who is this even for?? (Raspberry Pi 500)
About this video
An unboxing and hands-on test of the Raspberry Pi 500, a Raspberry Pi built into a keyboard, plus the new Raspberry Pi Monitor, sent to him unsponsored. Compared with the Pi 400, the 500 is thinner and lighter with a better-feeling keyboard, a quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 processor at 2.4 GHz versus the 400’s 1.8 GHz chip, and 8 gigabytes of LPDDR4X RAM, double the 400’s 4 gigabytes, with better energy efficiency and heat management. It keeps familiar ports: two micro HDMI outputs supporting up to 4K at 60, two USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port, gigabit Ethernet, microSD, a 40-pin GPIO header, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0, and it ships with an SD card preloaded with Bookworm OS. Pricing is $90 for the base unit or $120 for a desktop kit adding a mouse, a 27 watt USB-C power supply, a two meter micro HDMI to HDMI cable and a beginner’s guide; the 400 was $70 or $100 for its kit. The 15.6 inch 1080p IPS monitor costs $100, has built-in speakers, a folding stand and VESA mounting, and can be powered from the Pi itself, though that limits it to 60% brightness and 50% volume. His five-year-old daughter largely plugs everything in and completes setup, showing the intended ease of use. His verdict: it suits children and beginners who do not want to flash an SD card or troubleshoot, and works well for school, games and learning Linux, while experienced tinkerers with spare gear and headless setups are not the target. One disappointment: Roblox does not run on the Raspberry Pi.
Key takeaways
- The Pi 500 puts Pi 5-class power in a keyboard: a 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, double the Pi 400’s memory, with an SD card preloaded with Bookworm OS.
- Pricing is $90 base or $120 for the desktop kit with mouse, 27 watt USB-C supply, HDMI cable and beginner’s guide; the monitor is a separate $100 purchase.
- The 15.6 inch 1080p Raspberry Pi Monitor can run off the Pi over USB-C, but full brightness and volume require separate power; Pi power caps it at 60% brightness and 50% volume.
- Setup is deliberately beginner-proof, demonstrated by his young daughter connecting the monitor, mouse and power and working through the setup prompts.
- Best audience is kids and newcomers wanting a ready Linux desktop; hobbyists who flash their own cards and run headless Pis gain little, and Roblox is not playable on it.
Episode details: published December 10, 2024 · 16:55 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.
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