$50 2GB Raspberry Pi 5 comes with a lower price and a tweaked, cheaper CPU

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A new $50 Raspberry Pi 5 model with 2GB of RAM and a cost-reduced CPU is prompting debate over whether it still offers good value compared to rival ARM boards and low-power Intel N100 mini PCs. Many see the Pi’s price, power consumption and loss of hardware video encoding (versus the Pi 4) as weaknesses, arguing that alternatives or even ESP32‑class microcontrollers are often cheaper or more efficient for specific tasks. Others counter that Raspberry Pi’s stable GPIO interface, extensive software ecosystem, documentation and community support still make it the pragmatic choice for education, prototyping and many embedded products, especially where 2GB is sufficient and ecosystem friction matters more than raw specs.

Price and Value of Raspberry Pi 5 (2GB)

  • Many see the $50 2GB Pi 5 as poor value for hobbyists; 2GB fits simple tasks, but the Pi 5’s performance is overkill for those, and underwhelming vs cheap x86 mini‑PCs.
  • Several commenters would pay the extra $30 for 8GB “by default” for flexibility, especially for general‑purpose or evolving projects.
  • Others argue SBCs are typically single‑purpose; if 2GB is enough for the application, extra RAM is wasteful, especially in volume deployments.
  • Historical pricing is debated: inflation‑adjusted, the original $35 Pi is near today’s $50, but some argue tech should have gotten cheaper and that Pis “feel” expensive now.

Alternatives: ARM SBCs and Intel N100 Boards

  • Orange Pi and Banana Pi are frequently cited as better price/performance, especially H618 and Zero‑form‑factor boards; software support is seen as weaker (Armbian, custom Ubuntu builds, flaky forums).
  • Intel N100 mini‑PCs and SBCs are viewed as close in price to high‑end Pi 5 setups once PSU, case, and NVMe HAT are included, while offering far more CPU, RAM, GPU, and I/O.
  • Counterpoints: N100 systems idle at higher power (roughly 4–10W vs ~3W claimed for Pi 5) and run hotter; some N100 SBC designs are criticized for thermals and software.

Ecosystem, GPIO, and Use Cases

  • Broad agreement that Raspberry Pi’s main advantage is ecosystem: stable 40‑pin GPIO, HATs, tutorials, first‑party accessories, and large community.
  • This makes Pis attractive for education, makers, and embedded products where time and support matter more than raw specs.
  • GPIO and timing‑sensitive tasks are harder to replicate on USB‑GPIO adapters or generic x86 boards.
  • Some see only Zero/Pico lines as truly compelling now; others run large fleets (hundreds–thousands) of 8GB Pis in kiosks, chargers, and industrial systems.

Performance, Thermals, and Video

  • Reported Pi 5 power draw: ~3W idle and up to ~15W load, giving roughly similar efficiency to Pi 4 despite higher performance; active cooling often required.
  • Loss of hardware video encoder vs Pi 4 is criticized, especially for camera‑heavy tasks (e.g., 3D printers, streaming), where Pi 4 remains preferred or x86 is recommended.

Microcontrollers vs Pi (ESP32, Pico, etc.)

  • For ultra‑low‑power, single‑purpose IoT, many recommend ESP32/ESP8266 (with tools like ESPHome), sometimes even noting Linux‑on‑ESP32 use.
  • Others stress these are different classes: an ESP can’t replace a Pi 5 where HDMI, USB, or full Linux workloads are required. Raspberry Pi Pico is seen as the more direct internal counterpart.

Business Direction and IPO Concerns

  • Some fear post‑IPO “enshittification”: prices rising, focus shifting from hobbyists to industrial customers, and eventual erosion of community trust.
  • Others argue that despite commercialization, competitors’ hardware, BSPs, and documentation are still so weak that Raspberry Pi retains a large safety margin.

Reliability and Practical Experience

  • One commenter reports all their Pis crash after hours/days; multiple others counter with years‑long 24/7 uptime in roles like home servers, signage, home automation, cameras, and desktops.
  • Suspected causes of instability include poor power supplies and SD card failures.

New SoC Stepping and Broadcom Relationship

  • The new BCM2712 D0 stepping is noted as cheaper due to removing “dark silicon”; some are curious about die size and thermal improvements, and hope it might ease cooling needs.
  • There is speculation that Broadcom failed to sell these SoCs widely and that Raspberry Pi may now be its only major customer, hinting at a somewhat tense or constrained supplier relationship.