alt Hacker NewsI think the conclusion here is that Raspberry Pis are now too pricey (especially when factoring in the various required accessories) and rarely make sense for typical desktop use vs. x86 mini-PCs. They make even less sense compared to various used thin clients that can generally be found on eBay.
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It would make a lousy desktop computer even if it was 10x as powerful.
- high current 5V USB power supply you probably don't have
- HDMI micro port you have like 1 cable for
- PCIe through very fragile ribbon cable + hodgepodge of adapters
- more adapters needed for SSD
- no case, but needs ample airflow
- power input is on the side and sticks out
GPIO is the killer feature, but I'll be honest, 99% of the hardware hacking I do is with microcontrollers much cheaper than a Pi that provide a serial port over USB anyways (and the commonly-confused-for-a-full-pi Pi Pico is pretty great for this)
For desktop use cases, sure. But the Pi's target market is makers and educators who want small and efficient and can interface easily with peripherals like cameras and GPIO. Desktop users and low-end home labbers are a distant second.
> I think the conclusion here is that Raspberry Pis are now too pricey
This blog post shows a $2000 GPU attached to a slow SBC that costs less than 1/10th of the GPU.
It’s interesting. It’s entertaining. It’s a fun read. But it’s not a serious setup that anyone considers optimal.
I think the Pi still makes sense when you actually want a Pi
You're paying a premium for physical compatibility with a ton of niche accessories. Whether or not they make sense depends on how important those accessories are to your use case.
That and the prices never really came back down to earth after the chip shortage hikes.