Raspberry Pi 5: Unveiling Impressive Speed and Performance Upgrades

The upcoming Raspberry Pi 5, set to launch before the end of October, brings substantial improvements over its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4. It boasts a remarkable 3x increase in processing speed and a 2x boost in GPU performance. Furthermore, the enhanced I/O bandwidth now facilitates the smooth operation of two 4K displays at 60 frames per second.

These performance enhancements result from comprehensive updates across the Raspberry Pi 5 board. The CPU is a robust 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, complemented by a VideoCore VII GPU. Two versions of the board will be available, offering a choice of either 4GB or 8GB of RAM.

For those familiar with previous Raspberry Pi models, it’s worth noting that the Pi 5 introduces a notable addition—a power button, a feature previously absent. Additionally, a single-lane PCIe port has been included, enabling the attachment of PCIe and NVMe devices. The Pi 5 also incorporates a real-time clock powered by an external battery. While retaining the microSD card slot, it now supports high-speed SDR104 mode.

The 4GB version of the Raspberry Pi 5 will be priced at $60, with the 8GB variant available for $80. The increased performance necessitates a more robust power supply compared to the Raspberry Pi 4. Therefore, an investment in a 5V 5A USB-C power supply is essential when upgrading. Raspberry Pi offers an official 27W power supply for this purpose. Existing cases designed for previous models will not fit the Pi 5, and a new Raspberry Pi Case for the Pi 5, complete with a fan, is available. An active fan is also offered for use outside of a case.

Pre-orders for the Raspberry Pi 5 are now open through various resellers worldwide, with shipments expected to commence around October 23. Subscribers to The MagPi or HackSpace can obtain a single-use code for priority access to the hardware.