cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ndlug.org/post/1001830
Today, we’re happy to announce the launch of the 2GB Raspberry Pi 5, built on a cost-optimised D0 stepping of the BCM2712 application processor, and priced at just $50.
The new D0 stepping strips away all that unneeded functionality, leaving only the bits we need. From the perspective of a Raspberry Pi user, it is functionally identical to its predecessor: the same fast quad-core processor; the same multimedia capabilities; and the same PCI Express bus that has proven to be one of the most exciting features of the Raspberry Pi 5 platform. However, it is cheaper to make, and so is available to us at somewhat lower cost. And this, combined with the savings from halving the memory capacity, has allowed us to take $10 out of the cost of the finished product.
So, while our most demanding users — who want to drive dual 4Kp60 displays, or open a hundred browser tabs, or compile complex software from source — will probably stick with the existing higher memory-capacity variants of Raspberry Pi 5, many of you will find that this new, lower-cost variant works perfectly well for your use cases.
I don’t see any reason to use a Raspi instead of an used thin client for selfhosting.
They use about the same energy, but the Mini-PC has x86, which has better software support, has more ports, and runs more stable.
I have a RPI for my 3D-printer (Octoprint), and I will soon replace it with a “proper” PC, because it always crashes.
Raspberry Pis are good for very small appliances, but for anything more, they suck imo
They are what you make of them. I have three 3b+ units sitting upstairs, one of which runs my entire media stack, and the second is mostly just for Pihole, and the last is for general tinkering I might need. The pin array is awesome to have.
No one’s arguing they are low performance (although a 5 is practically 5x the performance of a 3b+ unit), but they definitely don’t suck
I don’t even mean performance in terms of computing power.
RPIs are, imo, not meant as a server. It might (and will) work fine, but one of the main problems I have is the power supply. As soon as I send a more advanced print job to my RPI, it crashes. Even though I have the official power cord.
If it works for you - fine! I don’t want to tell badly about them. They are great.
It’s just that they are very inflexible.
That’s not just your opinion, it’s a fact.
Could also be your sd card btw.
Could be a bad board. I have a Pi 3B+ that is intermittently crashes and shows insufficient voltage no matter what power supply is used.
NGL, changing the computer instead of the power supply seems a bit expensive if that’s the problem
At least your 3B+ doesn’t cost $50.
I bought a couple a few years ago, the only one I still use is the PiHole, which has been phenomenal. I did try to use one as a media server but turned out to be more of a pain than it was worth.
I handle everything through docker, and a Portainer agent on top of that, so it’s actually been quite painless. Would definitely recommend
We used a RPi 4 for a Plex server for a while. It was fine except it couldn’t do any live transcoding or handle h265 worth beans.
I upgraded to an OrangePi 5. I’m on a sata drive for the OS and a external USB disk for media. The thing is amazing!
No, it’s not a $50 computer. Yes, it works great.
I love RPi boards, but their hardware limitations are quick to be found as you move past simple hobbyist projects.
I agree, once you factor in a power supply (or PoE hat), case and storage a Raspberry Pi really isn’t all that cheap anymore nowadays. Unless you have a project that specifically benefits from the GPIO pins or the form factor, just get a cheap barebones mini PC or a used one with RAM and SSD already included.
This will get you a system that’s way more powerful even if it’s a couple of years old (the Pi’s SoC is fairly weak) and I/O throughput is no contest, normally with at least a dozen PCIe lanes to use for NVMe storage or 10 gigabit network cards, if you so desire.
I’ve actually been considering getting a mini-pc. My old setup at home used to be my main PC hooked up to my TVs in the living room with a wireless keyboard. Id do some low end gaming on it and mostly streaming. Im in process of selling that house and looking to go back into a more traditional setup, with my main PC In a den with actual monitors, but still want to consider the option of having a mini PC in the living room TV for the occasional PC needs, and running lower end party games from steam like Jack Box.
They’re good for media centers, since the support 4k HDR. Can also use Moonlight to stream games from a PC. GPIO is useful, but I guess the PI is overpowered for most GPIO use cases at this point.
Which mini pc? I have an Intel NUC Intel i5 and looking for something smaller but can run a dev desktop (xfce, vscode, node, docker).
I use Intel NUC boards for desktop systems. The form factor is nice and compact. The only limiting factor would be the volume limits the GPU, but that’s not a requirement for me.
What’s a thin client?
A low-power computer typically used just to remotely connect to a proper server
Think of a browser and nothing else. Computation happens somewhere else (except JS)
A small form factor PC. Think of a Mac Mini. Small, often not-high-performance, low-powered PCs that are often used in business environments.
I use one as my home server.
That’s not what a thin client, that’s just a mini PC. A thin client is a computer that connects to remote sessions, and since that’s their main function, they’re they don’t need more computing power than you need to connect to a report desktop environment.
Ah, okay. I thought OP was referring to a thinkpad/thinkcentre
that is not a thin-client in the traditional sense, just a small form factor (1liter) pc. Thin clients were minimal spec machines that were made to connect to a much more powerful server somewhere on the network that did all the work. The thin client handled the display and I/O.
Mini PCs are generally a far better deal than a Pi and much more powerful for any kind general computing use.