Raspberry Pi 4 Computer Model B 8GB Single Board… vs Raspberry Pi 5 8GB — Head-to-Head (2026)

Our verdict

Raspberry Pi 5 8GB is our pick.

The Raspberry Pi 5 8GB is the better buy for almost everyone in 2026: its 2.4GHz Cortex-A76 cores replace the Pi 4's 1.5GHz Cortex-A72, and the PCIe FPC connector adds NVMe boot — all for a modest premium over the Pi 4. The Pi 4 8GB only wins if you need a proven, lower-power board for an existing HAT-and-case ecosystem you don't want to re-buy.

Buy the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 8GB if you're replacing a dead board in a deployed project, running a low-power always-on service (Pi-hole, MQTT broker, Octoprint) where the A72's lower draw and passive-cooling tolerance matter, or you already own a Pi 4 case/HAT stack and want to spend a little less. Buy the Raspberry Pi 5 8GB if you're starting anything new — desktop use, containerized homelab, NVMe-backed NAS, compiling code on-board, or camera/vision work — because the 2.4GHz Cortex-A76 and PCIe storage path are a generational jump, not an increment.

SpecPicks editorial verdict, written June 4, 2026. Prices move, so check the current price on each listing before you buy.