The highly versatile Raspberry Pi 4 now has a new 8GB model and their official Debian-based operating system has a new 64bit version for you to play with. From running retro games, to making it into a whole gaming device with a screen and everything, the Raspberry Pi is seriously cool and now thanks to the bigger RAM in the 8GB model it can do even more fun things for you.
A model that was long rumoured but they had trouble doing it, until now. They said that while the BCM2711 chip used in the Raspberry Pi 4 actually supports up to 16GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM, the barrier was that lack of a 8GB LPDDR4 package which didn't exist but Micron stepped up with a suitable part for them.
Some adjustments were made to accomodate it, as it needed higher peak currents. So the power supply components have been shuffled around, and a removal of a switch-mode power supply from the right side with a new switcher next to the USB-C power connection. It's available right now for $75.
The Raspberry Pi OS (formerly known as Raspbian) also now has a 64bit version in Beta to fully take advantage of the extra memory. They have a video up about the latest changes to the OS as a whole for them May Update which we've included below:
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Direct Link
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Read more about it and pick one up on the official Raspberry Pi website.
If any of our readers are planning to pick up the RPi 8GB and / or are tinkering with a current one for some kind of gaming, do let us know what you're up to in the comments. Would love to see.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Mohandevir May 29, 2020
Personnally I have a RPI2 B+ that runs Recalbox. I use it as a retro console in a Nespi case. I use the 8bitdo SN30Pro or my old Wii Remote to play my games, via bluetooth (I added a wifi and a bluetooth low profile dongles that both fit into the case). The RPI part of my setup is a little underpowered to my taste and I was already looking at the RPI4, but this 8gb thing is pretty interresting. Unfortunately it won't fit in my Nespi case. Since I'm not playing much with it, I'm still hesitating... First world problem they say? :)
Last edited by Mohandevir on 29 May 2020 at 12:55 pm UTC
Last edited by Mohandevir on 29 May 2020 at 12:55 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
Does anyone use one of these things with a USB DAC? I have an Odroid C2 and audio via USB has been broken since forever. Tried about every distribution under the sun, but all produce some kind of noise or clicks in the audio output.
My plan was to have a multimedia station with batteries included. Kodi, MPD, RetroArch and maybe some server applications like Mumble. I want to connect the audio to my old stereo.
My plan was to have a multimedia station with batteries included. Kodi, MPD, RetroArch and maybe some server applications like Mumble. I want to connect the audio to my old stereo.
0 Likes
Does anyone use one of these things with a USB DAC? I have an Odroid C2 and audio via USB has been broken since forever. Tried about every distribution under the sun, but all produce some kind of noise or clicks in the audio output.I don't have a good quality DAC, but I just tested my cheap and nasty one on my 2GB Pi4, and it seems as good as it ever was. I wouldn't take that as definitive, but I didn't hear any clicks, dropouts, or anything like that, at least. (I think I know the sort of thing you're talking about, because I do have problems sometimes when switching outputs on my main desktop. Oh, and before anyone pitches in, yes, I've probably tried that. Fragment size, tsched... I know all about it.)
The built-in audio on the recent Pis is a lot better than it used to be, actually. But I know that sometimes “good enough” isn't... well, good enough. :)
3 Likes, Who?
Does anyone use one of these things with a USB DAC? I have an Odroid C2 and audio via USB has been broken since forever. Tried about every distribution under the sun, but all produce some kind of noise or clicks in the audio output.
My plan was to have a multimedia station with batteries included. Kodi, MPD, RetroArch and maybe some server applications like Mumble. I want to connect the audio to my old stereo.
Yes, although i have found I²S DAC hats much better like a hifiberry
1 Likes, Who?
Arehandoro May 29, 2020
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card. Also wish had the money to do a cluster with several of them :D
3 Likes, Who?
Finally! We've been bottlenecked by a 32-bit os for too long. I just hope theyre making good progress on that vulkan driver.
1 Likes, Who?
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card.Eben Upton mentioned that in an interview a couple of months ago. They're still very conscious about building to a price and backwards compatibility (they agonized quite a bit over switching to USB-C for the PSU, for example, but the power requirements demanded it). So any new storage connections would have to be in addition to the existing ones, at least for the first model with them, and right now that would add too much to the price. He's not ruling it out for the future, though.
3 Likes, Who?
Mohandevir May 29, 2020
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card. Also wish had the money to do a cluster with several of them :D
Not an nvme but this is at least better than an SD card:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-boot-from-usb-firmware-beta
0 Likes
walther von stolzing May 29, 2020
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card.He's not ruling it out for the future, though.
I think they clearly want a place in the burgeoning all-purpose (incl. desktop use) SBC market; perhaps they'll have to introduce a 'pro' line or something, to compete among the ~$100 boards that are gaining traction (& some of them are x86 based, which has its attractions). The 4GB & 8GB models no longer fit the original 'mission statement' (so to speak) of the RPi foundation.
0 Likes
brokeassben May 29, 2020
Daaaamn. Literally just purchased the 4GB version to setup as a pi-hole/plex server/retro game emulator.
1 Likes, Who?
Arehandoro May 29, 2020
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card. Also wish had the money to do a cluster with several of them :D
Not an nvme but this is at least better than an SD card:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-boot-from-usb-firmware-beta
Saw that but will still require having an external SSD connected via USB to it (just nit-picking here haha)
1 Likes, Who?
brokeassben May 29, 2020
Does anyone use one of these things with a USB DAC? I have an Odroid C2 and audio via USB has been broken since forever. Tried about every distribution under the sun, but all produce some kind of noise or clicks in the audio output.
My plan was to have a multimedia station with batteries included. Kodi, MPD, RetroArch and maybe some server applications like Mumble. I want to connect the audio to my old stereo.
There are a couple companies that make "hats" for the Pi (and possibly Odroid) like JustBoom or DigiOne for people who are into an "audiophile" level sound on their Pi.
Possibly not what you're looking for, but I trust this guy's opinions when it comes to audio and he has a fairly in-depth article and video on using the RP as a DAC. The article is written from audio nerd's perspective rather than a tech or linux enthusiast's.
1 Likes, Who?
Mohandevir May 29, 2020
I wish they look into including some m.2 SSD out of the box and deprecate the sd card. Also wish had the money to do a cluster with several of them :D
Not an nvme but this is at least better than an SD card:
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-boot-from-usb-firmware-beta
Saw that but will still require having an external SSD connected via USB to it (just nit-picking here haha)
Still anything better than an SD card is welcome. I have a nice USB3 32Gb stick that I could use... :)
1 Likes, Who?
legluondunet May 29, 2020
I have a raspberry pi 3b+ 2Go and a raspberry pi 4 4Go, the differences I saw:
- 2go is enough for Retropie/Recalbox. Emulator that will not run enough fast: N64, PSP, PS1, Dreamcast, PS2.
- On Pi 4 you could hope to play PS1 and Dreamcast games at a satisfying speed (have to verify this point).
- 4 Go is necessary if you wish to use a Linux distribution with a graphic environment. With 2Go, you can launch one ou two Windows maximum and the desktop experience is not very fast. Graphic Linux distributions available for Raspberry Pi: Raspberry Pi OS (new name of Raspbian), Ubuntu and Manjaro.
- raspberry Pi 3 supports playing SD video 720
- raspberry Pi 4 supports playing HD video 1080
New Recalbox version for Retropie 4 will be out this summer.
- 2go is enough for Retropie/Recalbox. Emulator that will not run enough fast: N64, PSP, PS1, Dreamcast, PS2.
- On Pi 4 you could hope to play PS1 and Dreamcast games at a satisfying speed (have to verify this point).
- 4 Go is necessary if you wish to use a Linux distribution with a graphic environment. With 2Go, you can launch one ou two Windows maximum and the desktop experience is not very fast. Graphic Linux distributions available for Raspberry Pi: Raspberry Pi OS (new name of Raspbian), Ubuntu and Manjaro.
- raspberry Pi 3 supports playing SD video 720
- raspberry Pi 4 supports playing HD video 1080
New Recalbox version for Retropie 4 will be out this summer.
1 Likes, Who?
I hope they make a Raspberry Pi 4 B+ with a 1.8ghz+ clock speed, 8gb Ram, USB Boot from the Factory, and get Hardware Acceleration 100% working. Then it will be a really great desktop PC.
I've bought several of these RPI's, my last one being a Raspberry Pi 3 B+.
I was just a little disappointed with the Raspberry Pi 4 missing USB Boot support and the USB-C power supply issue.
I won't be buying another RPI until USB Boot is working from the factory.
Its really close to being a nice Desktop PC, just a few more things they need to work on.
I've bought several of these RPI's, my last one being a Raspberry Pi 3 B+.
I was just a little disappointed with the Raspberry Pi 4 missing USB Boot support and the USB-C power supply issue.
I won't be buying another RPI until USB Boot is working from the factory.
Its really close to being a nice Desktop PC, just a few more things they need to work on.
0 Likes
I don't have a good quality DAC, but I just tested my cheap and nasty one on my 2GB Pi4, and it seems as good as it ever was. I wouldn't take that as definitive, but I didn't hear any clicks, dropouts, or anything like that, at least. (I think I know the sort of thing you're talking about, because I do have problems sometimes when switching outputs on my main desktop. Oh, and before anyone pitches in, yes, I've probably tried that. Fragment size, tsched... I know all about it.)
The built-in audio on the recent Pis is a lot better than it used to be, actually. But I know that sometimes “good enough” isn't... well, good enough. :)
Yes, although i have found I²S DAC hats much better like a hifiberry
There are a couple companies that make "hats" for the Pi (and possibly Odroid) like JustBoom or DigiOne for people who are into an "audiophile" level sound on their Pi.
Possibly not what you're looking for, but I trust this guy's opinions when it comes to audio and he has a fairly in-depth article and video on using the RP as a DAC. The article is written from audio nerd's perspective rather than a tech or linux enthusiast's.
Thanks for the replies. My USB DAC is a fairly cheap one for about 50 Euros, so I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile (though I do appreciate decent audio equipment, just not over-the-top stuff), but I find such "external sound cards" very convenient.
A dedicated DAC hat seems nice, looks pretty slick on the hifiberry with the metal case. But that would cost me some money again.
Best course might be to get a naked RPI and check if my current USB DAC works properly, check the 3.5mm jack as a fallback and if both don't work out, look for a hat with a nice case.
0 Likes
legluondunet May 30, 2020
I was just a little disappointed with the Raspberry Pi 4 missing USB Boot support and the USB-C power supply issue.
I won't be buying another RPI until USB Boot is working from the factory.
Raspberry Foundation provides for some days a beta firmware for Pi 4 that enables RPi4 to boot directly from an USB drive:
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/boot-raspberry-pi-4-usb
Last edited by legluondunet on 30 May 2020 at 2:43 pm UTC
0 Likes
legluondunet May 30, 2020
I have a raspberry pi 3b+ 2Go and a raspberry pi 4 4Go, the differences I saw:
(...)
Oh ! I don't have a RPi so i read and learn. But in another life long ago, i used to play PS1 games in EPSX on a pentium 4 @ 2,6Ghz and a GForce 5200.
And your computer hardware costed less than 100 dollars?
0 Likes
catbox_fugue May 30, 2020
yes the RPI4B audio DAC is not amazing but it does the job
audio is quieter than my desktop (both at 100% vol)
if you increase the volume you begin to hear popping
you'll need amp boosted speakers instead of relying on the DAC to amp
i use my RPI4B 4GB to host servers for games
a backup solution to watch twitch with MPV
basically an idle low powered backup desktop
i also use it as a wifi router for my tablet
i can SSH VNC into the Rpi or switch HDMI (button)
wireless kb/mouse
audio mixer to handle multiple sources
also a BEEFY HDT heatpipe with Noctura Fan to keep things under 35C full load
granted i only use the SDcard, its slow but not painful.
Last edited by catbox_fugue on 30 May 2020 at 5:44 pm UTC
audio is quieter than my desktop (both at 100% vol)
if you increase the volume you begin to hear popping
you'll need amp boosted speakers instead of relying on the DAC to amp
i use my RPI4B 4GB to host servers for games
a backup solution to watch twitch with MPV
basically an idle low powered backup desktop
i also use it as a wifi router for my tablet
i can SSH VNC into the Rpi or switch HDMI (button)
wireless kb/mouse
audio mixer to handle multiple sources
also a BEEFY HDT heatpipe with Noctura Fan to keep things under 35C full load
granted i only use the SDcard, its slow but not painful.
Last edited by catbox_fugue on 30 May 2020 at 5:44 pm UTC
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