- The Raspberry Pi is a small computer that can do lots of things. You plug it into a monitor and attach a keyboard and mouse. What you will learn. This project covers elements from the following strands of the Raspberry Pi Digital Making Curriculum: Use basic digital, analogue, and electromechanical components.
- The tastiest Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 and Pi Zero projects to try baking this year. From beginner builds to more advanced Pi uses, all the delicious ideas you need are right here to get making.
- Helpful resources, videos and guides for getting started with your Raspberry Pi. This is also where you’ll find documentation for more advanced material.
The Raspberry Pi 3 A+ has a variety of ports on the front of the board. On the left, you've got a micro USB port for the power, in the middle, you've got a full-sized HDMI 1.3 port for hooking up. Buy Rdeghly Camera Module Board REV 1.3 5MP Webcam Video 1080p 720p Fast For Raspberry Pi, Camera Module from Walmart Canada. Shop for more available online at Walmart.ca.
It seems that there has been some shenanigans happening with the OSHW logo voting page as some are using scripts to game the system for their favorite design. Why? Who knows… How? Well one of the advocates of OSHW [Bill Porter] set about figuring that out, and things should be patched up now, though that still leaves 3,122 faulty votes to weed out on the final day (April 5th).
While it is hard to imagine how someone would be so attached to a logo to write a script just to game votes, its not that surprising considering that we can be a pretty outgoing bunch when it comes to certain topics. Organizers are asking if you’re one of the listed IP addresses, and had good intentions to fess up, and tell which logo(s) you voted for to make the process easier. If not, well, “this is not going to stop everyone’s good efforts.”
If you’re just now getting wind of the OSHW logo voting check out our previous article highlighting this event, and to get more details.
Raspberry Pi newcomers ask us to explain the difference between Raspberry Pi 4 and the older Raspberry Pi 3B+ models.
Obviously, Raspberry Pi 4 is one better, but you can pick up a Raspberry Pi 3 for less money (and it's more frequently found on sale). So should you buy the new Raspberry Pi 4, or pick up an older Raspberry Pi 3?
The first thing to note is that there's currently only one Raspberry Pi 4 model, but there are quite a few different Raspberry Pi 3 models. Here are some of the options:
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B: The fourth-generation Raspberry Pi computer
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+: The final revision of the third-generation Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B: The third-generation Raspberry Pi
For the purposes of this article, we're looking at Raspberry Pi 4 vs Raspberry Pi 3B+ (its closest predecessor). But there are many more Raspberry Pi boards available, including the smaller Pi Zero W and energy efficient Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+. As well as older Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B.
Raspberry Pi 4 vs Raspberry PI 3B+: CPU, RAM, and graphics
Raspberry Pi 4 is a clear winner when it comes to pure specifications and hardware grunt.
Raspberry Pi 4 sports a faster 1.5GHz clock speed processor (up from the 1.4GHz found on Raspberry Pi 3B+).
Raspberry Pi 3 is no slouch, though: it also features a quad-core processor and the clock-speed of 1.4GHz is in the same ballpark.
When it comes to RAM, though, Raspberry Pi 4 is streets ahead. As well as the entry-level 1GB configuration, you can get a 2GB model or 4GB model. When it comes to electronics and engineering projects, 1GB is often enough.
Raspberry Pi 3 vs Raspberry Pi 4 performance
Raspberry Pi Best Buy
For desktop computing, the 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 is a whole different animal to the Raspberry Pi 3B+ (see: Raspberry Pi 4 your next desktop PC in The MagPi magazine issue 85).
Our extensive Raspberry Pi 4 benchmark tests show a tremendous increase in performance on the new Raspberry Pi 4 over Raspberry Pi 3B+ (and all earlier models):
Raspberry Pi 4: CPU and RAM
Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz
1GB, 2GB, or 4GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM (depending on model)
Raspberry Pi 3B+: CPU and RAM
Broadcom BCM2837B0, Quad-core Cortex-A53 (ARMv8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.4GHz
1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM
Connectivity and ports
Both models of Raspberry Pi offer a range of connectivity options, including wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, and a 40-pin GPIO header (used to hook up electronic components and add specially designed Raspberry Pi HATs (Hardware Attached on Top).
Raspberry Pi 4 has a modern implementation of most of the connections. While wireless LAN is up-to-date on both models, Raspberry Pi 4 has Bluetooth 5.0 with improved speed, range, and capacity; much faster USB 3.0 ports; and unconstrained Gigabit Ethernet (which is constrained by the USB connection on the older Raspberry Pi 3).
Both devices use a microSD card slot for loading the operating system and data storage.
Raspberry Pi 4 connectivity
2.4GHz and 5.0GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 5.0, BLE
Gigabit Ethernet
2 × USB 3.0 ports; 2 × USB 2.0 ports.
Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
2-lane MIPI DSI display port
2-lane MIPI CSI camera port
4-pole stereo audio and composite video port
Raspberry Pi 3B+ connectivity
2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE
Gigabit Ethernet over USB 2.0 (maximum throughput 300Mbps)
4 × USB 2.0 ports
Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
2-lane MIPI DSI display port
2-lane MIPI CSI camera port
4-pole stereo audio and composite video port
Display connectivity
When it comes to display connectivity, Raspberry Pi 4 is quite literally twice as good. It sports not one but two HDMI ports, enabling you to run two display monitors. Raspberry Pi 4 is also capable of running 4K video (4096 × 2160 pixels) at 60 frames-per-second, making it ideal for modern media playback.
Raspberry Pi 3B+ has a single full-size HDMI connector, capable of running 1080p (1920×1080p).
One upside to the Raspberry Pi 3B+ is you're more likely to already have full-size HDMI cables around the house, but micro-HDMI to full-size HDMI cables are easy to source.
Raspberry Pi 4 display
2 × micro-HDMI ports (up to 4kp60 supported)
H.265 (4kp60 decode), H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
Raspberry Pi 3 display
1 × Full-size HDMI (up to 1080p)
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Raspberry Pi 4 vs Raspberry Pi 3B+ power
Raspberry Pi 4 introduced a new USB-C connector for power. However, its power demands are more stringent than Raspberry Pi 3B+ (which uses an older micro-USB connector).
Both devices support the separate Power over Ethernet (PoE) HAT if you wish to power the board directly from a power-enabled Ethernet line (handy for remote networking locations).
Raspberry Pi 4 power
5V DC via USB-C connector (minimum 3A*)
5V DC via GPIO header (minimum 3A*)
Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled (requires separate PoE HAT)
* A good-quality 2.5A power supply can be used if downstream USB peripherals consume less than 500mA in total.
Raspberry Pi 3B+ power
5V/2.5A DC micro-USB connector
Power over Ethernet (PoE) support (requires separate PoE HAT)
Which Raspberry Pi should I buy?
We think both Raspberry 4 and the previous Raspberry Pi 3B+ models are great choices. You can learn about electronics and programming pretty well on both devices, although the faster processor and higher levels of RAM provided on Raspberry Pi 4 make it a much more versatile desktop computer. It also supports more demanding software, such as Scratch 3 (which only runs on the newer Raspberry Pi 4).
It makes for a much more versatile machine, too, with better internet support. And retro game emulation is much improved on the newer Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi
But if what you want is to play around with electronics and code, or build a low-cost media player, then Raspberry Pi 3B+ remains a good option (especially if you can pick one up at a reduced price).