Raspberry Pi has raised the 16GB Pi 5 to $385, its fourth price increase in less than a year. The same model cost $120 before the increases began. The company cites memory shortages, and this increase doesn’t apply to every Pi. Unless a project specifically needs an ARM single-board computer, I find it increasingly difficult to justify choosing one over an x86 mini PC.

My own home server took that route. I used to offload work from a Synology NAS onto a Pi 3 and Pi 4. When I moved the containers from all three machines onto an x86 mini PC, both Pis retired. I later combined storage and compute in one x86 DIY server. The consolidated server was the cheapest option for hardware and maintenance, and it was power-efficient.

As a small self-hosting machine, the Pi faces competition from x86 mini PCs with more computing power, broader software compatibility, and replaceable memory and storage. Those are practical differences when a hobby project grows into several services. I had already encountered Docker images that wouldn’t work on a Pi despite claims of support.

Nor does staying with ARM make Raspberry Pi the obvious choice. Jeff Geerling’s review of the Qualcomm-powered Radxa Dragon Q8B found substantially better performance and expansion. But the 8GB model he tested cost $209, and his June order didn’t arrive until September. An expensive board that takes months to arrive still makes a difficult starting point for a hobby.

Memory makes the choice more frustrating. With soldered RAM, the capacity bought with the board is the capacity it keeps. Socketed RAM could offer another way to shop around or reuse parts, although it wouldn’t make shortages disappear. Instead, wanting more RAM means buying another board, even if the rest of the existing one remains adequate.

Raspberry Pi’s restriction on changing the factory RAM configuration makes even skilled chip replacement an upgrade dead end. Its engineers cite unreliable modified boards being resold and the resulting support burden. But seeing as it is also a price burden on consumers, it is high time to introduce a Pi board with socketed RAM, sold without memory, to cut costs.

For ordinary home-server work, I would start with x86 mini PCs and compare the complete cost. For a project that specifically requires an ARM SBC, there are now alternatives. Raspberry Pi, now sitting at 3.2 times its original price, needs a specific reason to be chosen.