- Some folks might have missed that memory prices on the whole are up [1] 90% since Q4.
The memory used by the Pi 5 is up 700% [2]!
Raspberry Pi are working the issue by releasing new memory variants that are cheaper[2].
Edit: You can still walk into a Microcenter and get Pi 5 16GB for US $289!
1. https://au.pcpartpicker.com/trends/price/memory/
2. https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/a-new-3gb-raspberry-pi-4-fo...
by steveBK123
13 subcomments
- It's crazy how Raspberry Pi & Apple prices have moved in converging direction.
Pi 5 8GB is $200
MacBook Neo 8GB is $600 (probably some edu discount available)
Sure 3x the price, but it comes with - 256GB SSD, battery, display, keyboard, trackpad..
So the Pi has slowly become too expensive for weird one-off projects and also price competitive with a cheap Mac by the time you add all the stuff you need to use it as a cheap computer.
If Apple ever got around to a headless "Mac Micro", below the Mini, which had the same specs as the Neo in desktop form it would be even more stark. They could easily ship that for $400 (mini is $300 cheaper than cheapest M-series MacBook with same ram/ssd). They might never do this as it's enough computer for most people they'd lose revenue from those otherwise spending far more at the Apple Store.
- PI's are expensive. But they have a very stable and well developed software eco system and are really flexible.
I still buy them. And a lot of them. Because with a Raspberry Pi 5 I'm able to make amazing wildlife camera sysetems that use thermal imaging and local AI to make an extremely effective solar powered wolf detector. I have a system in the field that's been running continuously since September 29 2025, over 8 months autonomously. It also records full frame thermal video in h264 24/7 and I can remotely retrieve images and video. That's a lot of functionality on a Pi 5.
I've collected over 60 videos of wolves from just one site with a Raspberry Pi 5 in this manner. In Belgium... Which is not exactly the biggest hot spot for wolves.
Videos here
https://www.youtube.com/@hcftube1
and here
https://www.youtube.com/@WildlifeSecurityInnovations
- I really struggle to see where this fits in to most use cases. The appeal of the Pi back in the first iterations was being a relatively cheap linux computer with GPIO.
- The Raspberry Pi 5 uses LPDDR4X. Finding 16GB (128Gb with a small b) chips in this size is not common. That memory chip is at least $200, probably more, even at the scale that they’re buying them.
I’m glad they’re making it available for the rare cases where it’s needed, but for PR purposes it would have been better if they just discontinued the 16GB model until RAM prices came down. I’m getting tired of hearing “Raspberry Pi 5 costs $300” now from people who have no reason to buy the 16GB version.
The 1GB version works well for simple Linux shell work and embedded projects. It’s $50.
The 4GB version works well for GUI work. Let’s be real: It’s a slow device and not a desktop/laptop alternative in 2026, so 4GB goes a long way for the use cases where you want to do basic GUI work. $110 for the 4GB model (if you shop not at Adafruit)
EDIT: Adafruit prices are higher for some reason. 16GB Pi 5 is $305 on other sites.
by steve_adams_86
5 subcomments
- So strange. I can probably sell my 4GB Pi 5 for about 40% more than I bought it for... 3 years ago. This isn't how computers are supposed to work, let alone Pis.
I get what's happening, but it's strange to see it happening.
Actually, could I sell it for ~10% less than someone would buy it new? Is there a market for used Pis? Maybe 30%, I don't know. That I can sell it for what I got it for at all is wild.
by throwaway81523
2 subcomments
- This isn't exactly news, that model has been at $350 for a while.
It's not like RPi suddenly introduced a 16GB model at a ridiculous price due to having forgotten about low cost stuff. The 16GB model was originally $85 iirc. Then the memory shortage hit. They could either withdraw the 16GB model (maybe screwing over some people who absolutely had to have it) or raise the price for those with urgent enough requirements. They did the latter.
Me, I'd like to see some large MCU's (let's say a little above RP2350 / ESP32 level) with a few MB of memory, but with memory protection, like old fashioned Vaxes with that much memory. That would allow running multiprocessing OS's where the processes couldn't easily clobber each other like on the current stuff. Many programs don't require GB's of ram.
by theoutfield
0 subcomment
- I’ve used Pi’s quite a bit and probably could have used something else for a lot of applications. When the Pi Pico came out that was an absolute dream for a lot more projects but still lacked the amount of RAM and Flash memory for some projects. Recently I came across the Waveshare ESP32-P4-Module Basic Kit that has 16MB of Flash and 8MB of PSRAM. The board comes in a Pi form factor with the 40 header and MIPI connections for camera and LCD. I’ve been able to port a Linux app by using the ESP IDF port of FreeRTOS and Vuejs/Tailwind for a web UI. The ESP32 P4 has dual core 360/400MHz RISC 5 with a Ethernet port. Waveshare added the C6 to the SOM if you want WiFi. That device is now my go to for anything that used to be done on a Pi. For a lot of other things the ESP32 S3 with the slower flash and PSRAM is the lowest cost that you can find.
by taffydavid
1 subcomments
- Pi's attraction was that it was a cheap hobby computer. I could buy a whole laptop for that money.
I know RAM prices are crazy right now, but I just bought a 16gb Ryzen 7 motherboard to repair an IdeaPad for €70
by chrissnell
4 subcomments
- My home cluster is built from surplus Dell Optiplex desktops that I got from BYU Surplus and added some RAM (before RAM price went totally bananas) and SSDs to.
I spent less than the cost of one of these Pis to acquire all of them together.
I later added a large machine that I used to use as a Linux desktop, with a GPU and 64GB RAM, which I use for generating OpenStreetMap tiles.
- It has definitely been a crazy few months for prices.
On 2025-12-18 I bought a RPi 5 kit on Amazon from CanaKit that consisted of an 8 GB Pi 5 with the official RPi 5 256 GB SSD, case, fan, 45W power supply, and some cables which came fully assembled.
It was $209.99.
Today it is $339.97.
On 2025-09-02 I bought a Samsung 1 TB EVO Plus M.2 SSD along with along with a Sabrent USB-C M.2/SATA enclosure to use with my RPi 4.
It was $64.99 for the SSD and $22.75 for the enclosure.
Today the SSD is $255.00 (down a little from the $261.08 it reached last month) and the enclosure is $29.95.
BTW, if you are looking for an RPi it looks like you can't rely on the prices shown on rpilocator.com.
Right now for example it lists RPi 5 8 GB in stock in the US for $80 (Digi-Key), $175 (Pishop), and $200 (Adafruit). Similar for 4 GB ($60, $110, $130 at those three sellers, in the same order). Same pattern for RPi 4. 8 GB from the same three sellers in the same order: $75, $165, $190. 4 GB $55, $100, $120.
Clicking the links reveals all the Digi-Key entries are wrong. Their actual price is the same as Pishop (whose rpilocator.com entries seem to be correct).
- Two years ago I bought 192GB RAM for my desktop (2 sets of 2x48GB) for $700. Today, the Amazon price for the same sets is $2500. The world is insane.
- Who would've thought the $50 pi 5 I bought on a whim would be my best performing asset in the last few years
- This is hilarious considering you can easily[1] get a whole ARM laptop with 16GB for $425 all day, and that will also include a screen, keyboard, trackpad, battery, and storage.
I first checked for Mac Minis and interestingly they are much closer to $650 for similar specs.
And obviously if Intel is fine for your use case, either the N100 type of mini PC or, my preference, an off-lease HP, Dell, or Lenovo USFF PC, would be like half that for a very capable machine.
[1] https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=m1%20macbook%20air%2016...
by finnjohnsen2
0 subcomment
- Remember the good old days of impulse buying the latest Raspberry Pi?
- we've lost the plot. this is no longer a hobbyist computer.
- Microcenter (another official US reseller) sells the Pi5 16GB at a much lower price[1].
1. https://www.microcenter.com/product/702590/raspberry-pi-5
by somebudyelse
0 subcomment
- Earliest snapshot from IA is $120. That's almost 3x increase since then. I knew the component shortage was bad but not this bad.
https://web.archive.org/web/20250529094904/https://www.adafr...
- I would never undestand this phenomenon, 350$ is a price you can buy a Ryzen mini PC instead...
In my country there is virtually no possibility to buy the newest PI, and even if it is possible, it won't cost the main price, but always more...
- That price I'd just buy an Optiplex or something
I have 4 RPi servers in my house on 24/7 but yeah
Funny different purpose but I bought a 2017 Pixelbook put Ubuntu on it, great machine it was $80
- The Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer with native support for UART, SPI, I2C, CSI, and more. There's a large ecosystem of HATs, sensors, and peripherals built specifically for it. Most mini PCs rely on USB for peripherals, which isn't ideal for embedded use cases. Additionally, mini PCs tend to be discontinued within 2–3 years, whereas the Pi has much longer lifecycle over a decade. It's closer to an ARM development board, and those alternatives aren't cheap.
There are plenty of Pi clone boards at lower prices, but they have smaller communities and less documentation. When you hit an unexpected problem, it can be hard to find solutions or get support.
by ThrowawayR2
2 subcomments
- Even worse, continued RAM shortages and inflation might actually mean that will have been a good price in a year's time.
- I really wanted to buy a new one, but the prices have gone up. I better find old pc's from 2000 and after, will similar job for what I'm looking.
- Come on, a one gigabyte Pi is under $50. There's no plot lost, it's just expensive RAM. 2gb is $75. That's where Pi plays well.
- For 350 USD, and note that this is without a case, storage and power, you can also buy a N100 or N150 mini pc.
The Pi was supposed to be cheap. What happened.
- Are Raspberry Pis (UK country of origin) exempt from the 10% baseline import tariff?
- What are they used for?
Its CPU's PassMark scores an average of 4,246.
A quick check on AMZN: https://www.amazon.com/KAMRUI-Mini-PC-i3-10110U-Bluetooth/dp... uses AMD Ryzen 4300U (scores 7364), 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, supports 3 4k (maybe 30HZ) monitors at the same time. That mini pc cost $289.
- The $35 computer, for only $350!
- Raspberry Pi as a company does ~$325M in annual revenue.
But I can’t understand what are the use cases to be selling 73M units.
Would anyone mind sharing what are the broadly applicable use cases, because selling 73M units is well beyond hobbyist fun.
https://investors.raspberrypi.com/
- Horrible board, even at the old price. The Pi stopped making sense after the original one, if you exclude the Zero/Pico.
by bmurphy1976
0 subcomment
- Hey, at least you can buy them. Small comfort but remember during covid when you couldn't even get a Raspberry Pi?
Truly tragic we are going through this again but here we are.
- A Lenovo x280 i5 8th gen with 16gb Ram 256gb ssd cost less than that and run faster with screen and keyboard. You can dual boot Linux and Windows. You can also install OpenClaw or Hermes. Plenty of x280 or L14 in secondhand market. I don't see the point of buying Pi5. Unless you are collector of Pi stuff.
- I have a Chromebook lying around that is cheaper than this... memory prices are crazy!
- 2 years ago I bought a Dell R630 for about this much with 128GB of RAM and 2 beefy xeons (for their gen, anyhow). Oh, how the times have changed.
- Every time I see entitled people crying because of the prices of a Rasperry Py I remember my first computer that had hundred of megahertz's speed and megabytes of RAM.
I could do very useful things with that machine. So it is not the end of the world if we have to go back to a world when you merely have thousands of times more memory for 4 times less money.
It could even be positive if it forces people to be more efficient writing code and wasting less resources.
by phyzix5761
0 subcomment
- Its the same picture for all of them. Why load different half a megabyte images for each pi?
by LeoPanthera
0 subcomment
- That's more expensive than an equivalently specced MeLE fanless PC, which is an entire Intel PC.
- For embedded products, 1GB can go a long way thanks for linux customization and such.
- Holy cow. I know I'm not supposed to be surprised given the memory shortage, but that is insane level.
by dsissitka
2 subcomments
- It's worth mentioning you're paying a $45 Adafruit tax here. Adafruit charges more for Pis.
- Up ~50% about 2 months ago (4/2026)
by sloanfardele
0 subcomment
- Well, I'm happy to have mine with 4 GB, as it was purchased before the crisis.
by yanhangyhy
0 subcomment
- soon we can run LLM in RP?
by honeycrispy
2 subcomments
- This is really sad. Me and my girlfriend at the time watched all of our movies off of a Pi 1 and a USB hard drive when it came out. Those days are long gone.
by internet2000
0 subcomment
- Sooooooo not worth it.
- At that price? Sorry, no!
I need the 16GB RAM, but I do not have these money anymore. Medical bills.....
- I think people commentating here are missing the point. The cost of that pi is for the 16 GB of RAM. Which in fairness, is a lot of RAM for a device of that type.
You can still buy a Raspberry Pi on a budget if you don’t need that much memory. For example, the 2 GB model is $75.
by 0xbadcafebee
0 subcomment
- There's a thousand old laptops with 16GB RAM on eBay for <$200. Do you really need an embedded SOC with GPIO pins to have 16GB RAM?
by codingjoe
2 subcomments
- I hate this timeline: How is a Pi marginally cheaper than a Mac Mini?
by teaearlgraycold
0 subcomment
- If you’re on SF I can sell you 16GB Pi 5s for $280. I’ve got a few on hand (new in box).
by Joel_Mckay
0 subcomment
- Or one can also get a better specification i5 or Ryzen 4650U laptop for <$260 with SSD and LCD, then hot glue a 32bit Arduino to the lid.
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100017489%204016%20601497625%2...
Dram prices and Flash prices are inflated right now, but the pi were never focused on Desktop users. As a platform it no longer makes sense for many use cases. =3
- Damn I think I have one in a drawer.
- I’m surprised to see those legacy USB ports on a board where space savings is important. Do they do it for backwards compatibility with older cases and housings?
And am I correct to see that the USB-C only does power? How do you connect your pheripherals to this board?
by jollyllama
0 subcomment
- "Don't you know there's a war on?"
by desireco42
1 subcomments
- Pi even before these ram prices was getting expensive and kind of missing the point from my perspective. Definitely good to have them releasing new models.
What bothers me is that now you need cooling for some models, and obviously price is getting too high.
On the other hand... $50 for 1Gb version is excellent still. And you should be able to use it just fine.
by greenavocado
2 subcomments
- LMAO what a joke. N100 mini PCs are a hundred dollars less and vastly more capable aside from GPIO.
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by bschmidt500
0 subcomment
- [dead]
- The other day I found an optiplex for $20, 16ddr4, 250 ssd sata, core i7.
No way in the world I am paying $350 plus tax plus shipping for that!
- i would say my first Pi was about 50$, crazy times
- was famous for being the $35 computer and it is now $350
- I got an i5 Thinkpad T480 for 100usd.. Rpi is a joke
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