But if you’re attempting to use a Pi as a general-purpose PC, more RAM means more apps and more browser tabs with less virtual memory use, which ought to help the whole system stay responsive. It could also be helpful if you’re trying to run multiple VMs or Docker containers on the same Pi. Upton also cites large language models and computational fluid dynamics as workloads that benefit from extra memory. The main issue is that these RAM-hungry workloads also often benefit from more CPU and GPU power than the Pi can provide.
At a cost of $120 before you add storage, a power brick, or a case, the 16GB version of the Pi 5 also has to compete with a wide universe of cheap x86-based mini PCs. Starting at around $160, these PCs give you a decent quad-core Intel processor, 16GB of memory, and 500GB of NVMe-attached storage, as well as the option to run Windows if you want to (not to mention a Windows license). The Pi 5 benefits from a wide accessory ecosystem and purpose-built operating system images, and it will be easier to troubleshoot and find support if you’re having a specific hardware problem. But as everyday desktops, the tiny Intel boxes have advantages, too.
The 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB versions of the Pi 5 will cost you $50, $60, $80, or $120, respectively. Those wanting a Pi board for the original $35 will need to stick with the 1GB version of the previous-generation Raspberry Pi 4.