News Raspberry Pi: Projects, Models, Prices, How to Get Started

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
my dad has been wanting to get a Pi but has no idea what to do with one. i forwarding him to this and he's now trying to figure out how many things one Pi can do at once or if he needs many of them.

he's having fun and loves to see the updated projects as they come out.
 
Pi is great. I got the original model B, within 6 months of its release. And I love what they've done with the Pi v4.

However, this may come as no surprise to some, but I'm an unabashed ODROID fan. They're everything you love about Pi, but better.

So, what's the catch? Well, the boards are generally somewhat more expensive. Also, while they tend to have more features, sometimes you lose things like built-in wifi (easily remedied with an inexpensive USB adaptor).

Depending on price point, you'll want to consider either the N2 or the new C4.



The ODROID-GO Advance also deserves a mention, for those interested in handheld game emulators:



You can order directly from HardKernel or their US distributor, AmeriDroid.

 
I wish somebody would explain how to make a Pi into a domain controller, like I did in de past with Zentyal on a Zbox. I now use the PI as DNS with PiHole, but ldap support would be the thing to control all of my network access. Running a dedicated server was 60 euro each month on electricity, bit stupid, but ok. Pi uses much less and already runs 24x7, so...
 
nubro01 said:
I wish somebody would explain how to make a Pi into a domain controller,
Click to expand...
Maybe you can find some good documentation on how to do this with Samba (a package most often used to enable Windows filesharing on linux). I've long used Samba, but never as a domain controller.

nubro01 said:
ldap support would be the thing to control all of my network access.
Click to expand...
I think LDAP originally started out in the UNIX world. I don't know how it relates to Windows, but maybe one of Linux' LDAP server options can do the job.

I know it's not much help, but there are two leads for you to follow.
 
nubro01 said:
I wish somebody would explain how to make a Pi into a domain controller, like I did in de past with Zentyal on a Zbox. I now use the PI as DNS with PiHole, but ldap support would be the thing to control all of my network access. Running a dedicated server was 60 euro each month on electricity, bit stupid, but ok. Pi uses much less and already runs 24x7, so...
Click to expand...
You could try installing FreeIPA -- you might have to do this on a 64-bit OS vs 32-bit, but FreeIPA provides LDAP, DNS, Kerberos, and several other services to provide a "domain controller" like environment on Linux. Not sure of the memory footprint etc., but it might work for your needs -- check it out...
 
There's a new model of Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB RAM, the article should be updated.

For most adults, even the highest-end Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry Pi 4 B (4GB), isn’t powerful enough to serve as a primary PC.

I disagree with that sentence from the article. I use Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM as a PC (although overclocked to 2GHz) and it's usable for daily use as a main computer. It all depends on what you expect from it.

It's absolutely quiet, browsing the internet with Chromium or Firefox is good, you can have lots of tabs open (thanks to 4 or 8GB of RAM), video playback is good, has 4k output etc. One advice for novice users - you can actually increase Firefox rendering speed by disabling smooth scrolling. This feature on slower computers adds latency when scrolling - if you turn it off, the latency is shorter.

So, if your daily work consists of reading emails, browsing the internet, even watching some online videos, downloading - then Raspberry Pi 4 with 4 or 8GB of RAM can replace your PC. It doesn't cost a lot in terms of electricity consumption, so it can be left powered on, perhaps finishing long downloads while acting as a file server.

I've even cut a 10 minute CooliPi LN2 submersion video at 1080p/60 using OpenShot, it was a pain until I figured that it got short on memory on a 32bit OS - so I used 64bit Ubuntu with 5GB of swap and then the final export succeeded, allocating some 8GB of ram for the process. Be warned that the new, experimental 64bit Raspberry Pi OS has a 64bit kernel, but 32bit applications, until they recompile it all to 64bit. The new 8GB version should be much better memory wise.

My verdict - it can be used as a PC for daily work and children may use it for remote education in these troubled coronavirus times as a PC (if they don't have enough resources to get a PC to every child in a family) - hook a Raspberry Pi to a TV and voila - another child can have it's own PC for doing homework.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jtremblant and bit_user
CooliPi said:
it was a pain until I figured that it got short on memory on a 32bit OS - so I used 64bit Ubuntu with 5GB of swap and then the final export succeeded, allocating some 8GB of ram for the process. Be warned that the new, experimental 64bit Raspberry Pi OS has a 64bit kernel, but 32bit applications, until they recompile it all to 64bit.
Click to expand...
Thank you! This is what I've been saying.

Sadly, if they haven't gone to 64-bit userspace by now, I don't think they will. At least, not for the initial release.
 
bit_user said:
Pi is great. I got the original model B, within 6 months of its release. And I love what they've done with the Pi v4.

However, this may come as no surprise to some, but I'm an unabashed ODROID fan. They're everything you love about Pi, but better.

So, what's the catch? Well, the boards are generally somewhat more expensive. Also, while they tend to have more features, sometimes you lose things like built-in wifi (easily remedied with an inexpensive USB adaptor).

Depending on price point, you'll want to consider either the N2 or the new C4.


The ODROID-GO Advance also deserves a mention, for those interested in handheld game emulators:



You can order directly from HardKernel or their US distributor, AmeriDroid.

Click to expand...
Please tell us what you use your Odroids for. Retro gaming, CoreELEC?
You sound like a fan boy. FYI, I have 4 Odroids(N2Plus, N2(x2) and C4) and 3 Rpi4's.
Odroids are theoretically more powerful than Rpi4. However, All those allegedly advantages goes to water if you are enable to use them as you would with a Rpi4. Ex. A Desktop Experience OS with HW acceleration.
See the pathetic example of RK3399 boards, which offer more way more features than Odroids at comparable prices, however most of them are unsupported/alpha versions/partially work with 4.4 legacy kernels only.
What I like from Odroids:

  • Top notch tech support from official forums
  • Latest Odroids work great booting from eMMC, not from uSD or USB3 SSD.
  • Top performance compare to RK3399 boards with N2Plus.
  • Clear, professional and informative technical Docs published at their Wiki site.
  • Low Price. See how much more money a comparable Vim3 Pro with a S922X(A311D) CPU from Khadas cost.
  • Amazing 1080p/4K video reproduction w/HW acceleration(On CoreELEC only)
  • Innovative and unique software solutions/implementations tailored to Latest Odroids.

What I dislike from them:

  • Like most ARM SBC's with the sole exception of Raspi's, these development boards are experimental and required the user base to beta test, report bus/glitches and pray it eventually gets fixed or implemented.
  • Poor I/O features on latest odroids, like N2 and C4. Also, N2/N2Plus have a well known USB3 issue which hasn't been fixed yet, probably never will.
  • Latest Odroids perform poorly from USB3 SSD, specially when booting from them(4.9, 5.8 kernels, it doesn't matter, same issue). Transfer speeds(reading and writing) are below par too.
  • No NVMe option
  • No BT/Wifi built in requiring unnecessary expense and potential compatibility issues with OS' like linux(Ubuntu-desktop, Ubuntu-mate, Armbian, Manjaro, ArchLinux), android(lineage), CoreELEC(Kodi), etc.
  • No BT/Wifi built in like Rpi4, also requires you buy an additional USB powered HUB because you will only have 2 available USB ports for it. Yes, the first USB Hub you're going to need, doesn't need to be powered goes to the N2/C4 OTG port unless you plug an official HK USB GPS module there.
  • AMlogic CPU's on latest Odroids(N2 and C4) share all 4 USB ports with 1 lane only. It's better to put off all your USB dongles, as BT and WIFI and plug them via USB 2.0 OTG port. Also, to reduce compatibilities with the problematic USB host controller on N2/N2Plus when using multiple external hard drives and/or to squeeze and extra bit of performance out of your SSD drives, but they don't tell you that.
  • C4 is a total disappointment, 4 x A53 cores even at 2.1Ghz(Overclocked) are too slow to handle modern 64bit linux OS like Ubuntu-desktop and Manjaro. C4 is more suitable like a Android TV box or a HTPC machine with CoreELEC due its low performance processor. C4 also lacks a SPI ledger and BT and WIFI built in. It's possible to put a petiboot image on uSD, boot from it and will act like a regular Petiboot but you will lose your uSD slot on C4, However, updates on uSD petiboot require to manually update it. I truly regret buying a C4 on release date.
  • Last but not least, Odroids require a lot of tinkering, extra accessories, and certain knowledge at hardware and software level. Accessories you need to use an Odroid Properly: USB to UART module kit, multiple eMMC cards and multiple uSD cards to be able to troubleshot them when things go south, and thrust me, they eventually will. You also need a digital voltmeter, a spare HDMI cable, a spare monitor/TV, a spare PSU(official one) and a Laptop/desktop PC so you can flash Odroid images on it, debug your boot logs from Odroids and eventually compile/build your OS from sources. You can replace your Laptop/PC with a Raspberry pi 4 too as I do. The only thing you can't do with a Rpi4 is build a OS from sources because requires a running x86 linux distro for it.
 
Admin said:
From which model to buy to how to get started, we’ve got the advice, tutorials and background info you need to make the most of Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi: Projects, Models, Prices, How to Get Started : Read more
Click to expand...

Hello, the article says "but if you just want the quick answer: get the Raspberry Pi 4 B, ideally with 4GB of RAM ($55), though you can settle for the 2GB ($35) config if you want to save money", I'd really like to see the average person find one for that price!
Right now Amazon has one with 1GB of RAM for $140, and if you check https://rpilocator.com/ you'll be lucky to find many, and certainly not at the prices mentioned in this piece. I keep seeing articles and youtube videos that get people's hopes up by showing them the list price, but the fact is these devices are snagged up by scalpers and usually sold at 3 times the cost Raspberry Pi wants to sell them at. Don't believe me? Go try to buy one.
I have a couple RPi 2Bs, an RPi 3A+, an RPi 3B, a Pi Zero, a Libra AML-S905X-CC, and an Orange Pi 3 LTS at the moment. I'd like a Pi 4, but I could buy a low end laptop for less.
Just my 2¢ worth on this topic, thanks for hearing me out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bit_user
kurtes-25 said:
Hello, the article says "but if you just want the quick answer: get the Raspberry Pi 4 B, ideally with 4GB of RAM ($55), though you can settle for the 2GB ($35) config if you want to save money", I'd really like to see the average person find one for that price!
Click to expand...
Point taken. However, you can see from this comment thread that the article was first posted 3 years ago, and somewhat more recently updated. I guess they forgot to update that part.

In the Pi-adjacent market, I've done pretty well with ODROID-N2+. The main downside is they have Mali GPUs which require a proprietary driver for 3D acceleration, and it's not included in the official Ubuntu image. A promising option is the Armbian distro.

However, now that RK3588S boards are out and available, I'd be mighty tempted to try something like the Organge Pi 5. Support is nowhere near as good as on Raspberry Pi, but you might do alright with the Armbian image for it.

kurtes-25 said:
Just my 2¢ worth on this topic, thanks for hearing me out.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forums! Thanks for the info. I hope to see you contributing more!
: )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom