In an era where prices are constantly going up—I’ll leave any topical commentary there—it’s nice to hear about some that are coming down.
Raspberry Pi this week cut the price of its Compute Module 4, which squeezes the power of a standard Raspberry Pi 4 into a diminutive 5cm × 4cm form factor perfect for sticking inside of things.
The price reductions are for all 4GB and 8GB memory boards (standard operating temperature1 models only), including modules with storage and without, with networking and without.
“From now, if you buy a standard operating temperature Compute Module 4 from [Approved Resellers], it will cost you $5 less for a 4GB RAM variant, and $10 less for an 8GB RAM variant,” they say.
Per the chart below, a CM4 with 8GB RAM, 8GB onboard storage and no Wi-Fi now costs $70, down from $80. A CM4 with 4GB RAM, no storage and onboard Wi-Fi now costs $50, down from $55.
Small, but appreciable savings.
What is the Compute Module Anyway?
As I mentioned earlier, a Raspberry Pi Compute Module (CM) is a shrunken version of the full-sized single-board computer (SBC) offering the same (overall) performance and key specs in a smaller form factor.
This price cut makes those ‘I wonder if…’ ideas a bit cheaper to test out
The Compute Modules are popularly used in embedded Linux systems, industrial computing, smart home hubs, retro gaming handhelds, and off-piste hardware projects where the combo of size, price, power and extensibility is a draw.
The Raspberry Pi CM4 uses the same BCM2711 quad-core ARM processor and GPU as the full-sized Raspberry Pi 4, but uses board-to-board connectors instead of standard ports (carrier boards2 are available to expand its capabilities).
It may not be the latest, shiniest model (that’s be the newer CM5), but the CM4 is more than capable to help makers and engineers in a wide range of use cases, from personal to professional to industrial.
The price cut makes those ‘I wonder if…’ ideas a bit cheaper to test out!
Which, Raspberry Pi say, is precisely the aim behind the reduction. They “hope the price drop will introduce new possibilities both for businesses and for enthusiasts, helping you bring into existence products and projects we’d never even imagined.”
I dare say it will.
Go Buy One!
Interested in snagging one for that “one-day” idea you’ve been harbouring for years? You can purchase a lower-price CM4 from your preferred Raspberry Pi Approved Reseller right now, and go make something happen!
- The standard temp models are -20°C to +85°C. Extended memory modules are available but cost more (no price cut for those yet). ↩︎
- What’s a carrier board? A PCBs the Compute Module slots into, providing regular/different sized ports (like HDMI, USB, and Ethernet), and often extra features, like storage or specific interfaces used for industrial applications. ↩︎