Newcomers may ask, what is a Raspberry Pi? In fact, we wrote a brief introduction last year titled – “What is Raspberry Pi? Can it be eaten?”

Those who joined midway must be familiar with the Raspberry Pi 4B series, but may not know much about the earlier series of Raspberry Pi.

In today’s article, we will take a more systematic look at this very cool little computer and briefly introduce what you can do with it.

The article covers all current iterations of the Pi, as well as their characteristics. Each version is slightly different, and one version may be more suitable for your needs than another!

Basic Knowledge of Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a small computer about the size of a credit card.

This board has a processor, memory, and standard hardware ports, just like most computers.

The Raspberry Pi has all the functions of a computer, so you can use it for most tasks that desktop computers do, such as document editing, playing HD videos, gaming, programming, etc.

However, the processing power of the Raspberry Pi is not as strong as that of a desktop computer, but because it is much cheaper, it is a small computer that you can tinker with freely. If you accidentally break one, it won’t cost a fortune to replace it.

In daily life, many tasks do not require a high-performance computer.

At this time, the high cost-performance ratio of the Raspberry Pi is evident, such as running as a home NAS (Network Attached Storage), web server, media center, TorrentBox, etc.

Operating Systems

The main operating system for Raspberry Pi is Raspbian, which is based on Debian. This is a Linux distribution, and if you are used to using Windows computers, you may find it a bit different, but I believe that as long as you take your time to get used to it, you will definitely love it.

Although the main supported operating system is Raspbian, other operating systems can also be installed. These include Ubuntu Mate, Ubuntu Core, OSMC, RISC OS, Windows 10 IoT, etc.

If you are looking for Raspberry Pi projects, you can check out our community, where there are many cool Raspberry Pi projects.

There are many models of Raspberry Pi, and we will discuss their features one by one.

Raspberry Pi A+

The Raspberry Pi A+ is a lower-spec and cost version of the Pi. This version has only one USB port, lower power consumption, no Ethernet port, and only 256MB of memory. The latest version has 512MB of memory.

This version of the Pi is more suitable for projects that do not require significant processing power and has a lighter weight and smaller size.

You can do many things with this board, such as robotics, remote-controlled planes, remote-controlled cars, and embedded projects.

For example, it can become the brain of a robot, a touchscreen car dashboard, a motion-sensing camera, etc.

Raspberry Pi B+ and B

The Raspberry Pi B+ and B are older versions of the Pi, now replaced by the Pi 2.

The B+ version features a single-core CPU, 4 USB ports, and a microSD card slot, with lower power consumption.

This model improved upon the previous B model, which had only two USB ports, higher power consumption, and a full-size SD card slot.

The B+ model is still available for purchase but will gradually be replaced by better Pi versions.

Raspberry Pi 2

The Raspberry Pi 2 is the second generation of the Pi. This Pi, along with the B+ version, is one of the most popular versions.

The Pi 2 is the successor to the B+ model, featuring a 900MHz quad-core CPU and 1GB of memory. The other specifications remain consistent with the previous generation.

Its features include:

• 40-pin GPIO expansion
• 4x USB 2.0 ports
• Stereo output and composite video port
• HDMI port
• CSI (Camera Serial Interface) and DSI (Display Serial Interface) ports.
• Micro SD card slot
• Micro USB power

This version of the Pi has now been replaced by more powerful Pi 3 and 4 models.

Raspberry Pi 3 & 3 B+

The Raspberry Pi 3 is the second new version of the Pi, outperforming the second version in terms of performance and functionality. This version offers some additional features that make using the Pi easier.

This version of the Pi features a new CPU with a clock speed of 1.2GHz and is 64-bit, but only 32-bit operating systems can be installed on the Pi 3.

The Pi 3 also has onboard Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth 4.1, as well as more USB ports. These new features allow us to do some really cool things.

The other parts of the board remain basically unchanged.

Here are the new features:

• Broadcom BCM2387 chipset
• 1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU
• Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1

You can still buy the Raspberry Pi 3B+, which has some slight upgrades but not as many as the new Raspberry Pi 4.

Raspberry Pi 4

The Raspberry Pi 4 is the latest version of the Raspberry Pi family and is the best board to date. It has undergone significant hardware upgrades, making it far superior to its predecessors.

This version features a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A72, which is significantly better than previous generations.

This Raspberry Pi also offers various memory options, including the classic 1GB version, 2GB, 4GB, and the newer 8GB.

More improvements make this board extremely attractive to enthusiasts and casual users alike. The 4GB version makes it a very viable desktop computer alternative.

Here are all the new features of the Raspberry Pi 4:

• 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU (about 3 times the performance).
• 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4 SDRAM.
• Full Gigabit Ethernet
• Dual-band 802.11ac wireless networking
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
• Support for dual displays with resolutions up to 4K.
• VideoCore VI graphics supporting OpenGL ES 3.x.
• Hardware decoding for 4Kp60 HEVC video
• Fully compatible with earlier Raspberry Pi products

How does it feel to use the Raspberry Pi as a daily driver? Check out this article – “Unplugged MacBookPro, worked a day with 8GB Raspberry Pi 4, this is what the experience is like”

Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero W

The Raspberry Pi Zero is currently the smallest and cheapest Pi.

This board is priced at 66 yuan, featuring the basic functions of the Pi on a super small board.

Although this Pi cannot handle a lot of processing work, it is perfect for embedded projects. It is also suitable for projects that do not require a lot of processing power or memory, just like the Pi A+.

Here is a summary of the Zero’s features:

• 1GHz single-core CPU
• 512MB memory
• Mini HDMI
• Micro USB port
• Micro USB power
• Micro SD card slot
• 40-pin header compatible with HAT
• Reset header

The Raspberry Pi Zero W has wireless capabilities, which is very convenient for such a small board, allowing for some fun projects using WiFi and Bluetooth.

You can still buy the Raspberry Pi 3B+, which has some slight upgrades but not as many as the new Raspberry Pi 4.

Raspberry Pi 400 and Raspberry Pi Pico

Of course, in addition to the classic models above, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has also launched two new products.

▼ Raspberry Pi Pico

Click to read👆

▼ Raspberry Pi 400

Click to read👆

I hope this article helps everyone understand what a Raspberry Pi is, what you can do with it, and which Raspberry Pi is more suitable for you.

If you have any thoughts or corrections regarding the article, feel free to leave a comment below!