Raspberry Pi 4 goes 8GB, plus new 64bit OS

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

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.

Quoting: iskaputtDoes 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. :)

Quoting: iskaputtDoes 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

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

Finally! We've been bottlenecked by a 32-bit os for too long. I just hope theyre making good progress on that vulkan driver.

Quoting: ArehandoroI 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.

Quoting: ArehandoroI 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

What kind of GPU does this have on it?

Quoting: Dunc

Quoting: ArehandoroI 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.

Daaaamn. Literally just purchased the 4GB version to setup as a pi-hole/plex server/retro game emulator.

Quoting: Mohandevir

Quoting: ArehandoroI 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)

Quoting: iskaputtDoes 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.

Quoting: Arehandoro

Quoting: Mohandevir

Quoting: ArehandoroI 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... :)

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.

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.

Quoting: DuncI 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. :)

Quoting: ioangogoYes, although i have found I²S DAC hats much better like a hifiberry

Quoting: brokeassbenThere 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.

Quoting: DragunovI 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

Quoting: Guest

Quoting: legluondunetI 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?

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