Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 – a revolutionary step-up?

Raspberry Pi 5 is now available for pre-order, but how does it compare to the 4?

Zak Storey

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Raspberry Pi 5 soon meets its release date, but how do Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 compare? Well, there’s lots to talk about with this generational upgrade now that Raspberry Pi 5 pre orders are live. The Raspberry Pi foundation introduced the Pi 5, with it becoming available to purchase from the usual suspects in your region. The Raspberry Pi 5 is a significant step up compared to the Pi 4, as you’d probably expect, particularly given it’s been 4 years since the Pi 4 came out.

Famous for their usage in retro arcade machines and a myriad of other projects and incredibly smart devices, the humble Raspi has only improved from generation to generation. Hobbyists have been tinkering with them for over a decade now, and they’re reached the point of becoming a compact desktop device. Let’s find out how the Pi 5 furthers that now that it has launched.

Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 specs

So what are the main changes here? Well for one, there’s a faster CPU, we’ve gone from the A72 ARM processor to the A76, that also comes with a 600 MHz clock speed increase, bumping up the frequency to 2.4 GHz as well. We’ve also got a new GPU, the VideoCore VII running @ 800 MHz, and supporting Vulkan 1.2 as well. This means we can now have two 4K60 Hz displays running at the same time as well, over mini HDMI – mighty impressive for this single-board computer (SBC).

Memory has also seen a significant step-up as well. The base model now starts at 4GB of memory, and there’s an 8GB variant as well, for slightly more money. Sadly no 1 or 2GB variants either. Other standout changes include a PCIe 2.0 x1 interface, and a 4-pin fan power as well (meaning easy native support for cooling). There’s even support for an M.2 NVMe SSD as well, making this a significant step up, similar to what we saw with the Pi 4 vs Pi 3.

LPDDR4X vs LPDDR4

This is where a major change is happening. Namely the pivot over to LPDDR4X is huge. We’re talking a significant step up. Not only will the new Raspberry Pi 5 come with memory clocking in at 4,267 MHz, it also consumes considerably less power than its LPDDR4 counterpart. For reference, standard desktop DDR4 consumes 1.2V before applying XMP or any overclocking to it. LPDDR4 (literally Low Power DDR4), drops that figure to 1.1V and clocks out at 3200 MHz. LPDDR4X however, still hits that 4,267 MHz outlined above, but at an incredibly low 0.6V.

Operating System tweaks

Unfortunately the Raspberry Pi 5 will only operate on the latest Raspberry Pi OS, as opposed to any of the older versions and variants, but it is what it is. The good news of course is that the newest operating system offers an improvement over the previous competition. The Raspberry Pi foundation is improving its first-party OS for Pi devices, based on the latest version of Debian and Raspbian. This of course means it won’t run something like Windows natively, but its custom OS is a suitable match for this low-profile SBC.

Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 price & models

As you can see, the Raspberry Pi 4 actually offers a little more versatility in terms of models and pricing as it released with one and two gigabyte options for the lower end. In contrast, the Pi 5 is initially releasing with just a 4GB and 8GB model, with a $5 increase for both of these models compared to the last generation. That price jump really isn’t much at all, so we think the Pi 5 really offers excellent value for money given the advancements it benefits from. That being said, you should be able to pick up a Pi 4 for even cheaper given the age and launch of the next generation – or you could opt for a Raspberry Pi alternative.

Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 – which one is better?

The Pi 5 is clearly the big winner in technology and performance, though this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Even beyond that, the pricing remains pretty close to its predecessor to make the newest generation an appealing upgrade. The Raspi 4 worked well in a desktop setting, even supporting up to two 4K displays at once itself. But the Pi 5 takes things further, with PCIe 2.0 support for additional compatibility and even the small luxury of a power switch to create cater more to desktop Pi users.

Improvements all round for the CPU, GPU, and RAM makes for and incredible increase in performance. On the other hand, the Pi 4 does have those cheaper low-memory options available if you just need some basic and cheap – a winner for those that want to tinker around and don’t really need it for a full desktop setup.

Raspberry Pi 5 vs Raspberry Pi 4 FAQs