“The Pi 4 is a remarkable evolution of the Raspberry Pi. Feels much faster than earlier models, most people could use it as a desktop PC. Don't worry about the much hyped USB C issue, the only chargers / cables that don't work are expensive ones!”
“This version of the RPi is very noticeably faster than the RPi 3B+. Using the graphical user interface is now much more pleasant. It also has USB 3.0 connectivity, which allows high-speed external devices, such as a HDD, to be connected.
The down side is that the board layout has change enough to require a new type of case, new HDMI cable and new power supply with a higher rating and a USB-C connector. The board runs very hot and a cooling fan is really a necessity.
Having said that, there are cases that suit the new layout and include a fan and now I have one, the Pi runs beautifully.
The good news is that GPIO pins are still the same as are the camera and display connectors.
A welcome improvement to the Raspberry Pi range.”
“When something gets successful, and problems get highlighted to the nth degree. Just to remind everyone this is a computer on a chip. With Gigabit network and two high quality (4K UHDMI) video feeds 4GB of ram and faster I/O. The I/O performance on the older RPis have always been "an issue" where some are concerned, but this version hits the mark spot on.
For historical comparison, I have been recently decommissioning Sun Ultra 80 machines (High end graphics workstation the size of a LARGE computer tower sold between 1999 and 2002) this week - 4GB RAM, 4 CPU 450Mhz, Gigabit network (optional) - when new, add zeros to the price tag and the RPi's whole machine is smaller than ONE of the CPU boards inside the machine. Add the option of a 256Gb micro SD card, and the RPi has more storage, performance, video (even if the two monitors do run slower - 30HZ vs 60HZ if only one HDMI connected at 4K resolution and games don't run as smooth, so I am told).
I also have the recommended power supply (which turns out to be a good idea), as the "suggested" circuit for USB-C turns out to be "mandatory" - so no you can't use your power supply from your USB-C powered laptop (until a revision is released - eventually).
My only problem has been with the official 7" display - getting power - the short USB power cable is no longer suitable and the enclosed case needs to be updated ( at least the rear cover that aligns with the ports ), but I am sure they are being worked on as I write.
I am very happy paying £54 for a machine that 20 years ago would have been £5000.”
“A significant upgrade on the previous Pi Model B that makes a whole range of new projects feasible thanks to more memory. The only fly in the ointment is heat - without a heatsink it feels like a liability (even with a heatsink it feels hot and that is after a bios upgrade to tackle some of that heat)”
“This is a step up in every respect, with the one caveat that the USB-C charging port is non-standard, so there’s a good chance that if you have other USB-C chargers, it won’t work with those. The RPi one works great though. I’d give 5 stars if it wasn’t for the PSU issue.”
“I recently purchase a PI 4 with 1GB ram and am new to the Raspberry. What made me make the leap was the claim it performed to x86 standards. I would partly agree but it specifically is similar to a Pentium 486 although any PC can be improved. However, the Raspberry is a wonderfully contained PC and has so far functioned brilliantly as my Media Centre. It plays all videos adequately and the browser quickly loads my two start-up pages. The only minor things to be aware of is heat sinks are not enough and the Raspberry PI 4 DOES require a fan for additional cooling.
Other than the minor cooling issue I fully recommend the Raspberry PI 4 and confirm it as a very capable computer.”
“Their faulty USB-C power port is incompatible with many USB-C chargers. I have however a working one, but they shouldn't have released this version in the first place knowing they did wrong.”
