Who would buy a Raspberry Pi for $120?
Raspberry Pi’s new 16GB Pi 5 model at $120 is prompting scrutiny over whether it still offers good value compared to cheap x86 mini PCs and refurbished enterprise hardware, which often deliver far more performance, storage and accessories for a similar or lower total cost. Participants note that the Pi retains advantages in ARM architecture, GPIO access, long-term software support and form-factor compatibility, making it attractive for embedded, educational and low-power projects, but argue that for general-purpose servers or desktops a mini PC is now usually the better deal. The steep RAM pricing is widely seen as deliberate price discrimination—partly influenced by Raspberry Pi’s commercial structure and IPO incentives—rather than a reflection of actual memory costs.
Value and Pricing of the 16GB Pi 5
- Many argue $120 is poor value vs alternatives; biggest complaint is the $70 jump from 2GB to 16GB.
- Several call it “Apple-like” price discrimination: low margins on base models, much higher on max RAM to extract more from “must-have-the-best” buyers.
- Others defend it as standard business practice and necessary for funding R&D and satisfying public-market expectations post-IPO.
- A technical sub-thread notes high-density LPDDR4(x) packages are genuinely expensive; single-package constraints on the Pi board make RAM upgrades costlier than PC DIMMs.
Alternatives: Mini PCs, NUCs, and Thin Clients
- Widespread sentiment: for desktop, homelab, or server use, used/refurb mini PCs (NUCs, tiny enterprise desktops, N100 boxes) offer far better performance-per-dollar.
- When you add case, PSU, storage, and cooling, a Pi 5 approaches or exceeds the price of complete x86 mini PCs that “destroy” it in CPU, RAM upgradability, and storage.
- Power-efficiency debate: some say modern N100/NUC systems can idle at 3–5W, others note many mini PCs idle closer to 10–20W, while Pi 5 is still more efficient under strict power constraints.
Where the Pi Still Makes Sense
- Strong support for Pi in roles needing:
- GPIO and direct hardware integration.
- ARM-native environment and easy ARM package builds.
- Stable software ecosystem, long product lifecycles, and predictable availability for industrial/educational deployments.
- Some niche justifications for 16GB: ARM build servers (e.g., Nixpkgs, Docker images), in-house CI, power-constrained environments, ARM-focused development, and specific cluster or virtualisation workloads.
Critiques of the Platform and Ecosystem
- Several say the Pi has shifted from a cheap learning tool to an overpriced SBC, with microcontrollers (ESP32, etc.) and mini PCs now covering most use cases better.
- Complaints include SD card fragility, Pi boards running hot, and Raspberry Pi OS–specific quirks that make general Linux knowledge not always transferable for beginners.
- Others counter that competitors’ boards often have poor or short-lived software support, while Raspberry Pi’s long-term support and documentation remain a key differentiator.