Comparison of Raspberry PI Models: Which Should I Buy

With this post I will show you a Raspberry PI model comparison, showing the differences between the computer boards from the Foundation.

Before starting, it is important to know that the Foundation produces 2 kind of Raspberry PI boards:

• Raspberry PI computer boards: these are very small computers running a Linux-based OS. They also provide a GPIO heading (which is a connector allowing you to interface external sensors and modules). These boards are those named “Raspberry PI Zero”, “Raspberry PI model A/A+”, and “Raspberry PI model B/B+”. They also have a number identifying the board version
• Raspberry PI microcontrollers: it is the “Raspberry PI Pico” boards. These don’t run an OS. Instead, they have a program (in MicroPython or C/C+) running in a loop. Also, the Pico have a GPIO heading allowing them to interface external sensors and modules too.

While the microcontrollers are useful for projects running always the same (simple) tasks, the computer boards allow you to run more complex projects with multiple tasks, as well as use the board as a small home server for computer technology projects.

This post will deal only with Raspberry PI computer boards. I will not report very old computer boards, that are rarely available from the market.

If you are interested in the Foundation microcontrollers, you can take a look at my Raspberry PI Pico tutorial pages.

Raspberry PI Model Comparison

The following tables summarize hardware specs for Raspberry PI computer boards, with details.

Board Sizes

The links from the following pictures of the board will let you see them in your local Amazon Store:

Board Name	Picture	Size
PI Zero W		65 mm x 30 mm
PI 3 Model A+		65 mm x 56.5 mm
PI 3 Model B+		85.6 mm x 56.5 mm
PI 4 Model B		85.6 mm x 56.5 mm
PI Zero 2 W		65 mm x 30 mm
PI 5 Model B		85.6 mm x 56.5 mm

Computing

Board Name	Release Year	SoC	n. Cores	Speed	RAM	Storage
PI Zero W	2017	BCM2835	1	700 MHz	512 MB	MicroSD Card
PI 3 Model A+	2018	BCM2837B0	4	1.4 GHz	512 MB	MicroSD Card
PI 3 Model B+	2018	BCM2837B0	4	1.4 GHz	1 GB	MicroSD Card
PI 4 Model B	2019	BCM2711B0 / C0	4	1.5 GHz	1/2/4/8 GB	MicroSD Card
PI Zero 2 W	2021	BCM2710A1	4	1.5 GHz	512 MB	MicroSD Card
PI 5 Model B	2023	BCM2712	4	1.8 GHz (Turbo 2,4 GHz)	1/2/4/8 GB	MicroSD Card

Ports / Connectivity

Board Name	Wireless	Bluetooth	Ethernet	USB Ports	GPIO
PI Zero W	802.11n	4.1	No	1x USB 2.0 OTG	40-pin GPIO header Unpopulated
PI 3 Model A+	802.11ac/n	4.2	No	1x USB 2.0	40-pin GPIO header
PI 3 Model B+	802.11ac/n	4.2	1000Base-T	4 × USB 2.0	40-pin GPIO header
PI 4 Model B	802.11ac	5.0	Gigabit Ethernet	2 × USB 3.0 + 2 × USB 2.0	40-pin GPIO header
PI Zero 2 W	802.11b/g/n	4.0, BLE	No	1x USB 2.0 OTG	40-pin GPIO header Unpopulated
PI 5 Model B	Wi-Fi 5 802.11 ac	5.0, BLE	Gigabit Ethernet	2 × USB 3.0 + 2 × USB 2.0	40-pin GPIO header

Audio / Video

Board Name	GPU Model	GPU Max Speed	Audio / Video
PI Zero W	VideoCore IV	250 MHz	1080P HD video & stereo audio via mini-HDMI connector
PI 3 Model A+	VideoCore IV	300 MHz	Full-size HDMI, 4-pole stereo output and composite video port
PI 3 Model B+	VideoCore IV	400 MHz	1 × full size HDMI, MIPI DSI display port, 4 pole stereo output and composite video port
PI 4 Model B	VideoCore VI	500 MHz	2 × micro-HDMI ports (up to 4kp60 supported), 2-lane MIPI DSI display port, 4-pole stereo audio and composite video port
PI Zero 2 W	VideoCore VI	500 MHz	1080P HD video & stereo audio via mini-HDMI connector
PI 5 Model B	VideoCore VII	700 MHz	2 × micro-HDMI ports (up to 4kp60 supported), 2x FPC connectors for CSI-2 camera or a DSI display

Power Specs

Board Name	Recommended PSU current capacity	Max USB peripheral current draw	Typical bare-board active current consumption
PI Zero W	1.2A	Limited by PSU, board, and connector ratings only	100-500mA
PI 3 Model A+	2.5A	Limited by PSU, board, and connector ratings only	200-400mA
PI 3 Model B+	2.5A	1.2A	250-500mA
PI 4 Model B	3A	1.2A	250-500mA
PI Zero 2 W	2.5A	1.2A	100-500mA
PI 5 Model B	5A (3A supported)	1.6 A	200-600mA

Which Raspberry PI Should I Buy

The following chapters will provide you with my thoughts about possible usages of the different Raspberry PI computer boards and what are the needs they can fit better.

Raspberry PI Zero W / Zero 2 W

Those are the boards with the lowest computing performance. And also the cheapest boards (you can find them from the approved Raspberry Pi resellers at a price of around 25$). I suggest buying the RPI Zero 2 W instead of the oldest Zero W, as the first has more powerful hardware even if prices are comparable. Moreover, the PI Zero W only supports 32-bit OS, while the Zero 2 W also supports 64-bit OS.

Those boards are perfect if you want to include them in projects driving external peripherals via the GPIO, as they have really low power consumption.

They can also run small Linux services (like a small LAMP server), by installing the headless Raspberry PI OS Lite.

You can also use these computer boards as small desktop PCs (by installing the Raspberry PI OS Desktop), but the low computing power will let you run smoothly with just a few tasks like checking emails and browsing web pages.

You should buy Raspberry PI Zero W / Zero 2 W if:

• you have a VERY LOW budget
• you want to make microelectronics projects
• you want to start programming, with low computation requirements
• you want to test or deploy VERY SMALL Linux server projects

On the other hand, they are not really good as desktop computer (unless you need just to check emails).

Raspberry PI 3 Model A+

This board has been one of my favourites for a number of years until the Raspberry PI Zero 2 W entered the market. This was a great compromise between the PI Zero and the PI 3 models, with a price nearer to the Zero board.

It allowed me to test Linux services that were a bit more complex compared to the Zero W, which was suffering because of a low CPU performance.

At the date, you should prefer the Raspberry PI Zero 2 W instead of it, unless you can’t find the Zero 2 W at a decent price.

You should buy Raspberry PI 3 Model A+ if:

• you have a VERY LOW budget
• you want to make microelectronics projects
• you want to start programming, with low computation requirements
• you want to test or deploy SMALL Linux server projects

On the other hand, they are still not really as good as desktop computer (unless you need just to check emails).

Raspberry PI 3/4/5 Model B

These are the computer boards with the best performance as they include the latest CPUs supported by the Foundation products and a higher amount of RAM, as well as a faster GPU.

All the boards work greatly when interfacing with external sensors and modules via the GPIO header.

Regarding the use of them as a desktop computer, all of them provide a better experience compared with the previous models. The older B models (RPI 3) have poor, even if acceptable, performances when your browser requires power to see videos. This has been improved a little with the Raspberry PI 4, also because of the higher RAM amount available. But I tested the Raspberry PI 5 model B at the Maker Faire Rome 2023, and I have to say that this gave me a fantastic feeling as I was able to run smoothly 3 HD videos in streaming.

You should buy Raspberry PI 3/4/5 Model B if:

• you have a LOW/MEDIUM budget
• you want to make microelectronics projects
• you want to start programming, also performing complex computations
• you want to test or deploy COMPLEX Linux server projects
• you want to use it as a tiny, home desktop computer (I suggest choosing the Raspberry PI 5 model B for this task)

Next Steps

Interested in projects to perform with the Raspberry PI 5? Try to look at my Raspberry PI computer tutorial pages.

Enjoy!