Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Review

Our Verdict

The Raspberry Pi 4 is a big upgrade over past models, with more processing musculus, better video back up and no compromises in price or capabilities.

For

Significantly more than powerful than past models
USB 3.0 ports
supports dual 4K video output
Convenient USB Type-C power

Confronting

Not compatible with older Raspberry Pi cases
Potential compatibility issues with some USB Type-C power cables
Software compatibility is striking or miss

Tom'south Guide Verdict

The Raspberry Pi 4 is a large upgrade over past models, with more processing musculus, improve video support and no compromises in price or capabilities.

Pros

+
Significantly more powerful than by models
+
USB three.0 ports
+
supports dual 4K video output
+
Convenient USB Type-C ability

Cons

-
Not compatible with older Raspberry Pi cases
-
Potential compatibility issues with some USB Type-C power cables
-
Software compatibility is hit or miss

The Raspberry Pi line of single-board computers has been enormously pop, thanks to its super affordable price, compact size and maker-friendly design. The latest version, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B ($55 equally tested), is the virtually powerful yet, getting a major increase in processing power, enhanced video output and peripheral connectivity, while maintaining the aforementioned low cost and tiny size offered on past models.

The new Pi 4 gets exciting features, like USB 3.0 ports, power over USB Type-C and Ethernet, and video output that will handle two 4K monitors at a fourth dimension. Plus, you lot withal get all the unique connectivity and expansion of the Pi'due south GPIO pins and compatibility with past add together-ons and accessories. But all those changes exercise come with some new inconveniences. Considering of the tweaks fabricated to the Pi 4, the software used on older models is not directly compatible, and the updated port selection means that older case designs won't work with the new model.

I thing remains true most the latest Raspberry Pi, however. It'southward nonetheless the all-time mini PC for tinkering, and with the improvements to the Pi four, it's proven itself to be one of the best computers period if you're looking to get a lot done with a little.

Editor's Note: (Mar 26, 2021) Since our initial review in 2019 the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B has continued to improve, with bug fixes and even a new version built within a keyboard, the Raspberry Pi 400 . Our initial rating and recommendation remain unchanged from when it originally published in October of 2019.

Raspberry Pi iv Model B cost and configurations

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is the first of the fourth generation of Raspberry Pi computers. The latest model brings with it a more powerful Broadcom BCM2711B0 quad-cadre ARM processor and the 4K-capable Broadcom VideoCore VI video processor, along with the movement to faster USB iii.0 ports and USB Type-C for power.

Information technology'due south available in three variations, which differ just in the amount of LPDDR4 SDRAM installed on the board. The base model comes with 1GB of retentivity and sells for $35, maintaining the aforementioned low cost the Pi has e'er had. A 2GB model doubles the memory for a price of $45, while the top model – and the model we reviewed – bumps the RAM to 4GB, for $55.

But the Raspberry Pi family is much larger than the Pi 4. Previous generations of the Pi are also available, including the Raspberry Pi three B+ we reviewed in 2018 and the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B we looked at in 2016. For applications where yous may non need the extra processing ability of the Pi four, these are still superb options, delivering cheap single-board systems that can be programmed, connected to the web and used for everything from home automation to sophisticated robotics.

It's also worth looking at the naming conventions used to distinguish the diverse versions of the Raspberry Pi. The number – Pi 4, Pi 3, Pi 2, etc. – denotes which generation it is and will include improvements to both processing ability and the layout of the lath. The model designations (A, B and B+) indicate the specific design. The Model B is the standard, full general-use single-lath system, while the Model B+ boasts an iterative improvement in capabilities (the B+ models usually come between total generation changes). The Model A has a more compact design that ditches nearly of the beefy Ethernet and full-size USB ports constitute on the Model B and has a smaller footprint, but it still offers the same processor and capabilities.

And for something even smaller and less expensive, in that location's the Pi Zero ($x.00) and the Pi Zero Due west ($fifteen.00). At roughly a 3rd the size of the standard Raspberry Pi, it offers some (but non all) of the same functionality and is available with and without wireless connectivity – the "W" in Pi Zero W indicates the model comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Raspberry Pi iv Model B design

Famous in part for its small-scale size, the Raspberry Pi line of inexpensive computers is famously no bigger than a deck of cards, and the Raspberry Pi iv Model B measures but three.4 10 2.2 x 0.4 inches. That puts information technology in the same 3.4 10 two.2 footprint offered on older models of the Raspberry Pi, just information technology'south actually slimmer by almost a quarter inch. And it's almost identical in weight, weighing in at 46 grams (i.62 ounces) – simply a gram heavier than previous generations, like the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (45 grams, or 1.58 ounces).

The actual design of the Raspberry Pi is pretty unique, both in terms of what it has to offer as well as what it doesn't. The modest reckoner comes as a blank circuit board, without whatever sort of housing, or any of the niceties that you might go with a traditional mini PC, such every bit a cooling fan or even a power button. The Pi 4 is as bare bones as information technology gets.

The listing of ports on the Pi iv also serves as a rundown of the few physical features offered on the small figurer, with four USB ports (ii USB iii.0 and ii USB 2.0), a pair of micro HDMI ii.0 ports and a USB Blazon-C power jack. A 3.5-millimeter jack serves as an analog audio/video-out port; and Gigabit Ethernet – with full throughput, which wasn't offered on by models of the Pi – gives you lot wired networking and even power, cheers to Power over Ethernet support. For wireless networking, the Pi boasts both 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.

Only in addition to these familiar ports and connections, the Pi 4 likewise delivers enormous flexibility. Less common ports include both Camera Serial Interface (CSI), Display Series Interface (DSI) and a microSD carte slot that lets yous add together storage to the Pi, which comes with no onboard storage of its own.

But the crowning characteristic of the Pi, in any iteration, is the 40-pivot GPIO header. This bristling row of input/output pins provides direct admission for connecting external devices. For the DIY tech enthusiast or maker, the Pi 4 is the all-time version even so of the fan favorite.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B accessories

In improver to the Pi 4, we also picked upwards some accessories. Some were simply nice to have, similar a example, while others are essential for using the Pi 4 in well-nigh situations.

First, we acquired a SanDisk Ultra 32GB memory menu. While many brands and capacities of microSD card will work, y'all will need something, since the card is used for onboard storage and is used for installing the Pi 4's operating organisation.

For power, we got the Raspberry Pi 4 official 15-watt power supply. This power cable sells for $9.99 and connects over USB Type-C, but unlike many third-party USB-C chargers you might be tempted to try using, such equally a spare telephone charger, this one is guaranteed to provide plenty power to let you fully use the Pi 4.

And with the Pi 4 switching to micro HDMI connectors for video output, we also picked up a micro-to-standard HDMI cable ($8.99). While this will piece of work with any HDMI-connected monitor or display (including TVs), the cablevision also supports the 4K video output offered past the new Pi iv. While these specific cables aren't the only choice, the connections used on the Pi four do hateful that you'll need some sort of adapter if you desire to use whatever HDMI cables that you lot already own.

Other desktop basics, such as a wired mouse, wired keyboard and HDMI-connected monitor are besides needed to employ the RasPi 4 as a desktop. We had these things on paw already, but even older used models will piece of work just fine.

More than: 10 Cheap PC Keyboards (Under $twenty) Ranked from Best to Worst

Though it's not as essential for employ as a power cable or video connection, we also decided to apparel upwards the Pi 4 in a case. For this we used the Pimoroni Pibow 4 Ninja, a user-assembled example made upward of five layers of custom-cut acrylic. The instance is easy to put together, looks great and has handy laser-etched labels for ports. Information technology also has a cutout for calculation a estrus sink or cooling fan, and information technology leaves all xl GPIO pins and other ports attainable for all of your tinkering needs.

Raspberry Pi iv Model B setup

When you kickoff pull the Raspberry Pi 4 out of the box, it's nothing more than than a circuit board, with plenty of potential, only none of the ready-to-go capability of a regular PC or laptop. The operating organisation doesn't come preinstalled – yous'll accept to do that yourself – and any peripherals, like a keyboard, mouse or monitor, will need to be acquired separately.

But even with your peripherals in place, you'll withal need to install the software yourself. To outset, you lot'll demand to get your microSD card and download Raspbian Buster, the operating organisation developed past the Raspberry Pi Foundation specifically for the Pi four (though information technology volition also work with by models). As the latest version of the Raspberry Pi-themed Linux variant, Raspbian Buster is updated to work with the new Pi four, supporting the board'due south updated capabilities and features.

Y'all tin can download Raspbian straight from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Download the official image of the Buster operating system and copy it over to your microSD carte. (Here are instructions, if needed.)

Once the Raspbian Buster image is on the microSD menu, you tin can insert information technology into the card slot on the Pi 4 and (if everything was installed correctly) power up the Pi, which volition automatically kick into the freshly installed OS.

MORE: Best Mini PCs - Minor Computers for Work and Gaming

While these instructions will get you upwardly and running, Raspbian Buster isn't the only option bachelor for running your Raspberry Pi. Several Linux-based operating systems are freely bachelor for the RasPi, though it may not exist as easy to determine the compatibility of these systems with the Pi four.

Finally, the popular game emulator RetroPie still doesn't have a Pi 4-compatible version. Since the development and maintenance of RetroPie is a volunteer effort, the filibuster is understandable. At that place are a couple of unofficial builds that may or may non work on the Pi 4, just an official release will exist out eventually. (We'll update this portion of the review once information technology's out.)

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B software

Using Raspbian Buster on the Pi 4 gives you a standard desktop surround, albeit a basic, Linux-based one. Included in the initial installation parcel is a suite of programs that gives you basic web browsing and productivity tools, too every bit a collection of educational apps that teach coding and provide tools for adapting the Pi to your own custom projects.

This includes handy productivity tools similar LibreOffice and Chromium, which give y'all open-source alternatives to the Microsoft Role suite – including a give-and-take processor, spreadsheet programme, presentations, drawing, database manager and an equation editor for math and science – and Google's Chrome web browser.

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Raspbian besides comes loaded with software for education, giving you free tools for learning programming languages like Python, Scratch and Java. There are tools for making and playing games in Python, another called Sonic Pi that lets you make music, and there's even a version of Minecraft.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B performance

The Pi 4 is outfitted with a one.5-GHz, quad-core Broadcom BCM2711B0 (Cortex A-72) processor and comes with upwardly to 4GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM in the top configuration – the model we reviewed.

Firing upward the Pi 4, I was struck by two thoughts. Outset, I was amazed to run into the Pi 4 support 4K output, at any frame charge per unit. Earlier Pi models are mostly express to 1080p, so the move to 4K is a major leap.

Second, I was struck past how shine and responsive the Pi 4 was, peculiarly compared with the Pi iii B+ we reviewed last twelvemonth. As I opened documents and test files, everything just worked, and the laggy performance I accepted as the inevitable reality of an inexpensive single-board computer like the Pi iii B+ mostly disappeared on the Pi iv. This connected every bit I browsed online with multiple tabs open up, and I was able to scan with eight to 10 tabs open without any noticeable lag.

I was amazed to run into the Pi 4 support 4K output, at any frame rate.

These first impressions were borne out in testing, as the Pi 4 put up results that were substantially better than the model we reviewed last year. While information technology'due south withal no speed demon compared with other mini PCs, it's definitely the kickoff time I've used the Pi and considered using information technology as a desktop beyond my initial testing. That this level of performance is available on such a tiny, inexpensive device is seriously impressive.

Everything is faster, starting with kick times. The Pi 4 went from a cold commencement to a usable desktop in just 23 seconds. That's a huge improvement over the older Pi 3 B+, which booted in 36 seconds; the earlier Pi ii Model B was even slower, at 45 seconds.

While most of the tests nosotros use on Windows-based mini PCs aren't available on the Linux-based Pi, nosotros were able to compare a number of web-based performance benchmarks.

For general performance, we utilise the JetStream one.1 browser performance test. In this criterion, the Pi iv scored 42.65 points. By comparison, the Pi 3 B+ scored only sixteen.7 points in the same test. That'due south a huge improvement for unmarried-board systems. Nevertheless, comparing this with more mainstream systems, similar the Azulle Access3 (our favorite Windows stick PC) or the Acer Chromebox CXI3 puts this comeback into context. The Azulle Access3, which boasts an Intel Gemini Lake N4100 processor, scored 101.21 points in the aforementioned examination. The Acer Chromebox did fifty-fifty better, notching a score of 168.22 points, cheers to its Intel Cadre i5 processor.

Graphics operation was similarly improved, but merely impressive in a relative sense. Using WebGL Aquarium – a WebGL demo that lets you select gear up numbers of digital fish – the Pi iv managed to render 50 fish at 3 frames per second (fps). Compared with the Pi iii B+, which struggled with a single fish, that's a huge improvement. But compared with the Acer Chromebox CXI3, which handled as many as 10,000 fish at 28 fps, the Pi 4's graphics back up is still pretty paltry.

However, loading up websites on the Pi 4'southward Chromium browser wasn't much quicker than it'due south been on other Raspberry Pi models we've seen before. Loading up the Tom's Guide homepage took a quick two seconds. The older Pi 3 B+ did the same in 11 seconds.

YouTube, on the other hand, opened in eleven.7 seconds, which was actually a slight drop from both the Pi 3 B+ (10 seconds) and fifty-fifty the Pi 2 B (also 10 seconds).

Oddly enough, opening a lightweight site like Stack Exchange, which is mostly text, wasn't much faster; it took 3 seconds – merely a second faster than the Pi 3 B+ (4 seconds) — which was, in turn, only slightly faster than the Pi 2 B (5 seconds).

More: fifteen Great Uses for a Raspberry Pi

Withal, unlike by versions of the Pi, the newer Pi iv was able to actually run more than one or two tabs at in one case. I was even able to work in a Google Doc to work on the first typhoon of this review while as well researching specifications in another window and watching a related YouTube tutorial in a third. That level of (absolutely basic) multitasking wasn't actually possible on older models.

One other issue worth noting about the Pi iv is that information technology runs hot — much hotter than its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+. While the Pi iii B+ would go warm when nether load (up to 142 degrees Fahrenheit), the Pi 4 gets much hotter — upward to 168 degrees Fahrenheit in our testing. That heat makes it imperative that you outfit your Pi with a example, then as to avoid burned fingers or even accidental fires. But it also will have an bear on on performance, since the system volition throttle performance when it runs too hot.

And for optimal operation, you would do well to outfit your own Pi 4 with heat sinks for the CPU and GPU, or perhaps a fan (available on many Pi 4 cases), or both.

Raspberry Pi four Model B projects, expansions and kits

Between its small size, superlow price and ultraflexible course factor, the Pi 4 is the nearly powerful version of the best tinkering PC on the market. But what can you actually do with it?

Every bit a member of the Raspberry Pi family, the Pi iv has an ecosystem of accessories available for information technology, as well equally a rich community of enthusiasts and makers who have used the Pi for all sorts of projects and are often willing to offer help and answer questions through the many Pi-centric forums and communities online.

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That ecosystem includes all sorts of add together-ons for the Pi that connect through the many ports and GPIO pins. Called hats, bonnets and shields, depending upon the specific design and connectivity of the add-on, these expansions make the Pi 4 (and other models of the Pi) immensely more than flexible than your average PC. Most of the hats that have worked with previous Raspberry Pi models will all the same piece of work on the Pi iv, since it uses a nearly identical GPIO pin layout.

Between its small size, superlow price and ultraflexible grade factor, the Pi 4 is the most powerful version of the all-time tinkering PC on the marketplace.

These add-ons range from the simple to the extremely technical. You lot tin can become microphone extension boards, perfect for building your own Amazon Echo or Google Home. Yous can add display boards, for making the Pi 4 a handheld calculating device – options include multicolored eastward-ink displays, touch screens and more. Motor boards and servo hats are great for edifice remote-control vehicles and robots, speaker bonnets let you roll your own streaming music player, and you tin fifty-fifty get a pair of small displays that are made to let you add animated eyes to a costume.

And, if you desire something that's a petty less intense, just withal lets you lot scratch that itch for DIY tech, there are plenty of kits that permit you assemble and experiment, while still holding your manus as needed. At that place are basic kits for getting started with the Pi four, which bundle the Pi 4 with accessories like cables, a example and even a preloaded microSD bill of fare. By versions of the Pi have also had gaming kits offered, like a DIY retro console, consummate with game controllers, or a build-it-yourself arcade-fashion fightstick kit, to assistance you go the existent retro gaming experience at domicile. There aren't many gaming kits out for the Pi 4 merely yet, but that will probable change once gaming back up improves for the newest member of the RasPi family.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B: Verdict

The Raspberry Pi concept has already proven itself a winner, with millions of the single-board computers sold and used in everything from gaming to home automation and robots. But the latest release, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, takes the already amazing Pi concept to new heights, with processing power that lets you lot use the cheap petty computer as a basic desktop, and features like 4K video output that were unthinkable but a twelvemonth or two back.

The Pi iv isn't perfect. It runs hot and yet has limitations that even the most basic stick PC won't exist slowed by. Even some of the software that's readily available for other Pi systems isn't fully baked for the Pi 4, like RetroPie. All of this is on elevation of the fact that the Raspberry Pi platform asks a lot of its users, and it has a pretty steep learning curve. If user-friendly capability is what you want, you may exist better served by something like the Azulle Access3, which gives yous a full Windows PC for a couple hundred bucks.

But if you've ever wanted to make your ain smart mirror (or atmospheric condition station, or net radio, or game arcade cabinet, or … y'all become the idea), there's nada out there that matches the Pi's unique mix of accessibility, supporting community, accessory ecosystem and outright affordability. And the Raspberry Pi four delivers all of that with improve features and more power than its predecessors, all for the aforementioned low price.

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is the best computer out there for tinkering and creating, hands down.

Brian Westover is an Editor at Tom's Guide, covering everything from TVs to the latest PCs. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he wrote for TopTenReviews and PCMag.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/raspberry-pi-4-model-b

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