While the Raspberry Pi 5 is indisputably the current champion of the fruit-named family, performance benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s latest SBC has some drawbacks to consider before upgrading.
Are the Raspberry Pi 5 and Raspberry Pi 4 the Same?
At first glance, the new offering from Raspberry Pi looks the same as the previous model. After all, both have the same credit-card form factor and share a similar template: ports, interfaces, and chips on a blue, printed circuit board.
However, upon a closer look, the key differences become apparent, such as the new Cortex A76 CPU, which offers three times the speed of the Pi 4. There’s also the RP1 I/O controller, which commands the I/O functions in the new Raspberry Pi, a soft power button, an FPC connector for PCIe, and a slightly different arrangement of ports. For more details, check our side-by-side comparison of theRaspberry Pi 5 and the Raspberry Pi 4B.
So, what are the drawbacks of the Pi 5, especially in comparison with older models?
1. The RPi 5 Is More Expensive
The Raspberry Pi 5’s interesting new features come with a slight bump in price. The 4GB and 8GB versions are officially sold for $60 and $80, respectively, $5 more than the Raspberry Pi 4B. This might not seem like much, but it means that Raspberry Pi single-board computers are slowly becoming more expensive. If the trend continues, Raspberry Pis may become less affordable, losing a major part of its value proposition.
The Raspberry Pi 5’s price is already moving into used thin clients and small form factor (SFF) PCs territory. If you are not too bothered about increased power consumption and having access to a GPIO interface, you can get one of those instead for slightly more money. But if you are looking for the best-supported single-board computer money can buy, then look no further than the Raspberry Pi 5.
2. The Raspberry Pi 5 Has No Headphone Jack
As mentioned, the Raspberry Pi 5 packs some impressive new specs while remaining in the same credit-card form factor as its predecessors. To achieve this, the company had to remove the four-pole composite video and analog audio jack, which in turn means you can no longer use the 3.5mm jack to output audio and video.
Of course, the Raspberry Pi 5’s audio jack was somewhat inferior and prone to noise and distortion. However, it did come in handy for people who didn’t want to shell out the extra cash to buy anexternal digital-to-analog converter(DAC).
Now that the 3.5mm jack is no longer available, you may want to buy a separate DAC that connects to the Raspberry Pi via USB or GPIO or opt for HDMI/Bluetooth audio instead. A pair of 0.1" pads on the bottom edge of the board can provide composite audio.
3. It Has Increased Cooling Demands
With great power comes great heat. The Raspberry Pi 5 pushes the envelope on what is achievable with a single-board computer, and increased heat generation goes hand in hand with the more powerful processor.
For comparison, the Raspberry Pin 5 idles at 65°C (149°F) while the Pi 4 has an idle temperature around 45°C (129°F). Both boards will throttle when the temperature reaches 176°F and throttle even further at 185°F.
The Raspberry Pi 5 runs much warmer than all the Pis that came before it, and even though the Raspberry Pi company says cooling is optional, you may want to invest in a passive or active cooler of some sort to get the best out of your Raspberry Pi 5.
The Raspberry Pi 5 active cooler is priced at $5 and is one of theaccessories that will help you make maximum use of your Pi 5.
4. Older Cases Won’t Fit the Raspberry Pi 5
If you were hoping to use your previous cases for the Raspberry Pi 5, it isn’t going to work, unfortunately. The port layout has been changed in this new iteration of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer, with the Ethernet port moving back to where it was on the 3B+ and the 3.5mm jack gone. All the additions and changes mean that your old Raspberry Pi 4 cases won’t work for the Raspberry Pi 5.
But you don’t have to look too far for a case that matches your new board’s aesthetic. The Raspberry Pi company sells a modular case with an active cooling fan designed to work with the Raspberry Pi 5. It comes in the classic red and white colors and a black/gray variant that is yet to be released.
5. It Still Uses MicroHDMI
While micro HDMI display ports are not particular to the Raspberry Pi 5 and are not a drawback in the strictest sense, some people hoped to see full-size HDMI ports in the next Raspberry Pi generation. Competing single-board computers such as the Orange Pi 5 and Rock 5B come with full-sized HDMI ports.
Micro-HDMI isn’t the worst display port, but it is easier to break and clog up and is generally harder to use on the go. It is obvious to see why Raspberry Pi went with micro HDMI. It takes up less space and is better suited for a small, portable SBC, but with all the changes already made in this iteration, one can’t help but wonder if a slight increase in size would be the end of the world.
6. The RPi 5 Only Has One PCI Express Lane
PCIe is another welcome addition the Raspberry Pi 5 introduces to the line-up. This interface exposed via an FPC connector could allow you to connect high-speed peripherals such as SSDs, network cards, and graphic cards to your Raspberry Pi.
The RP1, the I/O controller on the Raspberry Pi 5, uses four of the five PCIe lanes available from the application processor (AP). This leaves only one lane of PCI Express available to connect external peripherals, limiting what can be achieved with the interface.
Is the Raspberry Pi 5 Worth Upgrading To?
The Raspberry Pi 5 certainly has a lot to offer in the performance and connectivity department and is still reasonably priced, with even cheaper variants coming out later.
However, it feels like a smaller leap in development compared to the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B that came before it. If you are satisfied with your current model, there is no need to upgrade. But if you want more power or can’t resist the purchase, the Pi 5 is still cheap enough to be a guilt-free purchase.
