What’s Inside the New Raspberry Pi 5 Module?

Raspberry’s latest prototyping board offers higher speed and more features than its predecessor.

Spencer Chin, Senior Editor

December 12, 2023

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Raspberry Pi 5 gives developers a low-cost prototyping module with higher speed and more useful features than its predecessor. Raspberrypi.com

At a Glance

  • Raspberry's new Pi 5 has a new processor that reportedly provides twice the speed of its predecessor
  • The new module provides additional control and power functions to increase prototyping flexibility

The latest version of the Raspberry Pi prototyping module, 5, was introduced recently. Here’s some highlights of Raspberry Pi 5’s latest electronics prototyping module in a YouTube video by reviewer Jeff Geerling.

According to Geerling, Raspberry Pi 5 has a new RP-1 Southbridge chip with two USB-3 controllers, two USB-2 controllers, and Gigabit Ethernet. A new power management chip has a built-in real clock and measures power consumption. A flexible printed circuit connector accommodates high-speed expansion nets. The new RP-1 chip allows either port to be used with the camera or display.

A notable feature is a combination power and LED status button. In addition, Geerling noted that the Pi 5’s circuit board has completely transformed to surface-mount components instead of the through-hole components used in previous versions. Controlling the BCM 2712 SoC (System on a chip) that contains the GPU and CPU. The CPU is twice as fast as the PI 4’s CPU and is responsible for the 2 to 3x performance improvement promised by the Pi 5. In addition, the Pi 5 can handle 25 W through a new power stage.

Geerling recommends the use of cooling, either through an active cooler or a fan-equipped case, to handle the heat generated by the Pi 5.

The Pi 5 4 GB is $60, while the 8 GB model is $80, which according to Geerling is a price-attractive alternative to competitive development modules.

As with other Raspberry Pi boards, an ecosystem of supporting tools is emerging. For more information on Raspberry 5 Pi including potential applications, view the video.

About the Author

Spencer Chin

Senior Editor, Design News

Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News, covering the electronics beat, which includes semiconductors, components, power, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and other related subjects. He is always open to ideas for coverage. Spencer has spent many years covering electronics for brands including Electronic Products, Electronic Buyers News, EE Times, Power Electronics, and electronics360. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him at @spencerchin.

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