If I Had to Start Over, I’d Buy This Raspberry Pi
With the Raspberry Pi prices going crazy lately because of RAM shortages, picking the right Raspberry Pi model is getting harder than ever. I basically have all of them, so I use the Raspberry Pi 5 most of the time (I bought it before the price went up, though). But if I were starting all over again, and could only buy one, which one would I get?
Overall, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W is likely the best choice for most people at the moment. It hasn’t increased in price, and it’s strong enough for most Raspberry Pi projects. For just $15, you get a quad-core CPU (1 GHz), 512 MB of RAM, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The only drawback is that you’ll need a bunch of adapters to plug in any extra accessories (it doesn’t include the standard ports: mini HDMI and micro USB) and it’s only one of each.
Many people buy a Raspberry Pi 5 because they think the latest model is the best. If you do that, you might end up paying for more capacity than you’ll actually use if your goal is just to run Pi-hole at home.
If you want a clearer path than jumping from tutorial to tutorial, my book gives you a step-by-step roadmap to really understand your Raspberry Pi.
Check the book hereBut for a home server, you don’t need 16GB of ram of whatever the latest Raspberry Pi model can bring you.
Even if you have to spend an extra $30 or $50 on accessories because of the Pi Zero 2 ports, you’re still way cheaper than any full-fledged model (some are above $200 right now).
And obviously, 1 GHz and 512 MB of RAM is limited. It’s not the best choice for desktop use, running dozens of Docker containers or servers, and don’t even think about AI projects. But it’s not that bad. Maybe it’s like 2-3 times slower than a Raspberry Pi 4, not 10 times.
With this in mind, you can check out your list of Raspberry projects that are a perfect fit for a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 and see if they align with your goals.
I mostly use my Raspberry Pis as simple home servers (Jellyfin, VPN server, Nextcloud, etc.). They work well on a Pi Zero 2, don’t need any USB or HDMI, and so using a Pi 5 for those is a bit overkill.
If you’re short on cash and can’t get a Pi 5, or if you’re just looking to test the waters, starting with a Pi Zero 2W is probably a pretty smart choice.
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If you need more advice, we’ve got tons of articles on the subject that you might want to check out first. Here is where to start:
- Raspberry Pi Zero vs Zero 2: Should You Buy It? (Benchmark)
- 16 Original Project Ideas for the Small Raspberry Pi Zero
- Raspberry Pi Zero models comparison
- The Best Raspberry Pi Gear Chosen For You
I’ve also got a list of project ideas you can download here for free. It’ll show you exactly what to build, the skills and hardware you need, and links to detailed tutorials.
