The top-end Pi 4 now has double the RAM.
Hot off the launch of an interchangeable camera system earlier this month, Raspberry Pi is introducing a new configuration of the Pi4: a model with a whopping 8GB of RAM. The new, highest-end config for the Pi 4 will run you $75.
The 8GB version of the Raspberry Pi 4 has been long rumored, thanks to Raspberry Pi itself leaking the existence of an 8GB model. The blog post reveals that an 8GB model was always a possibility and says, “We were so enthusiastic about the idea that the non-existent product made its way into both the Beginner’s Guide and the compliance leaflet.”
The Raspberry Pi 4 launched last year with a faster SoC, more RAM, dual micro-HDMI, USB 3.0 support, and a USB-C charging port. In addition to the usual server and hobbyist uses, Raspberry Pi promoted performance on par with an “entry-level x86 PC” and dual-monitor desktop uses.
An 8GB option didn’t exist at launch because there wasn’t an 8GB LPDDR4 package compatible with the Pi 4 at that time. To accommodate the higher power demands of the new RAM package, Raspberry Pi says some changes to the board design needed to be made. The company says it “shuffled the power supply components on the board, removing a switch-mode power supply from the right-hand side of the board next to the USB 2.0 sockets and adding a new switcher next to the USB-C power connector.”
The official Raspberry Pi Linux distribution, the Debian-based Raspbian, has typically only come in a 32-bit build, but if you actually want a program to address all 8GB of memory in the newest Pi 4 config, you’re going to need a 64-bit OS. For users who want to stick with the default distribution, Raspbian now comes in an “early beta” 64-bit image.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has one more announcement: Raspbian isn’t Raspbian anymore. We’re now supposed to call it the “Raspberry Pi OS.” That’s going to take some getting used to.
The 8GB Pi 4 is on sale now.
Contact Information:
RON AMADEO @ ron@arstechnica.com
