Raspberry Pi makers offer their own SSDs and memory cards

In addition to its well-known mini computers, the Raspberry Pi Foundation now also offers its own storage media. The offer was of course put together in such a way that the respective… SSDs and Memory cards exactly fit the Raspberry PI boards.

Spoiled for choice

The new Raspberry Pi 5 in particular not only offers a significant increase in performance compared to its previous models, but also makes it much easier to connect an SSD. Switching to an SSD is particularly worthwhile for users who run a full-fledged operating system such as Ubuntu Linux on the Raspberry Pi. Boot times are faster and I/O performance far exceeds even high-quality SD cards.

Choosing the right NVMe SSD for the Raspberry Pi can be a challenge, especially for less technically savvy users, as there are a variety of brands and models with different speed ratings. In addition, not all SSDs are compatible with the many M.2 extensions available for the Raspberry Pi 5.

To solve this problem, the Raspberry Pi Foundation now offers own, branded SSDs to. These come in two sizes. A big advantage: The SSDs are specifically designed for use with the Raspberry Pi’s official M.2 HAT and also work with most third-party extensions, such as the Pineboards HatDrive Nano, which is available for around $10. The official Raspberry Pi SSDs are offered in two variants (official Euro prices coming soon):

• 256 GB (40/70 IOPS) – for 30 dollars
• 512 GB (50/90 IOPS) – for 45 dollars

For users who do not yet have an M.2 extension, there is also a practical bundle that contains both the M.2 HAT and the SSD:

• 256GB SSD + M.2 HAT kit – for $40
• 512GB SSD + M.2 HAT kit – for $55

Lots of options

The Raspberry Pi 5’s PCIe port is extremely versatile. In addition to using SSDs, an AI-HAT, a PoE-HAT or even external graphics cards can also be connected. However, there is only one PCIe port, which is why many users will choose to use it for the fast and reliable storage solution with an SSD.

The official Raspberry Pi SSDs offer an easy-to-implement and powerful solution for anyone who wants to get the most out of the Raspberry Pi 5. More information about the new SSDs and bundles is available on the official Raspberry Pi website or from authorized resellers.