Unleashing the Powerhouse of Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi 5 Hands-Review Introduction

In a world where single-board computers reign supreme, the Raspberry Pi has consistently stood as a beacon of innovation and affordability. With the release of the Raspberry Pi 5, the community of tech enthusiasts and DIY aficionados eagerly awaited its arrival. This hands-on review delves deep into the capabilities, features, and performance of the Raspberry Pi 5, highlighting its emergence as the most powerful Raspberry Pi iteration to date.

Description: The Raspberry Pi 5 has generated substantial buzz within the tech sphere, promising a significant leap in performance and versatility over its predecessors. Our comprehensive review aims to provide readers with an in-depth exploration of this tiny yet mighty computing device. From its upgraded hardware specifications to real-world applications and performance benchmarks, we leave no stone unturned in our examination of the Raspberry Pi 5.

Since its debut in 2012, the Raspberry Pi has solidified its position as the quintessential “single-board computer” within both the maker and embedded industrial sectors. While the Raspberry Pi 4, released in 2019, introduced notable improvements in performance and memory capacity, it grappled with persistent stock shortages, leaving enthusiasts yearning for an upgrade. That anticipation has finally been answered with the introduction of the Raspberry Pi 5.

The Raspberry Pi 5 presents a paradox of familiarity and innovation. It retains the near-identical form factor of its predecessors and maintains compatibility with existing software. However, it distinguishes itself with a jaw-dropping claim of tripling performance and, remarkably, integrates high-speed PCI Express connectivity—a first for a mainstream Raspberry Pi model, opening up exciting possibilities for external hardware expansion.

Now, the question looms: Does the Raspberry Pi 5, after a meticulous four-year development journey, live up to the hype? Let’s delve into the details and find out.

The physical components

Hardware Specifications:

CPU: The Raspberry Pi 5 boasts a formidable Broadcom BCM2712 4-core CPU, clocked at up to 2.4GHz, utilizing Arm Cortex-A76 architecture on a 16nm process.

GPU: Powered by the Broadcom Videocore-VII GPU, it delivers impressive graphics capabilities.

Video Capabilities: Supporting hardware video decode for H.265 at 4k60, the Raspberry Pi 5 excels in video playback. However, it lacks hardware video encoding.

Southbridge Chip: The Raspberry Pi 5 incorporates the Raspberry Pi RP1 as its “Southbridge” chip, manufactured on a 40nm process.

RAM: It offers options of 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4x RAM clocked at 4,267MHz, ensuring smooth multitasking and performance.

Storage: Users can utilize microSD cards or opt for M.2 Key M NVMe storage, facilitated by an optional HAT.

USB: Equipped with 2× USB 3.0 and 2× USB 2.0 ports for diverse connectivity needs.

PCI Express: Features 1× PCI Express Gen. 2 slot for expansion.

Network: Provides Gigabit Ethernet with Precision Time Protocol (PTP), along with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for versatile connectivity options.

Display Outputs: Offers 2× 4k60 HDMI ports and 2× four-lane MIPI DSI ports (shared with CSI) for high-resolution displays.

Camera Inputs: Includes 2x four-lane MIPI CSI inputs (shared with DSI) for camera connections.

GPIO: Features a 40-pin populated header, a dedicated fan header, debug UART, and a physical power switch for customization and control.

Power: Powered via USB Type-C at 5V 5A, and compatible with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) when utilizing an optional HAT.

Cost: The Raspberry Pi 5 comes in two variants, priced at $60 for the 4GB model and $80 for the 8GB model.

Raspberry Pi enthusiasts will notice that the overall board design remains largely unchanged, maintaining the familiar layout seen in mainstream models dating back to the Raspberry Pi Model B+. However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that the Raspberry Pi 5 introduces a subtle nod to the past: the Ethernet port is now situated to the left of the port cluster, with the two USB 2.0 ports on the right—a layout reminiscent of the Raspberry Pi 3, marking an intriguing evolution in design.

In other aspects, the board closely follows the layout established by the Raspberry Pi 4. It preserves the dual micro-HDMI 2.0 ports, both now capable of simultaneously delivering a 4k60 resolution, alongside a USB Type-C connector for power supply. Nestled between these familiar ports are two notable additions: a battery connector tailored for the new real-time clock (RTC) and a dedicated debug UART, which is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico Probe.

On the right side of the board, you’ll find a pair of connectors matching the Raspberry Pi Zero in size. These, too, mark a first for the Raspberry Pi 5: they’re MIPI ports, cleverly designed to autonomously switch between Camera and Display Serial Interface (CSI and DSI) modes depending on the peripherals connected. This breakthrough introduces dual-CSI camera support for mainstream models, offering the flexibility of dual-DSI displays, or even one of each—a noteworthy advancement in versatility.

Moving on to other aspects, the board closely follows the layout established by the Raspberry Pi 4. It maintains the same set of micro-HDMI 2.0 ports, with the added capability of both supporting 4k60 resolution simultaneously. Additionally, it incorporates a USB Type-C connector for power supply. Within this section, there are two notable newcomers in the port selection: a battery connector specifically designed for the new real-time clock (RTC) and a dedicated debug UART, seamlessly compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico Probe.

On the right side of the board, you’ll discover a pair of connectors, sharing the same size as those seen on the Raspberry Pi Zero. These connectors represent another first for the Raspberry Pi 5, distinguishing it from its predecessors. They are MIPI ports, intelligently engineered to autonomously switch between Camera and Display Serial Interface (CSI and DSI) modes, depending on the connected peripherals. This groundbreaking feature equips the board with dual-CSI camera support for the first time in mainstream models, offering the flexibility of dual-DSI displays or a combination of both—a remarkable advancement in versatility.

This leaves a void on the left-hand side of the board, which was previously occupied by the DSI connector on the Raspberry Pi 4. However, this space has not been left idle. Instead, a compact connector has been integrated here to establish a connection for an additional PCI Express Gen. 2 lane—a feature that was formerly exclusive to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 series, unless one was willing to undertake the intricate task of desoldering the Raspberry Pi 4’s USB 3.0 controller to access it.

This particular connector serves as the primary interface for the new M.2 HAT, an acronym representing Hardware Attached on Top. The M.2 HAT is designed to provide robust support for high-speed M.2 SSDs, which can achieve an impressive throughput of 452MB/s under stock settings when paired with a compatible SSD.

Furthermore, this very connector extends its versatility by unlocking the potential for high-speed connections to a diverse range of hardware. This spectrum encompasses HATs that offer multiple SATA ports for projects such as network-attached storage (NAS) and even machine learning accelerators. However, it is worth noting that, as of the time of writing, no announcements have been made beyond the introduction of the M.2 HAT from Raspberry Pi. Moreover, past endeavors to run high-performance graphics cards on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 encountered substantial challenges. Consequently, it is expected that support in this realm may be somewhat limited until developers successfully tackle the task of creating drivers tailored to the Raspberry Pi 5.

At the core of the Raspberry Pi 5 lies the cutting-edge Broadcom BCM2712 system-on-chip. Fabricated using a 16nm manufacturing process and shielded by a metal heat spreader for optimal cooling, this chip packs a punch. It boasts four robust 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 cores, with clock speeds ranging from 1.5GHz to 2.4GHz. Enthusiasts aiming for a little extra power can target speeds of up to 2.6GHz through overclocking.

Additionally, the chip houses a brand-new Broadcom Videocore-VII graphics processor that can operate at speeds of up to 800MHz. Users can choose between 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4x memory to complement their needs. To enhance cooling, a dedicated fan connector, complete with pulse-width modulation (PWM) speed control, is located in the upper-right corner of the board. For those seeking sustained peak performance, the Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler is a highly recommended optional heatsink-and-fan accessory.

The most captivating aspect of the new hardware isn’t located within the BCM2712 but rather in a modest chip positioned near the USB ports: the Raspberry Pi RP1. As its name suggests, this chip is an in-house development by the Raspberry Pi’s application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) team. Intriguingly, it predates the more widely recognized RP2040, despite entering the market at a later time. This 40nm component serves the crucial role of separating the “low-speed” interfaces from the BCM2712, managing tasks such as Ethernet, USB, the MIPI ports, and the general-purpose input/output (GPIO) connector.

Velocity enthusiast

Speaking of performance, it’s safe to assert that the Raspberry Pi 5 lives up to expectations. While the Raspberry Pi 4, featuring dual-HDMI outputs and up to 8GB of RAM, was initially presented as a desktop-grade device, the Raspberry Pi 5 undeniably fulfills the potential set by its forerunner. The new chip is nothing short of astonishing, achieving a substantial threefold improvement in synthetic testing.

While synthetic benchmarks provide valuable insights, the true measure of performance lies in real-world usage. In this context, the performance gains of the 8GB Raspberry Pi 5 model may seem modest, amounting to a “mere” doubling when compared to the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 8GB. However, the specific improvements vary depending on the workload. For instance, the Raspberry Pi 5 impressively completed a GIMP image editing benchmark in just 19.6 seconds, compared to the Raspberry Pi 4’s 38.2 seconds. Similarly, in a ten-page Tesseract optical character recognition (OCR) task, the Raspberry Pi 5 demonstrated its capabilities by finishing in 25.6 seconds, outperforming the Raspberry Pi 4’s 53.5 seconds.

In cryptographic tasks, the Twofish-CBC encryption approach nearly achieves a twofold increase in throughput, reaching 120.3MB/s compared to the previous 65.2MB/s. However, when employing the AES-256-CBC algorithm, the performance improvements are remarkable. Encryption and decryption speeds surge from 87.1MB/s and 98MB/s, respectively, to an impressive 1,079.6MB/s and 1,902.7MB/s. These significant speed enhancements are made possible by the incorporation of new acceleration instructions, effectively enabling real-time encryption with ease.

photo by : Gareth Hhalfacaree

However, for a desktop machine, web browsing is a primary activity. When comparing the default Chromium browser performance on both devices, the Raspberry Pi 5 significantly outpaces its predecessor. In the JetStream 2.1 browser benchmark, the Raspberry Pi 5 scores an impressive 87.873 points, while the Raspberry Pi 4 lags behind with 37.868 points. Transitioning to the Speedometer 2.1 benchmark reveals an even more substantial improvement, with the Raspberry Pi 5 achieving 58.4 runs per minute, nearly three times the performance of the Raspberry Pi 4.

However, the enhancements in the Raspberry Pi 5 go beyond just the CPU. Several components have received improvements. The microSD slot, for instance, now offers double the speed compared to the Raspberry Pi 4, resulting in a noticeable boost in storage performance. Additionally, USB 3.0 storage devices also benefit from speed enhancements, with throughput increasing from a peak of 363MB/s on the Raspberry Pi 4 to 420MB/s on the Raspberry Pi 5—unless you happen to be using two of them simultaneously. On the Raspberry Pi 4, the USB 3.0 ports share bandwidth, which means that accessing two drives concurrently cuts the speed in half. However, the Raspberry Pi 5 addresses this limitation by providing dedicated bandwidth for each port, resulting in impressive speeds of 842MB/s read and 832MB/s write when utilizing two USB SSDs in tandem.

The Wi-Fi performance also receives a significant upgrade. Although the radio hardware on the Raspberry Pi 5 is the same as that of the Raspberry Pi 4, the faster CPU and improved memory bandwidth result in a substantial increase in peak performance. During real-world testing on a relatively uncongested network, the sustained throughput on a 5GHz connection soared from 77.3Mb/s on the Raspberry Pi 4 to an impressive 232Mb/s on the Raspberry Pi 5. Meanwhile, Ethernet performance remains consistent between the two models, with the Raspberry Pi 5 offering the added advantage of Precision Time Protocol (PTP) support.

Lastly, let’s discuss the new GPU. In this regard, the improvements are even more remarkable than those seen in the CPU. Workloads that rely entirely on the GPU, such as the GeeXLabs shader toy demos, exhibit a performance gain of over four times. Even the long-standing OpenArena achieves nearly 131 frames per second at 720p, approaching almost three times the performance of a Raspberry Pi 4, which manages 50.5 frames per second.

High power consumption

Power consumption is one of the areas where the Raspberry Pi 5 faces challenges. Despite sharing a USB Type-C connector with its predecessor, it demands significantly more power: the previous 5V 3A official power supply suitable for the Raspberry Pi 4 has been replaced by a 5V 5A supply. It falls just short of achieving full standards compatibility, though. While the Raspberry Pi 5 negotiates power delivery over USB Power Delivery (USB PD), it lacks support for the newer Programmable Power Supply (PPS) standard. Notably, most USB power supplies capable of delivering 5A at 5V use PPS, not PD. As third-party supplies become available, this situation may change, but for now, the official Raspberry Pi power supply remains the primary option.

Using a power supply that can’t negotiate 5A at 5V isn’t impossible, though. In our desktop testing, which involved a single 1080p display and a USB keyboard and mouse, the Raspberry Pi 4 never exceeded 12W power consumption—far below its specified 25W maximum. Peak power draw is only reached when high-power USB accessories are connected. To safeguard the device, the Raspberry Pi will automatically reduce the current output of its USB ports unless it detects a compatible 5A supply.

However, even at 12W, the Raspberry Pi 5 demands more power than the 7.5W required by a Raspberry Pi 4 at maximum load. This increased power consumption translates into a notable heat issue: during our torture testing, which involved stressing both the CPU and GPU, the Raspberry Pi 5 began throttling after only 40 seconds of sustained load. Therefore, the Active Cooler accessory is highly recommended, or at the very least, using a fan. In our tests with a simple fan attached, the Raspberry Pi 5 completed the torture test without experiencing throttling.

For those who prioritize quiet operation over sheer performance, there’s encouraging news: the power and thermal management features of the Raspberry Pi 5 are effective enough to allow it to operate under throttling conditions indefinitely without causing damage. Even when running at its lowest clock speed of 1.5GHz, you can anticipate the Raspberry Pi 5 to at least match or potentially slightly outperform an unthrottled Raspberry Pi 4. This fact alone underscores the substantial performance gap between the two.

Conclusion

Perhaps the Raspberry Pi 5’s only letdown is its departure from the established pricing tradition. Since the debut of the original model in 2012, Raspberry Pi has consistently aimed to offer one variant of its flagship product at the wallet-friendly price of $35. However, as both component and production expenses have risen in recent years, the Raspberry Pi 5 ultimately deviates from this tradition. The device is set to debut at $60 for the 4GB model and $80 for the 8GB model.

“That’s not to imply that these devices don’t offer value for money. From a pure performance perspective, you’re receiving a substantial amount of performance for your investment. Comparable devices with inferior performance can easily be found at significantly higher price points. The primary concern is the limited selection of compatible power supplies, as you are currently bound to Raspberry Pi’s proprietary design until third-party options become available. Nevertheless, even with this constraint, the pricing remains competitive.

However, there are a couple of important considerations for potential buyers. The most significant of these is the shift away from hardware video encoding: the Raspberry Pi 5 no longer includes any hardware video encoder blocks in its GPU, which means that all video encoding must be handled by software.”

That’s not to imply that these devices don’t offer value for money. From a pure performance perspective, you’re receiving a substantial amount of performance for your investment. Comparable devices with inferior performance can easily be found at significantly higher price points. The primary concern is the limited selection of compatible power supplies, as you are currently bound to Raspberry Pi’s proprietary design until third-party options become available. Nevertheless, even with this constraint, the pricing remains competitive.

However, there are a couple of important considerations for potential buyers. The most significant of these is the shift away from hardware video encoding: the Raspberry Pi 5 no longer includes any hardware video encoder blocks in its GPU, which means that all video encoding must be handled by software.

However, this approach comes at the expense of increased power consumption and the utilization of at least one processor core, whereas a Raspberry Pi 4 would have been able to perform video encoding on the GPU while keeping all CPU cores available for other tasks. Additionally, the absence of a 3.5mm audio/video jack is notable, as it was removed to accommodate the twin CSI/DSI connectors.

Another consideration pertains to the utilization of the PCI Express lane, which holds the potential for high-speed connectivity with various devices. However, it’s likely that compatibility issues may arise for some time after the launch. Similar to the situation with the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, certain hardware components such as high-performance graphics cards may never achieve full compatibility.

Nonetheless, it does provide a means of connecting high-speed storage without monopolizing a USB port. If you’re willing to make adjustments and operate it outside of standard specifications, you can even enhance the link to uncertified PCI Express Gen. 3, achieving nearly 900MB/s with a compatible NVMe SSD.

For those who felt that the Raspberry Pi 4 fell short in terms of performance, the Raspberry Pi 5 undoubtedly provides the solution. It retains all the familiar advantages of the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, including a regularly updated and well-supported operating system, as well as a large and enthusiastic global user community. Notably, the capability to support two CSI cameras on a single board will pique the interest of individuals exploring stereo computer vision projects.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is set to hit the market in October, with pricing set at $60 for the 4GB model and $80 for the 8GB model. As of now, no information has been disclosed regarding other potential models, such as a Raspberry Pi 500 all-in-one system based on the same BCM2712 chipset.

For those who felt that the Raspberry Pi 4 fell short in terms of performance, the Raspberry Pi 5 undoubtedly provides the solution. It retains all the familiar advantages of the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, including a regularly updated and well-supported operating system, as well as a large and enthusiastic global user community. Notably, the capability to support two CSI cameras on a single board will pique the interest of individuals exploring stereo computer vision projects.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is set to hit the market in October, with pricing set at $60 for the 4GB model and $80 for the 8GB model. As of now, no information has been disclosed regarding other potential models, such as a Raspberry Pi 500 all-in-one system based on the same BCM2712 chipset.