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October 23rd, 2024

Raspberry Pi announces branded range of NVMe SSDs and SSD kit

Raspberry Pi Ltd has launched NVMe SSDs and an SSD kit for the Raspberry Pi 5, featuring 256GB and 512GB options, PCIe Gen 3 compliance, and improved performance with easy integration.

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Raspberry Pi announces branded range of NVMe SSDs and SSD kit

Raspberry Pi Ltd has introduced a new range of NVMe SSDs and an SSD kit designed to enhance the performance of the Raspberry Pi 5. The SSD Kit includes the M.2 HAT+ and a choice of either a 256GB or 512GB PCIe Gen 3 compliant M.2 NVMe SSD. The 256GB model is available for $30, while the 512GB model is priced at $45 and will be available for pre-order with stock expected in late November. The kit prices are $40 for the 256GB and $55 for the 512GB. The drives, likely manufactured by Biwin, offer significant performance improvements, with the 256GB drive providing 40,000 IOPS for random reads and 70,000 IOPS for random writes, while the 512GB model claims 50,000 IOPS for reads and 90,000 IOPS for writes. The introduction of these SSDs marks a shift from Raspberry Pi's previous support for PCIe Gen 2, suggesting a potential move towards Gen 3 as the new standard. The M.2 HAT+ allows for easy assembly and integration of NVMe drives, making it a practical upgrade for users seeking enhanced speed and performance for their Raspberry Pi 5 setups.

- Raspberry Pi has launched NVMe SSDs and an SSD kit for the Raspberry Pi 5.

- The SSD Kit includes a choice of 256GB or 512GB drives, with prices starting at $30.

- The drives are PCIe Gen 3 compliant, offering improved performance over previous models.

- The 256GB drive provides 40,000 IOPS for reads and 70,000 IOPS for writes.

- The M.2 HAT+ facilitates easy integration of NVMe drives into Raspberry Pi systems.

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Link Icon 10 comments
By @echoangle - 7 months
I can’t repeat it enough: get a refurbished thin client instead of a SBC when you don’t care about GPIO and physical size isn’t a strict limit. The power draw isn’t as bad as you would think, x86 means you can install whatever you want, and you can just attach whatever storage you want over SATA without having to get more expensive hardware. It also includes a Case and PSU, often for a fraction of the price you would have to pay for a RasPi, especially when having to buy the RasPi, a Case, a PSU and a storage hat.
By @Netcob - 7 months
Raspberry Pi at the beginning, before the IPO: very affordable, compact SBCs with low power and lots of community support.

Raspberry Pi after the IPO: Raspberry-colored tech products.

Can't wait for the first "subscription" product.

By @nfriedly - 7 months
$30 for 256GB, $45 for 512GB, and $10 more for a bundle with the HAT all seem like fair prices. However, you can generally find 256GB SSDs on eBay for ~$15.

I will say that an SSD makes a Raspberry Pi feel a lot faster. It boots in no time, the browser opens nearly instantly, software installs zip by, etc. it's faster than many "real" computers I've used.

I hope the next iteration has an m.2 slot built into the board instead of requiring a HAT.

By @comebhack - 7 months
Original source: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-ssds-and-ssd-k...
By @nirav72 - 7 months
I've bought quite a few Raspberry Pis over the years since the release of the first gen. But I no longer see the value in buying one anymore. Especially for running it as a low cost and low powered server. They might be fine for hardware projects or just tinkering or learning for people wanting to get started. But now there are many better options within the same price range. Some with better CPUs and more I/O options. (After you include the cost of all the accessories you need for the Pi). Plus the benefit of a x86 CPU and also things like Intel quicksync for transcoding if you buy a mini-PC running something like a N100.
By @geerlingguy - 7 months
Note: they also recently started selling Pi-branded microSD cards; in that case, A2 class cards that are compatible with command queueing making them much faster than most typical C10 or A1 cards people would buy.

These SSDs are mostly just PCIe Gen 3 SSDs, with not much to differentiate from what's on the market today. Though having a first party solution pretty much guarantees compatibility (a few NVMe controllers don't play nice with the Pi's PCIe bus and require some fiddling to get working).

By @sgerenser - 7 months
I don’t really get the negativity in some of these comments. I feel like offering official accessories at (potentially) higher prices than ones you can pick up yourself is an ideal business model for a company like Raspberry Pi. Completely optional, you can always DIY, but it lets them make some more money and still keep the price of the base product relatively low. At the same time, it lowers the barrier to entry for people who aren’t as confident with putting together their own kit.
By @nusl - 7 months
Nice. I suspect that many folks already have solutions for larger storage but this seems like a fairly clean way to get fast-enough storage in a decent amount of physical space.
By @ThrowawayTestr - 7 months
Seems unnecessary