The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B provides desktop PC performance. It features 2GB RAM, a faster quad-core 64-bit processor, support for dual displays up to 4K resolution via a pair of micro-HDMI ports,...
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B provides desktop PC performance. It features 2GB RAM, a faster quad-core 64-bit processor, support for dual displays up to 4K resolution via a pair of micro-HDMI ports, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, wireless LAN, Bluetooth 5.0, and power via USB-C.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B provides desktop PC performance. It features 2GB RAM, a faster quad-core 64-bit processor, support for dual displays up to 4K resolution via a pair of micro-HDMI ports, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, wireless LAN, Bluetooth 5.0, and power via USB-C.
Fully upgraded, redesigned, faster, more powerful
The speed and performance of the new Raspberry Pi 4 is a step up from previous models. Changes have been made to increase the processor speed, video and multimedia performance, RAM, and connectivity compared to the previous Raspberry Pi 3 model B+, while maintaining compatibility with older versions and low power consumption. Whether you are processing documents, browsing the internet with multiple tabs open, working on spreadsheets, or creating a presentation, you will find the experience smooth.
Silent, energy-efficient
With passive cooling, the Raspberry Pi operates silently and uses much less energy than other computers.
Faster I/O
The Raspberry Pi 4 features two USB 3.0 ports, offering transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0, ideal for connecting high-speed peripherals such as SSDs and flash drives. There are also two USB 2.0 ports for connecting lower-speed peripherals like keyboards and mice.
The Ethernet port of the Raspberry Pi 4 operates at true gigabit speeds, for modern wired networking, and as with the Raspberry Pi 3 B+, there is also support for Power-over-Ethernet (requires the Raspberry Pi PoE HAT).
Finally, it provides wireless networking and Bluetooth 5.0.
Supports 4K resolution, with dual micro-HDMI
There are dual micro-HDMI ports that support up to 4Kp60, allowing you to use the Raspberry Pi 4 with much larger screens with clarity, precision, and high resolution. Use the H.265 4Kp60 decoding to watch 4K movies on your favorite media center console.
For the first time, you will be able to use two HDMI screens with the Raspberry Pi. This is great as you will be able to have two different desktops simultaneously, without having to work in tiny windows.
You will need
A 15W USB-C power supply
A microSD card loaded with NOOBS, the software that installs the operating system (buy a pre-loaded SD card along with the Raspberry Pi or download NOOBS to load a card yourself)
A keyboard and a mouse
Cables for connecting to one or two monitors via the Raspberry Pi 4's micro HDMI ports
Specifications are collected from official manufacturer websites. Please verify the specifications before proceeding with your final purchase. If you notice any problem you can
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If you want a computer for light use (browsing, office, etc.), it is the best. Right now, I have 2 SD cards. One has Raspberry Pi OS and the other has Home Assistant. Just perfect!
I bought it to run a bot for work, it has been working non-stop for 3 months but now that it's getting hot, I notice that it raises the temperature so I will get a cooler. However, it's an awesome device, it does its job very well
I have 2 Raspberry Pi 4.
I can say that they are fantastic.
One is running on a 3D printer and the second one I use for smart home.
They don't freeze anywhere, especially if you put a good cooling on top so that it stays at low temperatures as much as possible.
The only negative thing is its price now.
With 60 and 70 euros that it has now,
I had bought 2 Raspberry Pi, one with a full case, power supply, and the second one with only a power supply.
Just think that I bought the latter 6 months ago and for this money now, the 8GB Pi were available.
Spring 2024
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For desktop use, I no longer recommend it as an Intel n100 is infinitely better and costs around 120-140€ with 16GB of memory and a 250/500GB SSD.
I am writing about the 8GB model, but the same applies to the 2GB model.
The best operating system for this device is definitely Raspbian. There are many tricks to install popular media applications such as Viber, Discord, and it can be customized exactly as you want.
Definitely overclock it to 2GHz, it makes a huge difference in performance. For cooling, I recommend the ICE Cooler, but the old Intel coolers with plastic legs that embrace the heatsink (the heatsink can be removed, of course) are also great for most uses at this speed.
YouTube plays well (objectively, you may see some framedrops in 1080p, but not many) when it is overclocked, Stremio works decently, and Netflix is good.
The system runs on a 64GB SD card, which is overkill.
On boot, the desktop starts at around 200-230MB of memory usage, which is why the 2GB version is more than enough. The 4GB and 8GB versions don't make much sense for desktop use. The LXDE it uses is very lightweight and beautiful, and definitely doesn't compare to the memory footprint of Win7-10.
Things you will need for a complete system:
Pi4 2GB
SD Card 16GB+
Charger (preferably the original one)
HDMI cable MINI-TO-STANDARD
Cooling method (preferably a fan or heatsink+fan)
Mouse/Keyboard, preferably wireless.
Extra things:
Ice cooler case (ice cooler + case combo)
USB SD card reader for using a second SD card to prepare other distros.
USB adapter to SATA or M.2 for transferring the OS to an SSD or M.2
Literally does everything. I use it as a home assistant server at home and it flies with a bunch of loaded plugins. It raises temperatures and I have bought a passive cooler for it and it no longer goes above 45 degrees. I also recommend a Samsung Evo SD card, I saw significant differences in performance.
I have had this Raspberry for a month now.....At first, I wanted to get the 4GB version but for economic reasons, I got this one with 2GB of RAM...I used to have the rpi3b+ which unfortunately ''died'' after 2 years of heavy use...The performance compared to the old model is literally day and night!! I have installed: Android 9.0, Android 10, Windows 10 (Under Development), Raspbian OS, Twister OS and I had excellent performance on all of them, but the biggest difference was with Windows 10! The old one could barely open Edge, while this one not only opens it in 2-3 seconds but also plays back YouTube videos up to 720p! Of course, you need to add a fan, especially if you use Windows 10 because I have seen temperatures of 70+ degrees in a room temperature of 25 degrees!
Overall, this Raspberry has made a very good impression on me! Get it with your eyes closed!!!