• Raspberry Pi 3 B – a new and improved RPI

    Raspberry Pi 3 B – a new and improved RPI

    The Raspberry Pi is already a classic, and the release of the Raspberry Pi 4 promises to enhance the performance of already existing applications and make the single board computer a reality.  

    The RPI 4 board has the same RPI form factor we’ve come to love, but there are many things that have been redesigned, making the board incompatible with previous design. As we’d expect from a new version, the device has increased the processing power compared to the Raspberry Pi 3.

    Hardware

    The Raspberry Pi 4 has a significant redesign with multiple 

    • Processor: The Pi 4 is powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 CPU initially running at 1.5GHz, but later version are clocked at 1.8 GHz
    • Memory: It comes in multiple variants, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Update: the 1GB version has been discontinued.
    • Storage: The microSD card slot is available as always, but USB booting is also possible
    • Graphics: The VideoCore VI GPU supports dual 4K HDMI outputs
    • Connectivity: The Pi 4 includes dual-band Wi-Fi 6 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 (Classic + LE), and Gigabit Ethernet
    • USB Ports: 2x USB 3.0 ports and 2x USB 2.0 Ports
    • Power Input: USB-C
    • GPIO: Standard 40-pin GPIO header

    AS the whole industry is shifting USB-C, the new Raspberry PI changes its connector from the usual USB micro B we’ve been accustomed to a USB-C connector. The power requirements are still the same with the board needing a 15W Power supply (5V @ 3A).

    A limited version of the Raspberry Pi 4 schematics are available, focusing mainly on the I/O of the system that enables improved interface with the board to design 

    Wireless Connectivity

    The RPI 4 has an integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth  module. The Wi-Fi supports both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Even better, the board has modular certification, which means that you can integrate the RPI 4 into a product and reuse the FCC certification without redoing all the wireless testing.

    Gigabit Ethernet

    RPI 4 is the first Raspberry Pi to have Gigabit Ethernet, which helps speed up those transfers

    Processing Power

    RPI Foundation claims the new 1.8GHz A76 Processors of the BCM2712 is up 3x as fast as the Raspberry Pi 4 when considering raw power. That kind of performance improvement will benefit a lot of heavy processing applications, like cameras processing, object recognition and other items.

    Backwards Compatibility

    The Raspberry Pi 4 is a redesign and has significant changes which means that old Raspberry Pi enclosures won’t fit. This is also because the 

    Software

    Great hardware is nothing without great software, and the RPI is supported by the Raspberry Pi OS by default, along with support for other Linux distros.

    The good news is that the Raspberry Pi software stack is mature and working. In fact most users of RPI OS seem to prefer it compared to other alternatives, since it’s finely tuned to the RPI capabilities.

    Raspberry Pi 5 support began in Raspberry Pi OS 12 with Kernel 6.1.21 but the latest RPI OS release uses Kernel 6.6.31.

    Price

    The original Raspberry Pi was $35 which was great for a variety of applications. The 1GB RPI4 is priced at exactly that, which means that given all the improvements, the RPI4 is a great upgrade.
    But the 1GB variant has been discontinued, which isn’t really an issue because 1GB is very limiting for most applications (part of the reason why it was discontinued).
    • 2GB – $45
    • 4GB – $55
    • 8GB – $75
    4GB ends up being the sweet spot for a Raspberry Pi 4. 2GB is fine if your applications aren’t very demanding, while 8GB is somewhat of a luxury you can choose if you need more. This enables end users to choose the right level and optimize the cost of the system, which keeps it  

    Our Take

    The Raspberry Pi 4 is a fantastic upgrade to the Raspberry Pi 3, with multiple price points depending on your needs that should fit any budget, although it won’t strictly meet the old $35 price point.

    More Information

    Raspberry Pi 3

    Raspberry Pi 3
    7.4
    Recommended
    Both the Raspberry Pi 3 B and B+ offer significant improvements in performance and new features
    Release Date: 14 Mar 2018
    Price: $35
    Processor: Quad ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.4GHz
    Memory: 1GB
    Peripherals: 4x USB A , Ethernet , HDMI