The Raspberry Pi is that tiny titan of the tech world, spawned out of open-source zeal and community passion. Its two big marketing pitches remain ‘cheap’ and ‘flexible’. But this little Pi will not be furnishing power tomynext project. Maybe a little scrutiny is due before crowning it king of yours.
The Limitations of Raspberry Pi as a Minicomputer
The Raspberry Pi attracted me just like a siren would siren. With its ingenuous lure of incredible affordability and low power consumption, it posed an irresistible charm. I still have that glitter of appeal in my mind, wilted just a little by that price tag which I shall presently analyze. My honeymoon ended there. Only after really going deep into the world of Raspberry Pi did I learn of shortcomings that the books and spec sheets conveniently neglect to mention.
Say Goodbye to Storage Nightmares (and Hello to Compromises): The microSD card situation? It’s an everlasting headache. You have to think about giving up the blazing-fast SSD speeds for a much less safe, yet more or less sluggish card. Sure, one could cobble together an external SSD solution, but at the expense of extra hardware, a precious commuter item so to speak. A compromise that keeps you juggling between speed, reliability, and convenience.
Even with the Raspberry Pi 5 being considered an 8GB RAM device, I would steadily hit that memory ceiling. Juggle just a few really demanding apps, and suddenly you are in swap land. The true kicker? This is not a desktop PC. That 8GB sticks with you like glue. Forget about just popping in another stick of RAM-it is a complete system replacement that the mind needs to think about.
The Raspberry Pi 5 suffers when called on to be a media server. The absence of hardware video encoders is a setback for Jellyfin and similar platforms. Forget smooth, on-the-fly video transcoding; buffering will become a frustrating occasion instead.
A Raspberry Pi is maybe not your answer to every diagnosis. Price-crunching is becoming a serious issue. Remember the good old days when the Raspberry Pi 3 came-with Wi-Fi in 2016, selling for the price of $35? As you fast forward to today, you are looking at a price of $85 for this 8 GB Raspberry Pi 5. That small computer could now well begin to lose its status as a steal.
Inflation hits everything: so much is true. But Raspberry Pi is not really the only draw in town. Competing boards do give some serious value for money, irrespective of price fluctuations elsewhere.
x86 Mini PCs Offer More Bang for Your Buck
I put out to pasture my Raspberry Pi in the tech graveyard. Why? Because I came into the world of x86 mini PCs! These little monsters are the big guns–they overpower the Pi when it comes to self-hosting, streaming, and smart home ecosystem. If you are looking for a small computer, ditch the Pi. x86’s the real thing.
Ditching the Raspberry Pi must be on extreme energy efficiency grounds. Any inexpensive x86 mini PC will land a knockout blow. And an Intel N100 thin client? It leaves the spanking new Raspberry Pi 5 eating its dust, especially when multitasking or running heavy applications.
No, the Intel N100 chipset does so much more than just transcoding video; it consumes it. With the fast Intel Quick Sync Video, this chip uses special hardware to quickly encode and decode, and software-based solutions are left behind choking on its dust.
Forget the limitations of Raspberry Pi! x86 Mini PCs unleash the real power. Say goodbye to the painfully slow SD cards and hello to the M.2 slots for a screaming-fast NVMe SSD. Max out your RAM. Run ANY software, no ARM headaches. Freedom awaits.
While some x86 Mini PCs build up on port selection, the Raspberry Pi packs a punch of its own. The greatest Achilles heel, sadly, is that those USB ports share bandwidth with the Ethernet connection, creating that bottleneck in the flow of data.
A Raspberry Pi sips power similar to a hummingbird, leaving other mini PCs neck-deep. The average x86 mini PC will idle at 6-10 watts, while an 8-banger Raspberry Pi 5 can barely advertise 3-4 watts. Thinking that it is trifling money? Over the long haul, especially if 24/7 operations go on, saved watts are turned into real money and lighter carbon footprints.
My Favorite x86 Mini PCs to Buy Instead of Raspberry Pi
Convinced an x86 mini PC is your digital destiny? Excellent! Let’s explore a curated selection of top contenders.
Beelink S12 Pro
Price : $220
Good-bye Raspberry Pi! Hello Beelink S12 Pro! The very compact yet robust system contains Intel N100 Series Processor, 512 GB of lightning-fast SSD, and 16 GB RAM. This is obviously not just any upgrade- it is a quantum leap. Crush everyday tasks, light gaming, and multitasking bliss. All shrinking quietly so that you can install it as per your fancy into a dream home server or a media center. The S12 Pro is not some mini PC; it is your gateway to infinite possibilities.
GMKtec G5
Price : $150
The GMKtec G5 mini PC is a real stunner as it beats inside Intel N97 processor and a solid 12 GB RAM. Should you want a pocket powerhouse that punches far above its weight, then the N97 is a well-deserving upgrade over the N100, offering noticeable performance at reasonable costs. You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank while they boast about the 16 GB RAM. For most, the slightly smaller RAM will hardly be an issue.
ThinkCentre or Dell Optiplex from eBay
Price : Less than $100
Tight budget? Think shrewd, not cheap. Dive into the pre-owned market and unearth a refurbished ThinkCentre or Dell Optiplex on eBay. Not just computers: these are battle-hardened workhorses that carry a great punch with Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. Age is just a number – they will deal with everyday tasks with ease. Second, future-proof your purchase by upgrading RAM and storage anytime. Snag a bargain and set it loose!
Mini PCs are cool Raspberry Pi alternatives, but the adventure doesn’t end there. Craving utmost portability? Welcoming the Windows 10 PC sticks. Imagine a flash drive, but in place of files, it holds a full-fledged Windows 10 computer. Inject anything with an HDMI port and ready-to-go workstation-tones, perfect for digital nomads or spur-of-the-moment presentations. Into the bag with clutter, out with the stick.
Cover image and screenshots by David Morelo.
Thanks for reading Why You Shouldn’t Use Raspberry Pi as a Mini PC
