Raspberry Pi 5 Just Got Even Cheaper With New 2GB RAM Model

If you're looking to build your own pocket computer from scratch or bestow advanced functionality on an otherwise mundane backyard gizmo, you can't go wrong with a Raspberry Pi SBC. Since the launch of the original Raspberry Pi board back in 2012, the brand has been carefully and gradually upgrading its functionality and optimization with each subsequent iteration, granting processing speeds much greater than earlier versions. Of course, with greater processing power and data storage also comes higher costs, but if you're looking to build a pocket PC on a budget, Raspberry Pi has an attractive new option on offer.

In an announcement posted this morning, Raspberry Pi CEO and Founder Eben Upton announced the release of the 2GB model Raspberry Pi 5. Compared to the previous 8GB and 4GB models, this new model obviously has less storage space, but in exchange for that, you can pick one up for a mere $50. This new model is another vital step in the brand's effort to make computing affordable and accessible, and could be a great inclusion in a beginner's Raspberry Pi kit.

"It's been a little over ten months since we launched Raspberry Pi 5," Upton said in the announcement. "In many ways, this is the product that finally delivered on the original Raspberry Pi dream: an affordable general-purpose desktop computer ... and bundled with all the tools and collateral required for a beginner to go from 'hello, world' to a career in engineering."

The entire point of the new 2GB model of the Raspberry Pi 5 is to provide an optimized experience that can still deliver the necessary features of the Pi 5, while also trimming some of the fat to save on manufacturing costs.

First, the new model employs a rebuilt D0 stepping of the BCM2712 application processor. The usual version of the processor present on the 4GB and 8GB models includes all of the vital bits that allow the Pi 5 to properly operate, including a 2.4GHz quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 application processor and Raspberry Pi's VideoCore multimedia platform. There are other miscellaneous functions and features in the chip that makes the Pi 5 able to adapt to other purposes, but for the sake of cutting costs, the brand was able to remove those entirely from the assembly process to save cash on each unit. The 2GB model is functionally identical to its siblings, just leaner and meaner.

Raspberry Pi has also worked to reoptimize its proprietary OS for the 2GB Pi 5, giving it a generally smaller resource footprint while in operation. Obviously, if you're looking to create some kind of elaborate gizmo, you'd probably still want the 4GB or 8GB models to accommodate more elaborate processes. If you're making something simpler or learning, though, the 2GB will provide a comparable level of processing speed.

The Raspberry Pi 5 2GB model is available now on Raspberry Pi's website for $50.