Raspberry Pi 5 vs The Competition

The Raspberry Pi 5 is finally here with real performance gains. But is it still the best choice when alternatives exist?

Raspberry Pi 5 Highlights

2.4GHz quad-core Cortex-A76 (2-3x faster than Pi 4)

PCIe 2.0 x1 lane (NVMe support!)

Dedicated power button

Real-time clock ready

4GB or 8GB RAM options

Price: $60 (4GB) / $80 (8GB) + accessories

Orange Pi 5 Plus ($90)

RK3588 (more powerful CPU)

2x PCIe 2.1 lanes

Native NVMe slot

8/16/32GB RAM options

Less software support

Rock 5B ($120)

RK3588

M.2 for NVMe and WiFi

Most powerful in class

Strong community

Libre Computer Boards ($35-65)

Great Raspberry Pi form-factor alternatives

Good mainline Linux support

Often better availability

For beginners and general use: Raspberry Pi 5. The software ecosystem is unmatched.

For NAS/server builds: Orange Pi 5 or Rock 5B for the extra PCIe lanes and RAM.

For availability and price: Libre Computer boards are reliably in stock.

For learning embedded systems: The Pi's documentation and community can't be beat.