Key Takeaways
- Raspberry Pi 5 offers significant hardware upgrades compared to Pi 4, including a faster processor, faster RAM, and more graphics power.
- Pi 5 has a dedicated I/O chip that increases bandwidth and allows for faster storage devices and USB peripherals.
- Pi 5 has additional features like a faster microSD port, faster USB 3.0 ports, PCIe connector, onboard real-time clock, standalone UART connector, and power button, but requires a new PSU for optimal performance.
Launching in late October, the Raspberry Pi 5 offers numerous hardware upgrades compared to the Pi 4. Wondering which board to choose for your next project? Read on for a detailed comparison of these two single-board computers’ specifications and capabilities.
What Is the RaspberryPi 5?
The Raspberry Pi 5 is a credit-card-sized, versatile single-board computer. Just like its predecessors, it is suited for a wide range of applications. When compared to the Pi 4, the big difference is that it is much faster. Also, it has more interfaces and can now support devices such as M.2 NVMe SSDs. Here are the main differences…
1. A Faster Processor on the Pi 5
The Raspberry Pi 5 has an ARM Cortex-A76 CPU, while the Pi 4 has a Cortex-A72. While both chips have the same number of cores, the Pi 5 is about two to three times quicker than the Pi 4.
The A76 is clocked to run at 2.4GHz, which is a 25% more than the A72's 1.8GHz. With modern core design and a higher cache, the Pi 5’s processor can outperform the Pi 4 in every department. Also, the A76 has cryptography extensions built-in.
Although limited to 2.4GHz on the Pi 5, the A76 processor can be clocked up to 3.3GHz in laptops, so there should be scope for some serious overclocking of the Pi 5.
2. Pi 5 Has Much Faster RAM
The LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM on the Raspberry Pi 5 is much faster than the LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM on the Pi 4. The RAM on the Pi 5 offers more bandwidth.
3. Pi 5 Has More Graphics Power Too
Raspberry Pi 4’s processor has an integrated VideoCore VI GPU. It supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.0. The Pi 5 has a much faster VideoCore VII GPU that is clocked at 800MHz and supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2. It also has a new image signal processor that handles data from cameras.
Although the Pi 4 can drive dual 4K displays, it can only run a single monitor at 60fps – check out how to run your Raspberry Pi at 4K 60Hz. It also drops frames when decoding 4K 60 video. The Pi 5 can output to dual 4K 60 displays with the added advantage of HDR support. The increased clock on the VideoCore VII should help minimize the frame drops.
4. Pi 5 Has a Dedicated I/O Chip
Designed in-house, the new RP1 chip is the most significant innovation on the Pi 5, handling most of the I/O (input/output) and thus taking the load off the CPU. It also increases I/O bandwidth compared the Pi 4. Storage devices, USB and other peripherals benefit from the availability of more bandwidth.
5. MicroSD Cards Are Faster on Pi 5
The microSD port in the Pi 5 supports HDR 104 high speed mode with UHS-1 microSD cards. The Pi 4 can read at 40–50Mbps, whereas the Pi 5 can do so at 80-90Mbps. That’s double the speed.
6. Pi 5 Has Faster USB 3.0 Ports
The two USB 3.0 ports of the Pi 4 share the available bandwidth of 5Gbps between them. The Pi 5 has dedicated 5Gbps available for both the ports, courtesy of the RP1 chip.
This means you can use fast storage devices using a USB to SATA adapter. You can even configure them in RAID for data redundancy or speed.
The newer power supply has additional amperage (5A from 3A), and will allow the Pi 5 to have more such devices powered.
7. Pi 5 Has a PCIe Connector
The PCIe (PCI Express) connector is a much-needed addition to the Raspberry Pi. Of late, many devices use this interface because it is faster. The PCIe interface on the Pi 5 is not a standard M.2 connector though: you have to use a ribbon cable to connect it to a HAT, and the M.2 device will connect to the HAT.
However, the PCIe on the Raspberry Pi 5 is a single-line PCI Express 2.0 x1 connector. This has a maximum bandwidth of 500MBps (Bytes, not bits). The latest PCIe 4.0 SSDs can do 8000Mbps (1000MBps). Connecting them to the slower PCIe 2.0 x1 interface will slow the SSD down due to the lack of bandwidth. The same goes for graphics cards.
It boils down to whether a SATA SSD connected to USB 3.0 is a better choice then an M.2 SSD connected to PCIe. USB 3.0 in the Pi 5 is 5Gbps, which is 625MBps. SATA 3 adapters can handle 6Gbps. PCIe 2.0 x1 is limited to 500MBps. So, it will be similar speeds for both SATA and PCIe SSDs on the Pi 5. The advantage with SATA adapters is that you do not need to use the HAT.
8. Pi 5 Has More MIPI Lanes
The Pi 4 has a two-lane MIPI DSI display port and a two-lane MIPI CSI camera port. On the Pi 5, there are two MIPI camera/display ports adjacent to each other. Both have four lanes each and function as either a camera or display transceiver.
Doubling the lanes helps support devices with bandwidth up to 1.5Gbps; for example, cameras with a higher bit-rate or LCDs with higher resolution. Older cameras can still be used with a new ribbon cable.
9. Pi 5 Has an Onboard Real-Time Clock
The Pi 4 usually fetches the current time from global Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers soon after boot. If the Pi 4 is not connected to the internet, the time must be set manually. By contrast, the Pi 5 has an onboard RTC (real-time clock) and a port to connect a RS2025/2032 button cell to keep it powered when the Pi 5 is turned off. This will keep the time on the Pi 5 up-to-date whether it is connected to the internet or not.
10. Pi 5 Has a Standalone UART Connector
With the Pi 4, you need to use the GPIO pins for UART debugging. The Pi 5 has a dedicated UART connector. It is located between the micro HDMI video ports.
11. Pi 5 Has an Onboard Power Button
After so many generations of Raspberry Pis, a much-requested power button has finally been added. There is no need to reach for the mains every time to shut down or restart the Pi. The power button is the push type, and it also works with the official Pi 5 case.
12. Pi 5 Needs a Power Supply With More Amps
With all the extra speed the Pi 5 is getting, there will be a proportional increase in its power requirements. The Pi 4 needs a 5V 3A (15W) power supply. For optimum performance with peripherals connected, the Pi 5 will require a 5V 5A (25W) PSU with Power Delivery (PD) support. Both power supplies use a USB-C connection.
13. Pi 5 Needs Cooling
The Pi 5 has a powerful processor, clocked at 600MHz more than the Pi 4’s. The side effect is that more heat is generated. With no cooling, the Pi 5’s processor will go into thermal throttling under heavy loads (although it’s still faster than a Pi 4), as noted on the Raspberry Pi blog. This is why the official Pi 5 case features a built-in fan.
For extra cooling, an Active Cooler device has been launched, combining an aluminum heat sink and fan. The Active Cooler appears well-designed and is reasonably priced ($10). It comes with thermal pads pre-attached and a four-pin connector for its fan. PWM helps keeps noise low by adjusting the fan speed according to the instantaneous processor temperature. The Active Cooler can be mounted to a couple of holes on the Pi 5 board using spring-assisted push pins.
14. Pi 5 Lacks a 3.5mm Audio Port
On a Pi 4, you had the provision to output audio (or composite video) from the 3.5mm jack. With the Pi 5, you are restricted to HDMI or Bluetooth audio unless you add an audio HAT.
The Raspberry Pi 5 Is Better Than the Pi 4 in Every Way
The Pi 5 is a big upgrade on the Pi 4. It has a faster processor, better graphics, and quicker memory. The Pi 5 also aces the I/O thanks to its new RP1 chip. A few more lanes on the PCIe could have made the upgrade even sweeter. If you have to choose between the boards, go for the Pi 5 since the price difference is negligible (for the equivalent 4GB and 8GB Pi 4 models).
In all, the Raspberry Pi 5 has the specifications to compete with mini PCs equipped with Intel Celeron and AMD Silver processors that have two cores and two threads. The Pi 5 could be used as a low-end desktop replacement as well.