The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the Raspberry Pi 5 minicomputer with some notable upgrades. The price is $60 for the 4GB RAM version and $80 for the 8GB RAM version.
The organization has updated almost every aspect of the platform, and the Raspberry Pi 5 is packed with new features, is twice as fast as its predecessor, and is the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature an internally developed chip.
The Raspberry Pi 5 is powered by a 2.4GHz quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor, delivering two to three times the performance of the Raspberry Pi 4 from four years ago.
The device also features a VideoCore VII GPU that supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2 technologies, significantly improving graphics performance.
Additionally, the Raspberry Pi 5 features for the first time the Southbridge chip, a component manufactured by the Raspberry Pi Foundation that is part of the core logic chipset built into a computer's motherboard and enables communication with peripherals.
“The microcomputer enables significant changes in performance and peripheral functionality with the RP1 Southbridge, enabling faster transfer speeds for external UAS drives and other peripherals,” explains the Raspberry PAL Foundation.
The Raspberry Pi 5 also features two 1.5Gbps quad-path MIPI transceivers for connecting two cameras or two monitors.
It also introduces a new single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface that supports high-bandwidth devices. However, the organization notes that you will need a separate adapter (e.g. M.2 HAT) to take advantage of the new interface.
In terms of ports, expect 4K resolution, two 60fps HDMI display outputs (with HDR support), a microSD slot, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and DC power over USB C5V.
Other features include Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy support, a high-speed MicroSD card interface with SDR104 mode support, a real-time clock, and a power button.
These upgrades make the Raspberry Pi 5 even more versatile, whether you're using it as a low-cost desktop computer, a media server, or a security system.