Pi Day 2025 fell on March 14. Raspberry Pi used the occasion to recap company and community news; the headline hardware release of the year so far had already arrived on January 9: a Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM, launched at $120.
What Raspberry Pi highlighted on Pi Day 2025
In its March 14 Raspberry Pi Weekly newsletter, editor Sarah marked Pi Day with the familiar celebration of π and its wordplay. The newsletter also looked beyond the date, covering company news and a maker project.
- Raspberry Pi said it had won the 2024 Europe TSMC Trophy.
- The company had demonstrated products at Embedded World 2025.
- The newsletter featured HexBoard, an RP2040-powered MIDI controller with 140 mechanical switches illuminated by addressable RGB LEDs.
The major hardware release: Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB RAM
On January 9, 2025, Raspberry Pi announced a 16GB version of Raspberry Pi 5 at a launch price of $120. It expanded the available memory configurations alongside the existing 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB models. That is a historical launch price, not confirmation of today’s price or stock.
Raspberry Pi said the extra memory could help with demanding workloads such as large language models and computational fluid dynamics, as well as heavier desktop distributions such as Ubuntu. The announcement attributed the higher-capacity configuration to an optimized D0 stepping of the Broadcom BCM2712 processor and Micron LPDDR4X memory packaging. These are manufacturer-stated use cases and design details, not independent performance-test results.
#1 Best Overall
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (8GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
For everyday desktop use, maker projects, or many lightweight server tasks, a lower-memory configuration may be sufficient; the 16GB model is most relevant when an application’s memory needs justify paying more. Raspberry Pi did not provide comparative performance figures in the announcement to quantify the benefit for a particular workload.
See Raspberry Pi’s 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 announcement.
Rank #2
- Includes Raspberry Pi 4 4GB Model B with 1.5GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU (4GB RAM)
- Includes Pre-Loaded 32GB EVO+ Micro SD Card (Class 10), USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Premium High-Gloss Raspberry Pi 4 Case with Integrated Fan Mount, CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- CanaKit 3.5A USB-C Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (US Plug) with Noise Filter, Set of Heat Sinks, Display Cable - 6 foot (Supports up to 4K60p)
- CanaKit USB-C PiSwitch (On/Off Power Switch for Raspberry Pi 4)
Which Raspberry Pi 5 should you consider?
| Configuration | Best fit | Price and availability in the cited announcement |
|---|---|---|
| 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB Raspberry Pi 5 | Choose according to the memory needs of your desktop, server, or maker project. Raspberry Pi’s 16GB announcement identifies these as the existing configurations but does not compare their performance or suitability by workload. | Not stated in the January 9, 2025 announcement. |
| 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 | Consider it for memory-intensive workloads such as large language models, computational fluid dynamics, or heavier desktop distributions, as described by Raspberry Pi. | $120 launch price announced January 9, 2025. Current price and stock are not established by that announcement. |
Raspberry Pi says its computers typically draw 2–3W at idle and less than 10W under full load. Those figures are the company’s stated power-use figures; actual draw depends on the computer and what is connected or running. They are not a model-by-model power comparison for the Pi 5 configurations.
Raspberry Pi’s product communications point buyers to approved resellers. Check current availability and pricing with an approved reseller rather than treating the January launch price as a current offer.
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- Not including the Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB), the Crowpi advanced version comes with the Raspberry Pi 5
- ELECROW Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5, CrowPi is equipped with a 9-inch HD touchscreen along with a camera; All the regular components used in DIY electronics are packed into the CrowPi development board, such as LCD, LED matrix, buzzer, light sensor, PIR sensor, ultrasonic sensor, IR sensor, etc
- Raspberry Pi Sensors: The Crowpi raspberry pi 5 programming kit is jam-packed with lots of buttons such as 19 different sensors in a tidy easy to use package; You don't have to wait and wire things
- Build Quality: Solid ABS shell and well made components in one place make it strong and convenient to travel
- Programming Lessons: This raspberry pi 5 learning kit ships with step by step instructions and provides 21 lessons to take you through identifying components reading code and running it in the terminal
A companion for project ideas: Raspberry Pi Official Magazine Issue 151
The March 2025 Issue 151 was the first issue branded Raspberry Pi Official Magazine. Its catalog description highlights hands-on projects, tutorials, and expert features. It can help readers find guided projects and instruction, while a Pi 5 provides the hardware for running or building them; the magazine and the computer serve different purposes.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 【What you Get】You will get 1*Pi 5 8GB Single Board,1*RasTech Case,1*Active Cooler,1*Screwdriver,1*Installation instructions,12-month free warranty, lifetime service, 24-hour prompt and friendly response.
- 【More Connectors】There are two USB 3.0 ports(5Gbps simultaneously) and two USB 2.0 ports, which triple total bandwidth ,support any combination of up to two cameras or displays. Peak SD card performance is doubled through support for the SDR104 high-speed mode. It provides a smooth desktop experience for you. Offer Gigabit Ethernet and a PCIe interface, along with dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0/BLE wireless capability. The RasTech Pi 5 Kit use the new 27W 5.1V 5A USB-C power connector.
- 【 Support Dual 4Kp60 Display 】Each of the two microHDMI sockets can control a 4K display at 60 Hertz, now support HDR, offering super HD video for media streaming projects. RPi 5 is the first RPi model that comes with a PCI Express port (PCIe 2.0 x1 with 500 MB/s) to attach SSDs (requires separate M.2 HAT).
- 【 Excellent Chips And Applications】Pi 5 is a full-size Pi computer using silicon built in-house at Pi. The RP1 “southbridge” provides the bulk of the I/O capabilities for Pi 5. Pi 5 is more friendly and convenient in the development of Internet of Things, Web development, machine identification, automatic control and other electronic equipment applications and network.
- 【 Faster CPU, Better GPU 】 Pi 5 features a Broadcom BCM2712 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4GHz, it delivers a 2–3× increase in CPU performance relative to RaspberryPi 4. The 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU is compatible to OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2, substantial uplift in graphics performance. Pi 5 Offers lightning-fast CPU speed, a PCI Express interface, a Real Time Clock (RTC) and a power button and runs significantly cooler than Pi 4.
Rank #4
- Fully assembled for plug-and-play operation
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB RAM
- 256 GB PCIe Pi NVMe SSD (Pre-loaded with Pi 64-Bit OS)
- M.2 HAT+
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Pi 5
View the Issue 151 catalog entry.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
