higher-power USB power supply + higher specced USB-C cable + case + keyboard + mouse + video cable + hdmi adapter (since these don't actually use normal HDMI) + monitor. And a lot of these newer Pis "need"/"really can benefit from" active cooling + additional heatsinks.

Some of that is common, but not as common as what was used on the Pi 1 and 2 models.

Btw, you can get USB-to-GPIO breakout boards for normal computers too. Unless you have a clearly articulated need for a single board computer with GPIO....you can really spend your money better elsewhere. Or not (to satisfy the RPi apologists). I don't care how you waste your money! 🤣

17

1

4

LordDrol

Aug 9, 2025 11:51 AM

1.5K Comments

Joined Jul 2011

LordDrolAug 9, 2025 11:51 AM

1.5K Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank LordDrol

If you do have a Micro Center, you should check your store for open box, because you could get this for $80 instead of $100, making it more palatable. I see 2 open box units in Santa Clara, for example.

Quote from rubbercat

:

It's sad to see Raspberry Pi lose the plot. Even for $99 you're still looking at, what, another $10 for a PSU, $5 cooler, $20 case... oh, did you want to use NVMe storage? That'll be another $50 for a 512GB kit. The proliferation of dirt cheap N150 boxes has completely destroyed the value proposition here.

The extra expenses were always going to bloat the cost of even a $35 model, unless you were cool with not using a case, or had a spare power cable laying around.

Most people should look for a cheap x86 OptiPlex MFF or something instead. The very cheapest Alder Lake-N Chinesium boxes could have zero support/returns.

5

2

3

markymarcSD

Aug 9, 2025 12:26 PM

16 Comments

Joined May 2010

markymarcSDAug 9, 2025 12:26 PM

16 Comments

I did a cost analysis of the power requirements between a pi 5 and an intel equivalent and the energy savings would allow you to buy you a brand new pi every 5 years. So it is not as expensive as you may think.

1

3

6

GreenStraw720

Aug 9, 2025 1:43 PM

8 Comments

Joined Apr 2024

GreenStraw720Aug 9, 2025 1:43 PM

8 Comments

5 has a lot of problems. Better off with a 4

4

1

zhalie

Aug 9, 2025 2:03 PM

2.5K Comments

Joined Feb 2016

zhalieAug 9, 2025 2:03 PM

2.5K Comments

For DIY, ESP32.

4

3

jackharvest

Aug 9, 2025 2:10 PM

2.1K Comments

Joined Jul 2010

jackharvestAug 9, 2025 2:10 PM

2.1K Comments

Quote from rubbercat

:

It's sad to see Raspberry Pi lose the plot. Even for $99 you're still looking at, what, another $10 for a PSU, $5 cooler, $20 case... oh, did you want to use NVMe storage? That'll be another $50 for a 512GB kit. The proliferation of dirt cheap N150 boxes has completely destroyed the value proposition here.

Yep. I miss when this was the answer for the $25~$40 question.

Stupid Pi's have lost their way.

5

2

CoolAppliance356

Aug 9, 2025 4:05 PM

457 Comments

Joined Jun 2022

CoolAppliance356Aug 9, 2025 4:05 PM

457 Comments

Not worth it. When these were $35 it was but not at $100

5

1

Select Locations: Raspberry Pi 5: ARM Cortex A76 Quad-Core CPU, 16GB RAM

$100

$120

Editor's Notes

Original Post

Editor's Notes

Original Post

Community Voting

Top Comments

Join The Conversation

52 Comments

Join The Conversation

Related Deals

Related Searches

Popular Deals

Trending Deals