Raspberry Pi 5 16GB Price Hikes to $385
Raspberry Pi boss Eben Upton has announced a fresh round of price hikes affecting 16GB products, driven by steep increases in memory costs over the past two years.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
Raspberry Pi 5 16GB Price Jump
Raspberry Pi boss Eben Upton has officially announced price rises for some 16GB products, impacting DIY enthusiasts and developers globally. Specifically, the price of the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 is being raised by $80 to $385, while the 16GB Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 will go up by $40.
In a glimmer of better news for consumers, the price of the Raspberry Pi 500+ all-in-one desktop, which also features a 16GB model, is being held steady. However, reports from Tom's Hardware note that this particular model was already rather pricey at launch.
The Cost of Memory and Prior Increases
Upton framed the decision to raise prices as being due to the steep rises in the cost of memory over the past two years. He explained that other computer makers have had to make similar decisions recently, and added that Raspberry Pi had been doing what they could to minimize the costs passed on to customers.
The price rise of the headline 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 to $385 is effective immediately, alongside the $40 increase to the CM5 16GB variant. Both of these 16GB devices have seen prior increases in price since being launched at $120 and $135, respectively, back in January 2025.
Some moderately good news was that there would be no price increase for the Raspberry Pi 500+ 16GB all-in-one keyboard wedge computer, though it remains expensive at $485.
Broader Impact of the RAMpocalypse
Indeed, there have been several waves of price increases affecting single-board computers since the components RAMpocalypse began. Only a month ago, a similar cost-of-memory post by Upton was published on the official blog, accompanied by news that price increases were being implemented for the 2GB Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 models.
During that previous adjustment, the prices of both lower-memory models rose by $12.50, taking them to $67.50 and $77.50 respectively. Meanwhile, 1GB devices have not seen price rises recently. The growing price gulf between memory tiers highlights the heavy impact of RAM pricing on the hardware ecosystem.
The official Raspberry Pi blog regarding the latest price increases notes that these adjustments make it all the more important to ensure users are not paying for more memory than they actually need.
Shifting Trends Among Makers and Hobbyists
Sadly for the single-board computer business, hobbyists and makers already seem to be moving away from full-sized Pi and Compute Module products for many DIY projects. Higher pricing is affecting all sorts of computer products, but it has a particularly pronounced impact on Raspberry Pi's core philosophy.
Generations of the device were explicitly designed around a strict budget constraint, famously sticking to a $25–$35 target price for many years. Now, the core business is being squeezed from both directions.
Alternatives: Microcontrollers and Mini PCs
At the low end, the use of Picos and ESP32 boards has become increasingly popular for smaller projects. These microcontrollers offer affordable alternatives for basic automation and sensing tasks.
At the other end of the market, with some full-sized setups approaching $400 or $500, makers are starting to eye entry-level x86 single-board computers and mini PCs instead. Even a cheap mini PC can deliver a stronger CPU, GPU, NPU, and more memory flexibility.
Mini PCs often win on expansion options as well, offering a wide variety of choices capable of running popular operating systems and demanding applications. Additional updates and community insights can be tracked via platforms like Google News.
Sources
- Tom's Hardware16GB Raspberry Pi 5 hiked to $385, more than triple its launch price — makers are already shifting to Pico/ESP32 for small projects, mini PCs for more ambitious tasks
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