Raspberry Pi 2 unveiled with more memory and faster processor

in hardware on 2015-02-03 11:50 (#2WW6)

A new version of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer has been unveiled in London today, boasting more memory and a new processor that is six times faster than its predecessor. The Raspberry Pi 2 is available to buy today from element14, priced at $35.

It is the same size as the previous version, but comes with a Broadcom BCM2836 ARMv7 quad core processor, and runs at 900MHz with 1GB of RAM. It offers complete backward compatibility with the existing Model B+. All cases and third-party add-on boards are also fully compatible with the new Raspberry Pi. The new model has an expanded number of input/output pins, making it possible to connect up to four USB devices - including some powered devices such as hard drives - as well as multiple sensors, connectors and expansion boards.

However, Raspberry Pi faces growing competition. Rivals include the Arduino, Intel Galileo, Gizmo 2, BeagleBone Black and Hummingboard.

6 comments

Its just nuts! (Score: 2, Insightful)

by hairyfeet@pipedot.org on 2015-02-04 16:34 (#2WWK)

Its just fricking CRAZY how cheap hardware is getting! You can grab a quad ARM board like this for $35, buy nice dual tablets for $50, heck you can grab a new dual core AMD AM1 APU that makes a kickass HTPC, $60 for a dual or $80 for a fricking quad, its just crazy! I hope everybody simply takes a moment to marvel at how well we have it hardware wise, never in history has such insane amounts of power been so affordable, enjoy!

Re: Its just nuts! (Score: 1)

by konomi@pipedot.org on 2015-02-05 01:26 (#2WWW)

Definitly agree with the crazy part after all the times I spent scraping just to have something that qualified as a computer. I am really looking foward to the future though where everyone can have some sort of computer. Small computers everywhere maybe five in a house, a bit pie in the sky but I love the idea.

Re: Its just nuts! (Score: 2, Informative)

by hairyfeet@pipedot.org on 2015-02-05 12:22 (#2WWY)

LOL I'm already there, more if you count the 3 Android phones. I got the Phenom II X6 for gaming, the wife has the Phenom II X4 for her gaming, got an older C2Q I use for an A/V renderbox, then there is the E350 netbook for me, the C2D lappy for the wife, horsepower ain't lacking here LOL!

Re: Its just nuts! (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-02-05 10:27 (#2WWX)

And yet, all I am thinking is: maybe the previous model is getting cheaper now!

Ardiuno??? (Score: 2, Informative)

by axsdenied@pipedot.org on 2015-02-05 12:53 (#2WWZ)

Rivals include the Arduino...

I would not say that Arduiuno is a rival. The popularity of Arduiuno and RasPi may be similar but they are two different worlds, you are comparing "microcontrollers" and "computers".

For example:
Ardiuno is based on a microcontroller, there is no "real" OS apart from some specialised microcontroller OS' like RTOS. Apart from Due (84MHz) all other MCUs are 16MHz or slower. RAM and internal flash memory is in the order of KB.

On the other hand all other boards you listed are running proper OS (linux/windows), all have frequencies in the range of 1GHz, RAM is external and is in the order of GB. Memory is usually on a separate chip from the CPU, for example on memory cards or eMMC flash.

And it hates camera flash... (Score: 2, Interesting)

by axsdenied@pipedot.org on 2015-02-08 12:08 (#2WZB)

And a very interesting "feature", the RasPi 2 crashes when photographed with a flash:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=99042

It seems like the switchmode power supply chip is somehow xenon flash light sensitive and the voltage fluctuates significantly when illuminated by flash light.

The old RasPis are not affected.