Where Can You Buy a Raspberry Pi?
Raspberry Pis are difficult to get hold of in 2022, leaving makers, tinkerers, and home-server enthusiasts searching for reasonably priced hardware. But don’t despair: we’ve searched high and low to find places that have Raspberry Pis in stock.
Why Is It So Hard to Buy a Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi series is a range of single-board computers which made their debut in 2012. The first model offered relatively low performance at a low price, but subsequent Raspberry Pi models, such as the Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3 Models B and B+, and of course, the mighty Raspberry Pi 4, have dramatically improved specs, while maintaining a bargain-basement price tag.
Until 2021, that is: Pi lovers noticed there was a shortage of Raspberry Pis for sale at established outlets, and in accordance with the laws of supply and demand, there was no such thing as a cheap Raspberry Pi. Even the low-end Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi Pico became difficult to obtain, while thoughts of getting hold of the retro-futuristic Raspberry Pi 400 with overclocking, an advanced cooling system, and integrated keyboard, were just Pi in the sky.
Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi,statedthat despite supply chain difficulties, semiconductor shortages, and a global pandemic, the company was on track to build 7 million Raspberry Pis in 2021—the same number produced during 2020.
The problem comes from what Upton describes as “significantly increased demand”—possibly due to so many people taking up tinkering as a hobby, while trapped in their homes during much of 2020 and 2021. In October 2021, Raspberry Pi announced its first ever price increase, with the 2GB Raspberry Pi 4 taking a $10 leap from $35 to $45. Despite this, it is difficult to buy any Raspberry Pi model for around this price point.
Where to Buy the Raspberry Pi 4
The Raspberry Pi 4 (aka 4B) is Raspberry Pi’s flagship model, and comes with a quad-core A72 64-bit processor, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and with RAM of up to 8GB. It’s a powerful beast, and is often employed as a home server, a retro gaming emulator, or in projects which require significant resources.
Raspberry Pi still lists prices as “starting from $35”, but thanks to increased demand, individuals or companies who are able to buy at this price often resell at a huge mark-up.
Recommended Raspberry Pi retailers are usually out of stock; however, if you’re lucky, you may be able to purchase a Raspberry Pi 4 fromAdafruitfor between $45 and $75.Microcenteroffers even better Raspberry Pi 4 deals, with the 8GB variant currently discounted to $59.99 in store. For more help in locating a Pi 4 (and other models), you can also checkrpilocator.
Alternatively you can try your luck onAmazon, where you can buy a model 4B for upwards of $150, or bag a used “bargain” oneBay.
Where to Buy the Raspberry Pi 400
The Raspberry Pi 400 is a retro nod to the 1980s and ’90s, when a full computer could fit inside a keyboard, and only needed to be plugged into a TV or monitor.
Unlike other Raspberry Pi models you’re able to buy—which primarily act as the foundation for hundreds of DIY projects—the Raspberry Pi 400 is a desktop replacement and, like the home computers from days-gone-by, needs only to be connected to a VDU and a power supply so as to be instantly usable. In addition to the retro form factor, the Raspberry Pi 400 features a switched-mode power supply, enhanced cooling, and a processor which can be overclocked to 1.8 GHz.
As well as being a cheap desktop replacement, the Raspberry Pi 400 is exemplary as a starting point forRaspberry Pi cyberdecks.
The Raspberry Pi 400 is not quite as popular as the bare model Pi 4 due to its limited use cases, and because of this it is more likely to be in stock at Raspberry Pi approved retailers, and is less subject to price gouging. Right now,The Pi Huthas limited stock of the Raspberry Pi 400 available for $69.91 in some world markets, but not in the United States. Shipping from Pi Hut’s German, Italian, or Spanish store will cost an extra $20—or around $30 if you want to receive your Raspberry Pi 400 within four days.
Prices for theRaspberry Pi 400 on Amazonstart at around $150.
Where to Buy a Raspberry Pi Pico
Aimed squarely at hobbyists and makers, the Raspberry Pi Pico is a tiny microcontroller board, used to power IoT (Internet of Things) devices, digital signage, and even e-readers. With 264kB of RAM and 2MB of flash memory, the Raspberry Pi Pico can be programmed to perform a variety of specialized tasks with a range of languages including Rust, C, andMicroPython. The Raspberry Pi Pico W was released in June 2022, adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities to the board. Officially, the Raspberry Pi Pico is priced at $4, while the Raspberry Pi Pico W should sell for $6.
Right now,Cytron Marketplacehas an abundance of Raspberry Pi Pico and Raspberry Pi Pico W boards available with or without pre-soldered headers.
Raspberry Pis Are in Short Supply, but You Can Still Buy Them
While supply chain and demand issues have made it difficult to buy a Raspberry Pi at a reasonable price, it can still be done. You may need to continuously refresh the sales page or ask to be notified when your preferred model of Raspberry Pi is in stock. If you’re in a hurry, but unwilling to pay Amazon prices, you could always have your Raspberry Pi shipped from abroad and save money by doing so.
Want to build a Raspberry Pi laptop? Choose from these 3D printed projects or professionally produced Raspberry Pi laptop kits.
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