Raspberry Pi 5 microcomputer unveiled

A new version of the Raspberry Pi 5 will be released later this year at a starting price of $60. Not only is it expected to perform better than its predecessor, but it will also be the first Raspberry Pi computer to be equipped with a microprocessor of its own manufacture.

At the heart of the Raspberry Pi 5 is a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4GHz, which allows for two to three times the performance of the four-year-old Raspberry Pi 4. The device also features an 800MHz VideoCore VII graphics chip, which the Raspberry Pi Foundation says provides a “significant boost” in graphics performance.

In addition, the Raspberry Pi 5 features for the first time a component made by the Raspberry Pi Foundation itself – the south bridge, also known as the part of the motherboard that helps it communicate with peripherals. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the RP1 south bridge enables the microcomputer to “significantly improve peripheral performance and functionality” by providing faster data transfer speeds to external drives and other peripherals.

The new version also has two quad-channel 1.5Gbps MIPI transceivers, allowing up to two cameras or displays to be connected. There’s also a new single-link PCI Express 2.0 interface for the first time, providing support for “high-bandwidth peripherals”. However, the Raspberry Pi Foundation notes that it will require a separate adapter, such as M.2 HAT (Hardware Attached on Top).

In terms of ports, we can note two 4Kp60 HDMI outputs with HDR support, a microSD slot, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and a 5VDC power connection via USB-C. Other goodies include Bluetooth 5.0 and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) support, as well as peak SD card performance that “doubles” thanks to SDR104’s high-speed mode. Together, all of these upgrades make the Raspberry Pi 5 even more versatile, whether you’re looking for an ultra-budget desktop PC, a media server, or even a security system.

At launch, the Raspberry Pi 5 will come with several RAM options: $60 for the 4GB version and $80 for 8GB. This makes it slightly more expensive than the Raspberry Pi 4, which is priced at $55 for 4GB of RAM and $75 for 8GB. The Raspberry Pi 5 will be available for purchase in October.