How Much RAM Do You Really Need on Raspberry Pi 5?
The Raspberry Pi 5 lineup keeps expanding, and choosing the right RAM version is starting to feel harder than choosing the project itself. I’ve compared the different options, and I’ll help you figure out which one is really worth buying.
As a general rule, the 1 GB and 2 GB RAM models are good enough for headless applications; the 4 GB version is the best all-around entry point, and the 8 GB and 16 GB boards are better suited for advanced users.
I’ll start by providing a quick rundown of the differences, then suggesting the best RAM model for your use case. Later on, I’ll run tests for those who need more precise numbers to make a decision.
If you’re feeling lost in all the Raspberry Pi jargon, I’ve got something to help you out. I’ve created a free glossary that explains all the essential terms and abbreviations in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s a great resource to have by your side. Get your free copy here.
Raspberry Pi 5 RAM Options
The Raspberry Pi 5 now has five different board versions for sale. You might be wondering: what’s the difference between them, what does it do for my day-to-day use, and which one should I get?
In this section, I’ll answer these questions from a big picture point of view.
Specs & Key Details
All versions of the Raspberry Pi 5 share the same base hardware specs.
The key difference is how much memory (RAM) they come with:
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| Pi 5 (1 GB) | Pi 5 (2 GB) | Pi 5 (4 GB) | Pi 5 (8 GB) | Pi 5 (16 GB) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Specs | CPU: 4x Cortex A-76 GPU: VideoCore VII Ethernet: gigabit | Wi-Fi: 802.11ac | Bluetooth: 5.0/BLE PCI Express: 2.0 x1 | USB 3.0 | GPIO 40-pin | ||||
| Memory (RAM) | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Release Date | Dec. 2025 | Aug. 2024 | Oct. 2023 | Oct. 2023 | Jan. 2025 |
| Original Price | $45 | $50 | $60 | $80 | $120 |
| Current Price | check | check | check | check | check |
So your decision about which Raspberry Pi 5 to get will most likely revolve around how much RAM you want and how much you’re willing to pay.
UPDATE: With elevated prices due to RAM demand, it’s even more important to pick the right one for your project. Check out this article to learn more: Why Are Raspberry Pis So Expensive?
What’s the Real Impact of Having More RAM?
Having more RAM helps your Raspberry Pi perform faster. In general, you should try to get as much as you’re able or willing. But what aspects of the experience does RAM improve exactly?
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Below are some points I would consider in making your decision:
- Software options – Having more memory opens up what you can run. Some operating systems and programs have minimum RAM requirements and won’t run properly without it. For example, Raspberry Pi OS Desktop needs about 2 GB, while a Valheim game server wants 4 GB to get going.
- Multitasking – Programs load more quickly, and switching between them goes more smoothly with more RAM. It also lets you keep more apps open at the same time, including more browser tabs, without your system slowing down to a crawl.
- Disk operations – Accessing, copying, and moving files can be improved by having more RAM. This might matter to you if you transfer a lot of files or compress files often.
- Graphics-heavy applications – Any heavy graphical work, whether that’s drawing images, editing videos, or playing games, is improved by having more RAM as a temporary workspace.
Having more memory can affect performance in other ways that may or may not be important to you. Our previous benchmark comparing the Raspberry Pi 4 RAM models showed that it can improve your boot time, but the differences were minor.
Quick Recommendation
Short on time and want a quick recommendation?
Here are my picks:
- Pi 5 – 1 GB RAM: for a single-purpose use on a budget.
- Pi 5 – 2 GB RAM: great for embedded systems, like robots, IoT, kiosks, and digital signage.
- Pi 5 – 4 GB RAM: the best all-around when you’re not sure where to start.
- Pi 5 – 8 GB RAM: room to grow for a high traffic server or full desktop multitasking.
- Pi 5 – 16 GB RAM: the maximum for power users running VMs or AI/ML applications.
If you’d like more details, I’ll describe common setups with my recommendations in the next section. If you need even more evidence, I’ll provide some cold, hard numbers after that.
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RAM Recommendations by Use Case
It’s best to decide which model to get based on what you plan to do with your Raspberry Pi 5. In this section, I’ll provide recommendations based on popular usage scenarios.
Retro-Gaming Console
What video game console do you want to emulate?
The sweet spot for playing classic game consoles is 2 GB RAM.
This will let you run emulators for: Game Boy (all variants), NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, the original PlayStation, and my personal fave, the arcade (shout out to MAME).
To emulate more modern consoles, go for 4 GB RAM. This will give you better performance for PSP, Saturn, GameCube, Dreamcast, and the more experimental N64 and PS2 emulators.
Remember that the NES had only 2 KB of RAM, the SNES had 128 KB, and the Nintendo 64 had an impressive 4 MB. Even the PlayStation 2 only had 32 MB. So most of the RAM for that kind of project will be for the OS itself and the user interface, not the actual game.
Media Center
I love to use the Raspberry Pi as a media center, but how much memory you’ll need to host a media server depends on what you want to enjoy:
Bonus tip: When I started, the hardest part wasn’t the setup, it was figuring out what to build next. I ended up creating a list of 75+ project ideas with links and difficulty, so it’s easier to just pick something and try it. Grab the list here.
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 here| Type of Media | Memory Needs |
|---|---|
| Books & Music | 1 GB RAM |
| TV & Movies @ 1080p resolution | 2 GB RAM |
| TV & Movies @ 4K resolution | 4 GB RAM |
| Video Transcoding (strongly not recommended) | 8 GB RAM |
In short, 2 GB RAM is all you need to turn a dumb TV into a smart TV using Kodi.
If intending to stream to multiple devices using a Jellyfin/Plex server, 4 GB RAM is optimal.
Robots & IoT
The Raspberry Pi 5 models with more RAM do consume more power at idle, but the absolute amounts are usually so small that most users probably don’t need to care about this.
But there’s one situation where it definitely matters, and it’s when you’re building embedded systems. Robots, IoT devices, industrial controllers, kiosks, or digital signage might run on battery power or need to reduce electricity costs at scale.
For embedded systems, the Raspberry Pi 5 with 2 GB RAM has superior power efficiency.
The 2 GB model was released a year after the original Raspberry Pi 5, and is manufactured using a new lower-power design. Its stepping chip consumes about 30% less power at idle than the 4 GB model. That’s significant when it counts!
Desktop PC
If you’re trying to use your Raspberry Pi more like a PC, a simple setup running Raspberry Pi OS Desktop requires only 2 GB RAM at a minimum. In practice, I recommend the 4 GB model for smooth operation with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.
If you’re intending the Raspberry Pi 5 to replace a PC full-time, I highly recommend the 8 GB model for multitasking. The 16 GB model is usually overkill here unless you’re doing heavy multimedia editing or gaming.
Programming
The Pi 5 with 4 GB RAM is enough for learning, scripting, Python coding, and web development.
Check this: Don't buy a new SD card until your read this.
The 8 GB model is only necessary if you are doing a lot of compiling, will depend on heavy databases like PostgreSQL, or want to run VS Code with AI coding assistants.
Homelab Server
The “problem” with homelabs is that they tend to grow in size (and fun) over time, and so they start to need more memory than what you had originally estimated.
My humble homelab started with a Raspberry Pi (2 GB) as a headless server. In the beginning, it was enough to self-host a network ad-blocker (Pi-hole), a DNS resolver (Unbound), and a VPN server (WireGuard).
When I added more projects, I replaced it next with a Raspberry Pi 5 (4 GB). With this much memory, I could run a web server, syncthing, Unifi Network Server, Home Assistant, and up to 15 Docker containers without issue.
A Pi 5 with 4 GB RAM is my recommendation for users starting on their self-hosting journey.
Then I discovered a smart photo organizer (Immich) and wanted to host a repo for personal projects (GitLab), so that necessitated moving up to 8 GB RAM. I’ll probably never need 16 GB (or so I think), but you might if you plan to run multiple virtual machines with Proxmox.
Local AI Machine
A Raspberry Pi 5 with 8 GB of memory is decent for those looking to get their feet wet with local AI. If you’re super serious about learning AI or running AI projects, I’d get the 16 GB model instead. I would also upgrade to NVMe storage here, or it’ll be too slow.
Read next: Should you wait for Raspberry Pi 6?
Want even more ideas? I put together a free resource with over 75 Raspberry Pi project ideas, each with a quick description, tutorial link, and hardware requirements. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for something to do this weekend, this list will keep you busy for a while. Just click here to get instant access.
Memory Estimates for Specific Software
If the broad recommendations above still weren’t enough to help you decide, let me provide you with some concrete numbers. In this section, I’ll run some tests to estimate how much RAM you need for specific applications.
Operating Systems
Below are specific-purpose operating systems and how much RAM they require.
Click the links for our tutorials on each one.
| OS | Type | Memory Needed |
|---|---|---|
| OpenWRT | open-source router | 0.25 GB RAM |
| Mainsail OS | 3D printer controller | 0.50 to 1 GB RAM |
| Anthias | digital signboard | 1 GB RAM |
| Volumio | music streamer | 1 GB RAM |
| LibreELEC | media center | 1 to 2 GB RAM |
| Nextcloud | personal file cloud | 1 to 4 GB RAM |
| Batocera | retro-gaming console | 2 to 4 GB RAM |
| Home Assistant | home automation | 2 to 4 GB RAM |
| Proxmox | virtual machine server | 8 to 16 GB RAM |
And here are RAM estimates for more general-purpose operating systems:
| Operating System | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi OS | Lite: 0.5 GB RAM | Desktop: 2 GB RAM |
| Ubuntu | Server: 1 GB RAM | Desktop: 4 GB RAM |
| DietPi | 0.25 GB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| Alpine Linux | 0.25 GB RAM | 0.50 GB RAM |
| Kali Linux | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Fedora | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Manjaro | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
As you can see, lightweight systems generally require 1 GB or 2 GB of memory, but a desktop system with a GUI will more likely want 4 GB for smooth operation.
Desktop Apps
I loaded popular programs and measured their RAM usage on Raspberry Pi OS Desktop:
| Program | Category | Memory Usage |
|---|---|---|
| qBittorrent | torrent downloader | 98 MB |
| Audacity | sound editor | 180 MB |
| LibreOffice Writer | word processor | 213 MB |
| VLC Media Player | video player | 300 MB |
| Krita | image editor | 370 MB |
| Kdenlive | video editor | 407 MB |
| Discord | messaging app | 1124 MB |
| Visual Studio Code | programming IDE | 1204 MB |
| Chromium | web browser | 1368 MB |
Having all of these programs open at the same time used a total of 2.7 GB of RAM on my system, including the operating system. I think this estimate is too optimistic; these programs will probably use more RAM at load, so you’ll want to bump my numbers up a bit.
Check this: The Raspberry Pi I'd actually buy today
Browser Tabs
The more websites you have open at the same time, the more memory it’ll take up.
Below are some tests I ran on a couple of popular browsers to give you an idea.
| Browser Tabs Open | Chromium | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tab with video playing | 600 MB RAM | 900 MB RAM |
| 3 tabs | 1100 MB RAM | 1200 MB RAM |
| 6 tabs | 1300 MB RAM | 1800 MB RAM |
| 9 tabs | 1500 MB RAM | 2300 MB RAM |
| 12 tabs + video playing | 1900 MB RAM | 3100 MB RAM |
For moderate browser work, 20 tabs can be handled by a Raspberry Pi 5 with 4 GB RAM.
If you need something heavy like 50+ tabs, you’ll need to go up to the 8 GB model.
Self-Hosted Services
If you love self-hosting projects as I do, you’re probably going to be using Docker containers. I spun up some common services and measured their memory usage at idle:
| Container | Purpose | Mem Usage |
|---|---|---|
| BentoPDF | PDF editor | 6 MB RAM |
| OmniTools | utilities | 11 MB RAM |
| Pi-Hole | ad blocker | 34 MB RAM |
| Vaultwarden | password manager | 50 MB RAM |
| Portainer | container manager | 76 MB RAM |
| Unifi Network Server | network manager | 80 MB RAM |
| Syncthing | file syncing | 300 MB RAM |
| Home Assistant | home automation | 520 MB RAM |
| Jellyfin | media server | 600 MB RAM |
| Paperless-ngx | document OCR | 650 MB RAM |
| Immich | photo manager | 4 GB to 8 GB RAM |
| Jupyter | data science | 2 GB to 16 GB RAM |
Game Servers
Hosting a game server for your friends on a Raspberry Pi 5 is doable! But not every game, and the number of players it can handle depends on how much memory you have to spare:
| Game Server | 2 to 4 Players | 5 to 8 players | 10+ players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraria | 1 GB to 2 GB RAM | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Factorio | 2 GB to 4 GB RAM | 4 GB to 8 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Minecraft | 2 GB to 4 GB RAM | 5 GB to 8 GB RAM | not recommended |
| Valheim | 4 GB to 8 GB RAM | not recommended | not recommended |
Bonus tip: When I started, the hardest part wasn’t the setup, it was figuring out what to build next. I ended up creating a list of 75+ project ideas with links and difficulty, so it’s easier to just pick something and try it. Grab the list here.
From the table above, you can see that the requirements and hard limits vary in unexpected ways, so it’s crucial to look up the specific game you want to host ahead of time.
LLMs (AI Models)
The AI models out there currently can’t utilize the Raspberry Pi’s GPU. Instead, what LLMs you can host locally will be determined by how much RAM you have.
| Parameter Count | Example LLM | Memory Required |
|---|---|---|
| 135 million | smollm2:135m | 1 GB RAM |
| 1.1 billion | tinyllama:1.1b | 2 GB RAM |
| 3.8 billion | phi3:3.8b | 4 GB RAM |
| 7 billion | gemma:7b | 8 GB RAM |
| 14 billion | qwen2.5:14b | 16 GB RAM |
Generally, you can run a model with parameters slightly smaller than the maximum memory on your Raspberry Pi (so 7b parameters for a Pi with 8 GB RAM).
We cover more about LLMs in our guide to Ollama. For more specifics on AI camera projects instead, check out our guide to object detection on Raspberry Pi.
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Final Recommendations
If you read all of that and are still unsure, let me summarize which model you should get in plain language.
Raspberry Pi 5 (1 GB vs. 2GB RAM) – These models have the least amount of memory and are priced the lowest. You’ll probably stick to an SD card and run a lightweight distribution. It’s great for learning Linux, headless tasks, and GPIO projects.
I’d buy the 1 GB model when I have a single goal in mind and am constrained by budget. Otherwise, I’d get 2 GB for robots, IoT devices, or an entry-level server.
You can’t download more RAM or upgrade RAM on a Raspberry Pi later, so these models aren’t my first recommendation if you’re not sure what you’ll need in the future.
Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB RAM) – The 4 GB model is the best starting point for a first-time buyer. When it’s being sold at the normal price, I think it’s the best value for a Raspberry Pi 5.
With 4 GB of memory, you can do a little of everything that a Raspberry Pi has to offer. You can run almost every Linux distribution out there or take on projects like media centers, self-hosted services, and desktop machines.
Read next: Make Passive Income with Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB RAM) – This one’s a big jump up, both in terms of memory and in terms of price. I recommend the 8 GB model when you want room to grow into advanced projects.
This might mean programming, multimedia editing, a high-traffic server, lots of containers, light VM use, or running basic AI models. Adding an NVMe drive would also give you a big performance boost, so you can get the most out of it.
My Pi 5 (8 GB) sits next to my PC and acts as my test bench for all things Linux. I’m quite happy with how much it has opened up my ability to experiment with different ideas.
Raspberry Pi 5 (16 GB RAM) – There are a few things that 16 GB RAM can do better than the 8 GB model can (Epic Raspberry Pi 5 Projects That Weren’t Possible Before). Running local AI models is one of them, along with video editing, 3D rendering, virtual machines, and data science.
The 16 GB model is costly and encroaching on mini PC territory, so this is for a power user who knows exactly what they need or someone who loves technology and doesn’t mind splurging. Adding an NVMe drive for storage is a must here to make the performance gains worth it.
One last thing I didn’t consider back when I got my very first Raspberry Pi: how many Pis do you eventually plan to buy? If you were only going to buy one forever, maybe you’d want more memory to be safe, like the 8 GB model.
But if you think you might eventually buy additional boards later, it’s safer to go with a Raspberry Pi with 2 GB or 4 GB of memory. It’s unlikely that you’ll need every one of them to have 16 GB.
In my case, I have a collection and growing. When I buy a new Raspberry Pi, I always find a way to repurpose my older ones for other projects. My theory about why it’s so hard to find discounts for Raspberry Pi on the used market? Everyone likes to keep their extras!
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What a great article. Probably the single most useful article of yours that I’ve read, and that’s coming off a high bar. I’ve got an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4, which I haven’t nearly scratched the surface of asmany other high priority tasks are keeping me away from it. I’m considering a Raspberry Pi 5, not least for the NMVE interface. This article would help me find tune just what RAM I would need for that.