Raspberry Pi 5 gets a cheaper 2GB option

There’s a new Raspberry Pi 5 on the market: a 2GB version that drops the price of the mini computer to $50. The lower RAM doesn’t necessarily mean it’s less capable, but it won’t be able to perform some RAM-intensive tasks. Raspberry Pi Foundation CEO Eben Upton says: The device is “functionally identical to its predecessor.”

When the Raspberry Pi 5 was released last year, it was only available in a 4GB version for $60 and an 8GB version for $80, making them $5 more expensive than the corresponding Raspberry Pi 4 models. While the 2GB version may not be ideal for things like running AI apps or using it as a full-fledged media center, Upton says many customers will likely find it “works perfectly well” for less demanding use cases.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the most powerful device from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, featuring an onboard processor. RP1 I/O ControllerIn addition to a quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor clocked at 2.4GHz. To create the 2GB model, the Raspberry Pi Foundation built a cost-optimized version of its processor that strips out any functionality it doesn’t need. The result is a cheaper chip with the same features, including a PCI Express 2.0 interface.

You can buy the cheaper Raspberry Pi 5 option from authorized sellers, such as Canakeet and Bishop.US.