Tinkerers and DIYers in search of better performance have a new Raspberry Pi to choose from. On Thursday, May 28, the Raspberry Pi Foundation introduced a new $75 Raspberry Pi 4 model with 8GB of RAM.
Joining the 2GB and 4GB models, the new Raspberry Pi 4 gives buyers more scope to use memory-demanding applications. “If you’re a power user, intending to compile and link large pieces of software or run heavy server workloads, or you simply want to be able to have even more browser tabs open at once, this is definitely the Raspberry Pi for you,” said Eben Upton, co-founder of Raspberry Pi.
Despite the jump in RAM, according to Upton, the overall design and ports on the new Raspberry Pi 4 will stay the same. It still includes USB-C ports, Micro HDMI ports, USB-3, USB-2, and Gigabit Ethernet ports, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Power supply components have been moved around the board of the device. It all moves from the right-hand side of the board next to the USB 2.0 sockets, to beside the USB-C power connector. That change also delayed production, due to the impact of the coronavirus, which disrupted the supply of inductors.
The operating system designed for Raspberry Pi devices has received an update to handle the extra memory. “Raspbian” is being removed from the name, and “Raspberry Pi OS” is being used in its place. The OS also has a 64-bit image of the operating system, which will better address the programming and coding needs of those with the 8GB RAM model.
“Power users, who want to be able to map all 8GB into the address space of a single process, need a 64-bit userland. We’ve released an early beta of our own 64-bit operating system image,” said Upton.
The $75 selling point now makes the 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 the most expensive Rasberry Pi model. The model with 2GB of RAM comes in at $35, and the 4GB model is $55. That marks a $20 added price to pay if you’re hoping to upgrade to the maximum possible RAM.
You’ll be able to find the Raspberry Pi 4 model at approved sellers in the United States and across the world by visiting raspberrypi.org. Here in the United States, these retailers include Micro Center, Chicago Electronic Distributors, Okdo.com, and others.