I realised a while ago that it's way cheaper to hunt for second-hand intel NUCs, and the resulting machine is way more powerful... And the RAM and storage is upgradeable, if the NUC didn't come with plenty of storage or RAM already...
this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2026
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Basically the only benefit the Pi has is GPIO pins for embedded projects.
Which a $3 ESP32 can handle instead.
Yup. If you really need GPIO + any real power, either go with an ARM board from AliExpress or do NUC + ESP32 with a serial connection between them.
Pi is also a fraction of the power consumption (meaning also heat dissipation requirements) and physical size.
Low power draw but ridiculous power supply requirements of 5V5A (depending on the model) with a USB-C connector which isnt a thing outside of this specific application meaning they're going to be expensive and hard to source. They should have just done a barrel plug or put an effing voltage regulator on board like Arduinos.
It really needs USB-PD support with an onboard regulator, but of course that would be way too crazy to implement.
Pi's were cool up until the 3b and everything after has just not been good for the form factor. Conveniently, the 3B was about the time they started prioritizing selling volume to commercial customers.
Low power draw but ridiculous power supply requirements of 5V5A (depending on the model) with a USB-C connector which isnt a thing outside of this specific application meaning they’re going to be expensive and hard to source.
That's only for the Pi 5 (the highest end unit), and I'll agree that at that level its hard to justify a Pi over a larger computer. Even for the Pi 5 its not that hard to find those Power Supplies. Most laptops today use power supplies that meet or exceed those specs. You're right that those are more expensive than Pi 4 and below Power Supplies.
They should have just done a barrel plug or put an effing voltage regulator on board like Arduinos.
Again, no defense of Pi 5 from me. However, for everything below Pi 5, HARD PASS on a voltage regulator. I don't want that heat in the tiny Pi case. At the lower power requirements of Pi4 and below USB power is fine.
My thinkcentre draws power but not that much power. Also, just combine it with an ESP and you get the best of two worlds.
and you can replicate that nowadays with an RP2040. Hell, the newer Pi models already kinda do that with the RP1 handling GPIO (among other things)
I would have been in the market for one, but they were already a terrible value proposition.
Meanwhile, Mac Mini prices have held stable at an already good price/performance ratio...
From my understanding Apple has memory contracts locked in for years ahead. This is a benefit they have for being an enormous player in the consumer electronics world. They can keep their memory prices "low" (or at least what Apple normally considers low) because of that.
Other smaller manufacturers don't have that luxury. When their current contracts run out they have to negotiate new ones, and they will be negotiated at the current market rate.
I’m hoping this is just April Fools
It would be an April Fools joke if it were a price drop instead.
You know it's not :(
Fucking hell. I want to get off Mr Bones wild ride.
Finally, I see this referenced in the wild