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Why We Love the Raspberry Pi

By Thorin Klosowski
Updated
The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Starter Kit

Anytime someone asks me how to turn their weird tech project into reality, my immediate instinct is to recommend the Raspberry Pi. This $35 computer (temporarily bumped up to $45 due to the ongoing chip shortage), the size of a deck of cards, is as capable as it is cheap. With just a bit of know-how and curiosity, you can use it to make a retro-gaming console, a robot brain, a smart-home sensor, or even a fully functional Alexa-compatible speaker.

As a kid, I was always more fascinated with learning how to use computers than I was with doing anything productive with them. I had more fun hacking together a half-working machine with cables stuck awkwardly into a breadboard than I ever did typing up my latest school paper. The Raspberry Pi is a window into that world.

The CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit offers almost everything you need to start using the Pi right away, including the Pi, a microSD card, a case, a power supply, and cables. You need only a keyboard, mouse, and screen. Most people will be fine with the cheapest model, which has 2 GB of RAM, but if you plan on using it as a desktop computer consider the 4 GB model.

Buying Options

The Raspberry Pi 4 is a tiny, cheap Linux computer that you can use for a huge range of fun and useful projects. You’ll need a few other things to get started, though, which is why we recommend a kit for most people.

Buying Options

The Pi is a single-board computer, which means that the microprocessor, memory, wireless radios, and ports are all on one circuit board. The one we recommend for most people is the Raspberry Pi 4 (2 GB). It isn’t fast enough for serious work, but what really makes the Pi special is its versatility. Linux software and exposed general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins at the top of the board make it easy to hook up switches, sensors, and lights, so hobbyists can cheaply prototype crazy ideas. It also has an audio jack for headphones or speakers, an HDMI port for video, Bluetooth for accessories, and wired and wireless Internet support. It is capable of light Web browsing, word processing, playing retro games, and running a variety of coding programs when called upon.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+.
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ which looks almost identical to the newer Raspberry Pi 4. Photo: Andrew Cunningham

The Raspberry Pi came around when I truly needed it—nearly a decade ago. I was bored and burned out on technology, but figuring out the Pi renewed my appreciation of computers. Linux was frustrating to learn, but at the same time it reminded me of editing the autoexec.bat and config.sys files as a kid. I spent an entire day downloading and compiling the first software I found to turn the Pi into a game console, only to discover that it didn’t work. This roadblock led to days of troubleshooting on a writing deadline before I finally fixed it. That sounds tedious, but the experience provided a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt in years and marked the start of five years (so far) of making Raspberry Pi projects.

Since that first attempt, I’ve written an (already outdated) book about the Raspberry Pi as well as dozens of Raspberry Pi how-to guides for Lifehacker. My house is a mad scientist’s lab filled with half-working, occasionally obnoxious Pi projects that manage to both annoy and delight visitors.

The DIY ethos around the Pi makes it lovable despite its quirky and often frustrating behavior. The board’s popularity means you can easily find help when you inevitably run into problems, and thousands of how-to guides provide inspiration. With all the idiosyncrasies and random issues, you’ll never forget that it’s a cheap computer that runs free, open-source operating systems, but that’s part of the fun. Go in expecting every task to take twice as long as you think it will.

raspbery pi 3 b+ usb ports
The Pi has four USB 2.0 ports and one Ethernet jack, plus a few other headers and pins for connecting different accessories. Photo: Andrew Cunningham

The Pi is a Linux computer, so technically it can do anything any Linux computer can do, such as run email and Web servers, act as network storage, or operate as a VPN. But you can find a ton of projects out there made specifically for the Raspberry Pi: You can use it to teach kids how to code, turn it into a DIY gaming console, use it as a media center attached to your TV, build a camera, turn a dumb appliance into a smart one, or even make a modern-day Teddy Ruxpin.

You can even use the Pi to emulate off-the-shelf technology, which is one of my favorite ways to learn how everyday tech works. This is almost never the easiest or most cost-effective option, but it can be a fun way to learn new skills. You can make your own Alexa-like (but privacy-focused voice assistant), a wireless access point, a Chromecast-like device, an AirPlay receiver for streaming music, and even your own cloud file-syncing service. I have one right now pulling triple-duty adding AirPlay to Sonos speakers that don’t support it, operating as a Plex server so I don’t have to swap through dozens of Northern Exposure DVDs, and as a network-wide ad blocker. There’s no substitute for the joy you get when you plug a bunch of words into the command line for 20 minutes and get a fully functional voice assistant out of it. Is it cheaper than buying an Echo Dot? Absolutely not. But it’s much more fun.

Many companies offer Raspberry Pi–focused peripherals that make it much easier to tackle otherwise impossible projects because you don’t have to waste time figuring out how to do basic things like adding a touchscreen. You just buy the thing, plug it into the Pi, and get to making something cool. The official Raspberry Pi camera module, for example, lets you add a camera to the Pi and use it as a point-and-shoot or a surveillance camera. The Sense HAT detects speed, orientation, and environmental conditions, which is perfect for a weather station. Stores like Adafruit and SparkFun stock hundreds of accessories ranging from 2½-inch touchscreens to a full-blown laptop conversion kit. If you’ve ever wanted to build something for your own home because it doesn’t exist, there’s a reasonable chance that a Raspberry Pi and a couple of accessories can do the job.

For inspiration and tutorials, check out Make, Adafruit, Instructables, and The MagPi.


The CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit offers almost everything you need to start using the Pi right away, including the Pi, a microSD card, a case, a power supply, and cables. You need only a keyboard, mouse, and screen. Most people will be fine with the cheapest model, which has 2 GB of RAM, but if you plan on using it as a desktop computer consider the 4 GB model.

Buying Options

You have a lot of points of entry with the Raspberry Pi, depending on what type of project you want to tackle first, but we recommend CanaKit’s Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit (2GB)  if you’re not totally sure what you’ll do with it. That way, you have the basic necessities and you can expand from there.

That kit includes the Raspberry Pi 4 itself, a USB-C power supply, a case, a 32 GB microSD card, an HDMI cable, and a few other extras. If you do plan on using the Raspberry Pi as a computer, there’s no better option than the Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit, which crams the the Raspberry Pi into a compact keyboard and includes a mouse, power supply, SD card, HDMI cable, and a beginner’s guide, so all you’ll need is a screen. Otherwise, you’ll need to bring your own mouse, keyboard, and TV or monitor. If you want to connect the Pi to objects like sensors, knobs, or buttons, CanaKit’s Raspberry Pi 4 Ultimate Kit includes the Pi alongside a breadboard, a ribbon cable, jumper wires, LEDs, resistors, and push-button switches. If you want to pick up your own case and microSD card and don’t need all the random cables, CanaKit has a simpler kit that includes the Pi, a power supply, and a couple of heat sinks.

The $55 4 GB model is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone looking to use the Raspberry Pi as a desktop computer, for machine learning projects, robotics, or a web server. Most people can skip the $75 8 GB model unless you want to run virtual machines or a database server.

Part of the fun of the Raspberry Pi is customization, and though you have thousands of options for cases, we like either the official case or the colorful Rainbow Pibow. If you already have plenty of microSD cards and a power supply, you can always buy just the Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB) itself, but be sure to never pay much more than the $35 retail price.

If you want a lot of storage, which is especially useful for game emulators and media servers, the 64 GB SanDisk MicroSDXC card for Nintendo Switch will provide plenty of room.

Like any computer, the Raspberry Pi needs an operating system to do stuff. Most machines these days run Windows or macOS, but the Raspberry Pi primarily runs Linux, and you have a lot of options. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has an official general-use operating system, called Raspberry Pi OS, that’s optimized to work on the Pi. It includes free software for coding, an office suite, and of course, a special version of Minecraft. Raspberry Pi OS now even includes an app store to make downloading third-party software easier. Several other specialized operating systems are built around particular projects, like Recalbox for retro games or OSMC for a media center.

Unlike most computers with built-in hard drive or SSD storage options, the Pi’s OS is installed onto a microSD card, which is also where you’ll put all your files since the board doesn’t include any built-in storage (though you can boot from an external storage drive too). This structure makes it easy for you to expand the storage and switch between different operating systems by swapping out microSD cards. (It also makes the Pi resilient: If you bork your OS install, you can just reimage the card on another computer and you’re back in business.)

 

Our pick

For projects where small size and a low price are more important than speed, this starter kit includes a Pi Zero 2 W, a case, and all the dongles you need for just over $30.

Buying Options

If you want something a little smaller than a Raspberry Pi 4 or you want to spend only $15, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (also available with a case and accessories from CanaKit) is your best bet. The Pi Zero 2 W is about the size of a stick of memory and has a single USB port and a Mini HDMI port. It runs the same operating systems as the full-size Pi, though it’s slower than the already-slow Raspberry Pi 4. Whereas the Pi 4 is somewhat usable as a desktop computer, the Pi Zero 2 W is best suited for single-purpose DIY projects, such as a tiny information display or a comically small MAME arcade cabinet.

You can find dozens of single-board computers. Many are cheaper or have better specs than the Raspberry Pi, but none of them boast the software support or massive community of the Pi, so it’s harder to find someone to turn to if you have problems. The Banana Pi and Orange Pi are obviously Pi influenced, and a few are beefier, more powerful computers, like the Asus Tinker Board and the BeagleBoard.

Most Raspberry Pi alternatives are fine, and if you know what you’re doing you can get a lot out of them. But beginners benefit from the popularity of the Raspberry Pi because it’s so much easier to track down support, ask people for help in forums, and find detailed how-to guides.

  1. Raspberry Pi Foundation

  2. NOOBS, Raspberry Pi Foundation

  3. M-Short, Joel_E_B, How to Use a Breadboard, SparkFun

  4. DrWilson, Ultimate Raspberry Pi Home Server, Instructables

  5. ETA PRIME, RetroPie Vs Recalbox What's Better?, YouTube, March 14, 2017

  6. Terren Peterson, Raspberry Pi just turned 5. Here's a brief history of the world's tiniest hobbyist computer, freeCodeCamp, March 11, 2017

  7. Bernadette Johnson, How the Raspberry Pi Works, HowStuffWorks, August 30, 2012

  8. RPi Hub, Embedded Linux Wiki

Meet your guide

Thorin Klosowski

Thorin Klosowski is the former editor of privacy and security topics at Wirecutter. He has been writing about technology for over a decade, with an emphasis on learning by doing—which is to say, breaking things as often as possible to see how they work. For better or worse, he applies that same DIY approach to his reporting.

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