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Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi 5

The current flagship single-board computer. A full Linux PC the size of a credit card, with PCIe for fast storage.

Strengths

  • Fast enough to run a desktop, a web server or a printer host
  • Huge ecosystem of HATs, cases and tutorials
  • PCIe slot makes NVMe storage practical

Trade-offs

  • Needs the official 27 W power supply and active cooling under load
  • Price varies a lot by RAM size and retailer

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the default computer for maker projects that need more than a microcontroller. It runs a full Linux desktop, but in a workshop it usually ends up running something specific: Klipper or OctoPrint for a 3D printer, a camera, a home-automation hub, or the high-level brain of a robot.

Buy the official 27 W USB-C power supply and an active cooler at the same time. Underpowered or hot Pis are behind most “it’s unstable” complaints.

Where to buy: Raspberry Pi sells through approved resellers by region. The official page links to the ones near you.

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