this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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The Banana Pi BPI-M7 single board computer is equipped with up to 32GB RAM and 128GB eMMC flash, and features an M.2 2280 socket for one NVMe SSD, three display interfaces (HDMI, USB-C, MIPI DSI), two camera connectors, dual 2.5GbE, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, a few USB ports, and a 40-pin GPIO header for expansion.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (35 children)

Hopefully it’ll beat pi4 prices as well

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (34 children)

If you're looking for cheap... what would recommend is instead a Mini-PC like the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 DM or the Dell OptiPlex 3050 Micro.

For a small NAS and self-host a few services even an old laptop will do it, however there are advantages to picking a mini PC. Those machines are quiet, don’t require much power and some can even fit a 2.5" hard drive so you won’t need external hard drive enclosures. More on that later.

For eg. for 100€ you can find an HP Mini with an i5 8th gen + 16GB of ram + 256GB NVME that obviously has a case, a LOT of I/O, PCIe (m2) comes with a power adapter and outperforms a RPi5 in all possible ways. Note that the RPi5 8GB of ram will cost you 80€ + case + power adapter + cable + bullshit adapter + SD card + whatever else money grab - the Pi isn’t just a good option.

Aside from the big brands like HP and Dell there are other alternatives such as the trendy MINISFORUM however their BIOS comes out of the factory with weird bugs and the hardware isn’t as reliable - missing ESD protection on USB in some models and whatnot.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

100$ isn't cheaper than 55$. That's 200% more than the pi. If someone is looking for a pi because of the price, a 100$ computer isn't an option.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You're ignoring the fact that you need accessories that will up your cost to the 100$ range. Either way, fine, there are now 4 and 5th gen HP Mini PCs selling for 50-70$. Want even cheaper then look for i3 CPU + 4 GB of RAM, you'll find 40$ complete machines that run faster and are way better than a Pi. All of those options come with power adapters and all the things required to get it going.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The Pi is $55 without any accessories... With accessories it's way over $100.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What accessories? You're assuming everyone needs all the accessories.

Which accessories?

I've got a million keyboards, mice, monitors, cables, chargers, adapters, etc. And I run RPi headless for most use-cases. One is currently using a ten-year old phone charger, it's on wifi, so what accessories again?

I don't need that mini computer which is 10 times the size of an RPi for my use cases.

Is it attractive for certain use-cases? Certainly (and I have those on my shopping list), but you keep going on like it's just the better device.

Hell, I bought a few Pis on sale for $5 each years ago. How is that PC going to beat five bucks, 2 watts max, for my given use-cases (things like Pi-Hole, Vaultwarden, Joplin, etc)?

Yea, to replace my Pis would be about $30 each, but they'd fit in the same place, and migration is a snap.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I’ve got a million keyboards, mice, monitors, cables, chargers, adapters, etc.

Sure, you do. But people just starting likely do not. I'm thinking of the new user, not just myself.

Hell, I bought a few Pis on sale for $5 each years ago. How is that PC going to beat five bucks, 2 watts max, for my given use-cases (things like Pi-Hole, Vaultwarden, Joplin, etc)?

For that you don't even need a Pi 5. You can get a cheap SBC at around $10-20 to do that work.

Yea, to replace my Pis would be about $30 each, but they’d fit in the same place, and migration is a snap.

And you are assuming people are only buying new boards to replace old boards.

but you keep going on like it’s just the better device.

"Keep going on"? I've mentioned it maybe 2 times, that's hardly enough to classify it as "keep going on".

I just don't believe that Raspberry Pi or SBCs are the king(s) of home servers anymore. There are a lot of cheap x86_64 based options out there. But yes, if you just upgrade from a previous generation the Pi 5 is perfect for you, even though it's likely overkill for your use-case.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Not really. It's made to run headless, and isn't always used for compute tasks. I use mine for running servos. But accessories for the desktop are also not included, so your point doesnt stand regardless.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

My brother in christ. A used PC has powersupply, case, storage and cooling. This is about the basic kit you need for a proper pi5 experience. You can very easily hit the 100 dollar mark.

Also, most of the used business PC will have 8G RAM, which would put your little ARM funsies up to the $130 budget range.

And you would still only have 4 shitty cores, no expandability.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

And it wouldn't have gpio, would require at least a square foot of floor/desk space, and it would cost more to run. Price. Size. Gpio. Nobody is running their remote controlled car with a cabled desktop sat on it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

If you just need GPIO for low level electronics there are 20$ SBCs that get the job done. No need for a full RPi5.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you're running a remote controlled car you want something way down the power scale like as ESP32 or even an ATTiny + radio HW.

Mind you, I don't disagree with your actual point, I just think the example you used wasn't correct.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

USFF boxes are quite a bit smaller footprint than 1 sq/ft, about 7"x7"x1.4"

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

Not sure how much more it would cost to run. If you only really talk about stuff a pi can do as well, you wont be maxing out your cores. You will use a bit more maybe. Nothing sort of whatever you only really keep in mind for monero mining.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

You're assuming use-case.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh his point stands, as soon as you add a case and a power adapter/cable you're near 100$.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh his point stands,

No it doesn't. The power supply is 8$ and the case is 10$, from the official store. That's 72$. Stop lying.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're funny. That makes the total 77$. Still not the 100$ + required accessories that a desktop needs.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

You won't be running a Pi5 without a cooler, the kit costs 79$ or 99$ (for the 8GB of RAM). I never said it was over 100$.

Now HP Mini i5 8th gen + 16GB of ram + 256GB NVME that obviously has a case, a LOT of I/O, PCIe (m2) comes with a power adapter and outperforms a RPi5 in all possible ways costs you 100$ as well. And then there's the 4 and 5th gen Mini PCs selling for 50-70$. If you want even cheaper then look for i3 CPU + 4 GB of RAM, you’ll find 40$ complete machines that run faster and are way better than a Pi

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I've got easily 50 power adapters for things like Pi. Doesn't everyone?

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