Overview
The Raspberry Pi 5 arrived to considerable excitement in the maker and embedded computing community. Its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4, had been the go-to single-board computer for years — powering everything from media centers to industrial prototypes. But does the new generation justify an upgrade, or is the Pi 4 still the smarter buy for most projects?
Let's dig into both boards side by side.
Specifications at a Glance
| Feature | Raspberry Pi 4 Model B | Raspberry Pi 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Broadcom BCM2711 (Cortex-A72, 4-core) | Broadcom BCM2712 (Cortex-A76, 4-core) |
| Clock Speed | 1.8 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| RAM Options | 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB LPDDR4X | 4GB, 8GB LPDDR4X |
| GPU | VideoCore VI | VideoCore VII |
| PCIe | No | PCIe 2.0 x1 (via FPC connector) |
| USB Ports | 2× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0 | 2× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0 |
| Real-Time Clock | No | Yes (battery connector included) |
| Power Input | USB-C (5V/3A) | USB-C (5V/5A — 27W recommended) |
| GPIO | 40-pin standard | 40-pin standard |
| Starting Price | ~$35 (2GB) | ~$60 (4GB) |
Performance Differences
The switch from Cortex-A72 to Cortex-A76 cores is meaningful. The Pi 5 delivers roughly 2–3× better CPU performance in real-world tasks compared to the Pi 4. This is noticeable when compiling code, running desktop applications, processing data pipelines, or handling multiple services simultaneously.
The VideoCore VII GPU also offers improved graphics performance and better OpenGL ES support, making the Pi 5 noticeably smoother as a desktop replacement.
The PCIe Connector: A Game Changer
One of the biggest additions to the Pi 5 is the PCIe 2.0 x1 FPC connector. While it requires an adapter (like the official Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+), it opens up the possibility of connecting NVMe SSDs for dramatically faster storage — a perennial limitation of SD card-based Pi setups. For server applications or any storage-intensive workload, this alone may justify the upgrade.
Power Requirements
The Pi 5 is more powerful but also hungrier. It requires a 27W (5V/5A) USB-C power supply for full performance. Underpowering it will trigger throttling. If you're running off batteries or a HAT-based power supply, factor this in carefully.
When to Choose the Raspberry Pi 4
- You're building a lightweight IoT gateway or sensor hub
- You need lower cost or already own a Pi 4
- Power efficiency matters (e.g., battery-powered or solar builds)
- Your project uses existing Pi 4-specific HATs without Pi 5 compatibility yet
- You need the 1GB or 2GB RAM variants for budget builds
When to Choose the Raspberry Pi 5
- You want to use it as a daily desktop computer
- You're running compute-intensive workloads (ML inference, media transcoding)
- You want NVMe storage via the PCIe interface
- You need an onboard RTC for time-sensitive applications
- You're building a new project from scratch and want room to grow
Verdict
For new projects where budget allows, the Raspberry Pi 5 is the clear technical choice. The performance gains are substantial, and the PCIe support fundamentally expands what you can do. However, the Raspberry Pi 4 remains an excellent, well-supported board for the vast majority of embedded and maker applications — and is widely available at lower prices.