Four gigs of RAM might not seem like a lot for a PC or even a smartphone these days. But for a tiny all-in-one board like the Raspberry Pi, it can actually be overkill.
That’s why the company is releasing a new version of the Raspberry Pi 5 that chops the former base model’s RAM in half from 4GB to 2GB. The newer variant is a flat $50 — that’s $10 cheaper than the 4GB version and $30 less than the 8GB version.
Related: The $5 Raspberry Pi Pico is faster and backward-compatible
The memory isn’t the only thing changed in the new version of the design. It’s also using a new Broadcom processor, the BCM2712D0. This will be functionally identical to the BCM2712C1 on the more expensive models, with the same quad-core Cortex A76 running at 2.4GHz, but the D0 variant omits hardware components that came “permanently disabled” on the other Pi 5 models.
Stripping out that non-functional hardware helps make the newer version even cheaper. That’s something the Raspberry Pi designers say they’ve been acutely aware of as rising component prices made the Pi 5 considerably more expensive than older models.
Granted, $60 isn’t exactly a king’s ransom for an electronics component, especially one as powerful and flexible as the Pi 5. But if you’re just buying one to tinker, or incorporating it into small batches of custom hardware, then every penny counts.
The new 2GB version of the Raspberry Pi 5 is now in stock on PiShop.us and should be available at other retailers now or in the near future.
Further reading: Useful Raspberry Pi projects that anyone can do
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.