What’s new and improved in Raspberry Pi 5

Source: The RaspberryPi website

The Raspberry Pi 5 is expected around October 2023 with lots of speculations from the CEO himself about 2023 as the ‘recovery year’.

There will be 2 variants of the single board computer. The 4GB RAM variant will cost $60 and the 8GB RAM variant will cost about $80. Both the variants are available for pre-order in India.

The Raspberry Pi 5 comes with a host of new and improved features that significantly enhance its performance and capabilities compared to its predecessors. Here’s a detailed list of the notable features and improvements:

1. Processing Power and Speed:

• A 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU which considerably boosts the processing speed, making it over twice as fast as the previous model.

• A new 16-nanometer application processor from Broadcom, derived from the 28-nanometer BCM2711 AP which powered Raspberry Pi 4, now with numerous architectural enhancements, three microarchitectural generations beyond Cortex-A72 offering more instructions per clock (IPC) and lower energy per instruction.

2. Graphics and Display:

• The VideoCore VII GPU supports OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2 which facilitates better graphics rendering.

• Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output and a 4Kp60 HEVC decoder which significantly improve the display and video playback capabilities.

3. Connectivity:

• Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for improved wireless connectivity.

• Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ support (requires a separate PoE+ HAT, coming soon) for robust wired connectivity.

4. Storage and Data Transfer:

• High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support for faster data read/write speeds.

• Two USB 3.0 ports supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation and two USB 2.0 ports for connecting various peripherals.

5. Additional Features:

• Real-time clock and a power button for better system control.

• PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals, and Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header for enhanced expandability and interfacing with other hardware.

• Massive speed boost, dual camera/display support, and small price increase for better value and versatility.

6. Other Improvements:

• The Raspberry Pi 5 is the first to feature silicon designed in-house in Cambridge, UK, marking a significant step towards better performance and customization.

• The Raspberry Pi 5 comes with a new Broadcom BCM2712 system-on-chip (SOC) that significantly enhances its performance over the Pi 4.

These advancements make the Raspberry Pi 5 a powerful and versatile tool for tech enthusiasts, hobbyists, and professionals alike. Whether it’s the enhanced processing power, improved graphics and display capabilities, or the robust connectivity options, the Raspberry Pi 5 comes as a significant upgrade over its predecessors.