The Raspberry Pi 5 is coming, and it’s twice as fast

With a price tag of $60 for the 4GB version and $80 for its 8GB counterpart, the platform has undergone comprehensive upgrades, ensuring an uncompromised user experience in every way.

Key features include:

• 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU
• VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
• Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output
• 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
• Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
• Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
• High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support
• 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
• 2 × USB 2.0 ports
• Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (requires separate PoE+ HAT, coming soon)
• 2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
• PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals
• Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
• Real-time clock
• Power button

New chips

The Raspberry Pi 5 features three new chips, each designed specifically for the program.

BCM2712 is a new 16-nanometer application processor (AP) from Broadcom, derived from the 28-nanometer BCM2711 AP which powers Raspberry Pi 4, with numerous architectural enhancements.

RP1 is the I/O controller for Raspberry Pi 5, designed by the same team at Raspberry Pi that delivered the RP2040 microcontroller, and implemented, like RP2040, on TSMC’s mature 40LP process. It provides two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 interfaces; a Gigabit Ethernet controller; two four-lane MIPI transceivers for camera and display; analogue video output; 3.3V general-purpose I/O (GPIO); and the usual collection of GPIO-multiplexed low-speed interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, and PWM). A four-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface provides a 16Gb/s link back to BCM2712.

BCM2712 and RP1 are supported by the third new component of the chipset, the Renesas DA9091 “Gilmour” power-management IC (PMIC). This integrates eight separate switch-mode power supplies to generate the various voltages required by the board, including a quad-phase core supply, capable of providing 20 amps of current to power the Cortex-A76 cores and other digital logic in BCM2712.

Accessories

As is customary with each fresh flagship Raspberry Pi release, Raspberry Pi 5 introduces a range of new accessories. The alterations in layout, the introduction of new interfaces, and a substantially enhanced peak performance (with a minimal increase in peak power consumption) have prompted the developers to revamp certain existing accessories and create entirely novel ones.

The updated case for Raspberry Pi 5, priced at $10, builds on the aesthetic of its Raspberry Pi 4 predecessor, but adds a host of new usability and thermal-management features.

Raspberry Pi 5 has been designed to handle typical client workloads, uncased, with no active cooling. Users who wish to use the board uncased under continuous heavy load, without throttling, have the option of adding a $5 Active Cooler. This attaches to the board via two new mounting holes, and connects to the same four-pin JST connector as the case fan.

For users who wish to drive high-power peripherals like hard drives and SSDs while retaining margin for peak workloads, there is a $12 USB-C power adapter which supports a 5V, 5A (25W) operating mode.

The new, higher-density pinout of the MIPI connectors means that an adapter is required to connect Raspberry Pi’s own cameras and displays, and third-party products, to Raspberry Pi 5. These cables are available in 200mm, 300mm, and 500mm lengths, priced at $1, $2, and $3 respectively.

From early 2024, a new PoE+ HAT will be on offer. This supports the new location for the four-pin PoE header and has an L-shaped form factor which allows it to sit inside the Raspberry Pi 5 case without interfering mechanically or disrupting airflow.

Perhaps one of the most exciting additions to the Raspberry Pi 5 feature set is the single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface. Intended to support fast peripherals, it is exposed on a 16-pin, 0.5mm pitch FPC connector on the left-hand side of the board. From early 2024, a pair of mechanical adapter boards will be available which convert between this connector and a subset of the M.2 standard, allowing users to attach NVMe SSDs and other M.2-format accessories.

Last but not least is a Panasonic lithium manganese rechargeable coin cell, with a pre-fitted two-pin JST plug and an adhesive mounting pad. This is priced at $5 and is suitable for powering the Raspberry Pi 5 real-time clock (RTC) when the main power supply is disconnected.

Designed in Cambridge, manufactured in Wales

Similar to its predecessors, Raspberry Pi 5 is manufactured at the Sony UK Technology Centre in Pencoed, South Wales. The collaboration with Sony dates back to the inaugural Raspberry Pi computer launch in 2012, and the company strongly advocates for the advantages of producing its products within a short drive from its engineering design centre in Cambridge. A decade of close partnership with the Sony team has provided valuable insights into crafting products that can be manufactured reliably, cost-effectively, and at a large scale.

Raspberry Pi 5 heralds the arrival of several pioneering manufacturing advancements. Among these innovations is the implementation of intrusive reflow for connectors, a technique that enhances the mechanical integrity of the product, boosts production efficiency, and eliminates the costly and energy-intensive selective- or wave-soldering steps from the manufacturing process. Additionally, a fully routed panel singulation has been adopted to achieve cleaner board edges as well as the introduction of a novel production testing approach inspired by the company’s experience in testing the RP2040 microcontroller on a grand scale.

Availability

Print subscribers to TheMagPi and HackSpace magazines will be given priority access to the Raspberry Pi 5. The company has said on its website that they’re “incredibly grateful to the community of makers and hackers who make Raspberry Pi what it is; you’ve been extraordinarily patient throughout the supply chain issues that have made our work so challenging over the last couple of years. We’d like to thank you: we’re going to ringfence all of the Raspberry Pi 5s we sell until at least the end of the year for single-unit sales to individuals, so you get the first bite of the cherry.”

Units are now available to pre-order from the Approved Reseller partners and first units are expected to ship by the end of October.

Image courtesy of Raspberry Pi/YouTube