Single-board computers (SBCs) cram everything you need for a computer, such as a processor,RAM, networking, and ports, onto a single circuit board. Arguably the godfather of modern SBCs is the Raspberry Pi.
TheRaspberry Pistarted life as an SBC intended for educational purposes, with the aim of getting more young people into programming computersrather than just doomscrollingthrough them. However, it quickly became a popular choice for tinkerers and hobbyists who couldbuild impressive projects using a Raspberry Pi.
There have been significant changes since the first model was released back in 2012, with new models released on a regular basis. Here’s every Raspberry Pi model ranked from worst to best.
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8Raspberry Pi 2 series
I feel a bit guilty for placing the Raspberry Pi 2 series in the worst position on this list. It was a more powerful model than the original series, with the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B having a 4-core CPU and 1GB of RAM. This was a huge leap from the single-core processor and 512MB of RAM on the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+ and made the Raspberry Pi 2 series the first 64-bit model.
I feel a bit guilty for placing the Raspberry Pi 2 series in the worst position on this list.
The Raspberry Pi 2 series still lacked on-board Wi-Fi or Bluetooth however, so you needed an additional dongle or an Ethernet connection to bring your Raspberry Pi 2 online. The real reason why it’s much lower in the list than its lower-powered predecessor, however, is simply that it wasn’t the first of its kind.
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7Raspberry Pi 400 series
A Pi 4 in a keyboard
The original Raspberry Pi was designed to be an affordable aid for teaching young people about programming. The intent was to make a cheap computer that you could program yourself and use for DIY projects.
The Raspberry Pi 400 series was the first model to try to make that process easier by integrating the Raspberry Pi into a full-size keyboard. That means that – to start using the Raspberry Pi 400 Series – all you need to do is plug in a mouse and a monitor, and you’re ready to go.
Raspberry Pi 400 is inspired by classic one-box computers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
Raspberry Pi 400 is a full Pi PC inside a keyboard.
The downside is that, since the board is inside the keyboard, it severely limits what you can do with a Raspberry Pi 400 series. You can’t build the board into your project, for example, like you can with other models. The Raspberry Pi 400 also has fewer ports and no audio jack, so while it is more convenient for some uses, it’s nowhere near as versatile as the standalone Raspberry Pi 4.
Raspberry Pi 400
The first Raspberry Pi to be built into a keyboard, all you need to get going is a mouse and a monitor. The Raspberry Pi 400 is built around the Raspberry Pi 4.
6Raspberry Pi 500 series
The easiest way to use the most powerful Pi
All the issues with the Raspberry Pi 400 series apply to the Raspberry Pi 500 series. This is another Pi built into a keyboard, which makes it easier to get started but ultimately makes it less useful.
The Raspberry Pi 500 is more powerful than the Raspberry Pi 400, however. It features a 2.4GHz processor compared to the 1.8GHz processor on the Raspberry Pi 400, a more powerful GPU, and twice the RAM.
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5Raspberry Pi 3 series
The Pi gets Wi-Fi
The Raspberry Pi 3 series is when the single-board computer really started to become something that could be used for a wide range of tinkering projects. Perhaps the biggest change was that the Raspberry Pi 3 series included integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so you could use it for online applications out of the box without the need for additional dongles.
I ran my Home Assistant server on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B for a couple of years, and it was good enough for the job.
Raspberry Pi 3 B+
The Raspberry Pi 3 offers on-board Wi-Fi and Bluetooth making it far more versatile than previous models. It’s powerful enough to run useful software such as Home Assistant.
4Raspberry Pi Zero series
Small but mighty
The Raspberry Pi models have always been highly affordable, but the Zero series took things to a whole new level. The most powerful model, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, is just $15. This model includes on-board Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 1GHz quad-core processor, and 512MB of RAM.
The major benefit of the Zero series, aside from the price, is that they’re incredibly small – making them ideal for projects where you don’t have much room.
Raspberry Pi Zero W
The smallest Raspberry Pi, it’s the perfect option for projects where room is at a minimum. On-board Wi-Fi makes it ideal for a wide range of projects.
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3Raspberry Pi 4 series
The first 4K Pi
The Raspberry Pi 4 series built on the excellent 3 series but made some notable improvements. Alongside a more powerful processor, it was now configurable with up to 8GB of RAM, included USB 3.0 ports for the first time, and had true Gigabit Ethernet.
It was also the first model that could support 4K through two micro-HDMI ports. That means you may run a 4K dual monitor set up on a Raspberry Pi 4, although they’re limited to 30Hz.
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is a capable SBC that can power a single display in 4K at 60Hz, or dual 4K displays at 30Hz. It has more than enough power for most tinkering projects.
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2Raspberry Pi 1 series
The first piece of the Pi
The Raspberry Pi 1 series has the worst specs of any model on this list. The original version ran on a 700MHz single-core processor with only 256MB of RAM and had no on-board Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. So why is it ranked at number two?
It’s because it changed the landscape. The Raspberry Pi wasn’t the first SBC that ever existed but played a significant role in bringing it to the masses. The popularity of the Raspberry Pi has seen a slew of copycats, while the Raspberry Pi itself has continued to develop. None of it would have happened without the original Raspberry Pi.
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1Raspberry Pi 5 series
The best Pi you can get
Each model has improved upon the previous generations, and the Raspberry Pi 5 is no exception. It has a 2.4GHz quad-core processor, can support up to 16GB of RAM, has more powerful graphics and can support dual 4K displays at 60Hz.
Possibly the most significant change is that, for the first time, the Raspberry Pi 5 supports NVMe SSDs, so you don’t need to run everything from SD cards.
Currently, this is the best Raspberry Pi you can get.
Raspberry Pi 5
The Raspberry Pi 5 is a powerful single-board computer (SBC) that launched towards the end of 2023. It’s great for DIY tech projects or even as a low-power desktop PC.
