ARM-based processor adds spice to Raspberry Pi 2

3rd February 2015

Mick Elliott

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The new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is available to buy from element14. Unveiled at a launch event at The Shard, London by element14 and Raspberry Pi Trading, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is six times faster than the previous model and now boasts 1GB of RAM to run bigger and more powerful projects.

The Raspberry Pi 2 marks a major modification for the credit card-sized computer, with a new Broadcom BCM2836 ARMv7 Quad Core Processor powered Single Board Computer running at 900MHz with 1GB of RAM. For a superior user experience the new Raspberry Pi 2 boots up in less than half the time of its predecessor.

All previous Raspberry Pi projects are compatible with the new Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, and the expanded GPIO pins, advanced power management and connectivity, make it possible to connect up to four USB devices, including some powered devices such as hard drives. The 40-pin GPIO enables multiple sensors, connectors and expansion boards to be added, with the first 26 pins identical to the Model A and B boards, for full backward compatibility.

Further benefits from the new Raspberry Pi 2 include faster and more enjoyable gaming which can be achieved through less lag and a more seamless experience - explode TNT in Minecraft and be amazed by the difference. The millions of Raspberry Pi enthusiasts will also be pleased to hear that upgrading their existing projects to benefit from the improved performance simply involves an update to the Operating System.

A chance to win one of 50 new Raspberry Pi 2s, open to everyone, will take place on 3 February at 3:14pm, running for 24 hours. Follow element14 on Twitter and Facebook for more information.