Raspberry Pi Launches Branded NVMe SSDs and Kits for Enhanced Performance

Raspberry Pi launches NVMe M.2 SSDs starting at $30

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched a series of branded SSDs and SSD kits as accessories for the Raspberry Pi 5. They come just days after the company introduced low-cost Raspberry Pi SD cards and a silicone bumper base for the Pi 5. The foundation also recently unveiled the Raspberry Pi AI Camera Kit, after showcasing it at the Embedded World 2024 trade show in April. The M.2 2230 NVMe SSDs come in two capacities: 256GB and 512GB. The former is already available for purchase from authorized retailers in the US, while the latter is up for pre-order, with an estimated shipping window between late November and early December. Pricing starts at $30 for the 256GB model and $45 for the the 512GB variant. Full kits, which include the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+, go for $40 and $55, respectively. It's worth noting that Raspberry Pi initially claimed the drives were PCIe Gen 2 compliant, but some users have pointed out that Gen 3 speeds can be enabled via raspi-config. However, the latest product pages suggest that they are PCIe Gen 3 compliant by default, though this has yet to be officially confirmed by Raspberry Pi. In terms of performance, Raspberry Pi claims that the 256GB NVMe drive offers 40,000 IOPS for 4kB random reads and 70,000 IOPS for 4kB random writes, while the 512GB model is said to deliver 50,000 IOPS for 4kB random reads and 90,000 IOPS for 4kB random writes. As noted by Tom's Hardware, a sticker on the 512GB model suggests that the new SSDs are manufactured by Chinese flash storage provider Biwin, which supplies SSDs to PC makers like HP and Acer. Biwin also showcased its self-branded consumer SSDs and memory modules at Computex 2024 in Taiwan earlier this year. The Raspberry Pi 5 was unveiled almost exactly a year ago, featuring several hardware upgrades over its predecessor. Powered by a 2.4 GHz quad-core, 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 processor, it is nearly three times faster than the Raspberry Pi 4, released in 2019. The Pi 5 also introduces new features, such as a power button and a PCI Express port, which can be used to attach M.2 SSDs with the help of the M.2 HAT+ and various third-party adapters.

Raspberry Pi announce branded range of NVMe SSDs and SSD kit

Raspberry Pi Ltd has announced the latest products in its range of accessories to support the flagship Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspberry Pi SSD Kit and Raspberry Pi SSD which come hot on the heels of the recent Raspberry Pi branded A2 micro SD cards and a bumper case. The Raspberry Pi SSD Kit is essentially the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ bundled with your choice of PCIe Gen 3 compliant M.2 2230 256GB ($30) or 512GB ($45) M.2 NVMe SSD. The 256GB drive will be available from launch, with the 512GB option available for pre-order, with stock arriving from late November. Kit prices, which include the M.2 HAT+ board are $40 for the 256GB and $55 for 512GB. Sharp-eyed readers may have spotted that the NVMe drives are PCIe Gen 3 compliant, but previously Raspberry Pi only claimed that PCIe Gen 2 was supported. You can enable Gen 3 speeds via raspi-config, but moving forward, could PCIe Gen 3 become the new default? We've tested many drives and breakout boards. It seems that PCIe Gen 3 is well supported and provides even more speed for the Raspberry Pi 5, often leading us to believe that the Raspberry Pi 5 could, truly, be a low-power desktop replacement for those of us who don't need a hulking great desktop for our work. The 256GB NMVe drive has a claimed 40,000 IOPS with 4kB random reads, and 70,000 IOPS with 4kB random writes. The 512GB model claims a 50,000 IOPS random read, and 90,000 IOPS random writes. We shall be confirming this once we receive our review units. The drives are seemingly made by Biwin, an OEM supplier for HP, Acer and now Raspberry Pi. Biwin demoed its own range of first-party consumer SSDs and memory at Computex 2024. A sticker on the 512GB drive shows that it was made by "Biwin Storage Technology Co. Ltd", but this information is not on the sticker for the 256GB model. It is highly likely that Biwin has made both drives, and we shall find out in our future review. Raspberry Pi's M.2 HAT+ was a great product. Bringing a low-cost means to add an M.2 NVMe hard drive or other PCIe devices, such as the Hailo-8L NPU used in the Raspberry Pi AI Kit. The M.2 HAT+ was easy to assemble, requiring just a few screws and locking the flat-flex cable into the PCIe connector. It did make GPIO access a little awkward, but it was possible to make a connection, but we found that the included 16mm M2.5 spacers used to lock the board in place were too long, replacing these for 12mm would be a better option. Adding an NVMe SSD to your Raspberry Pi 5 is a complete no-brainer. In general it provides a massive speed boost, and with lower capacity drives costing not much more than a good quality micro SD card, it makes sense to grab an NVMe SSD for your Raspberry Pi. We've tested a plethora of NVMe HATs for the Raspberry Pi 5. From the low cost ($10) HatDrive! Nano (which received a 5-star review and Editor's Choice award), Pimoroni's NVMe Base and NVMe Base Duo to Geekworm's X1011 which offers four NVMe SSD drive bays, but sacrifices speed as the number of drives increases. Expect our full review and comparison to other drive options and the new Raspberry Pi A2 micro-SD cards in the coming days.

Raspberry Pi Now Sells Its Own SSDs

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is releasing a new line of Raspberry Pi-branded NVMe SSDs. If you don't already have an SSD for your Pi, it could be a big performance boost. ✕ Remove Ads The Raspberry Pi Foundation is releasing these SSDs both individually and as part of ready-to-use SSD Kits, which bundle the drives with the Raspberry Pi's M.2 HAT+. The company said that users seem to be more interested in features like the power button and PCI Express port over the performance boost that Raspberry Pi 5 has brought. It makes sense because the PCI Express lets users connect a variety of devices, including Ethernet adapters, AI accelerators, and even PC graphics cards. While many third-party adapters convert the Raspberry Pi's FPC standard to the standard M.2 M-key format, the Raspberry Pi Foundation offers its own M.2 HAT+ at a low cost. Additionally, the foundation has released an AI Kit, which combines the M.2 HAT+ with an AI inference accelerator from Hailo; it is one of the bundles buyers can pick. ✕ Remove Ads The company also stated that one of the most popular uses for the PCI Express port is to attach an NVMe SSD. These drives offer significant speed advantages over the Raspberry Pi's branded A2-class SD cards, however, it's normally a good idea to use the branded SSDs, as they're tested to work together well. Overall, running Raspberry Pi OS from an SSD is great for improving system responsiveness. The new Raspberry Pi SSDs are available in two capacities: 256GB and 512GB. The entry-level 256GB drive is priced at $30 individually or $40 as a kit, while the 512GB option is priced at $45 individually or $55 as a kit. Both capacities have a minimum 4KB random read and write performance of 40k IOPS and 70k IOPS, respectively. ✕ Remove Ads You can buy the 256GB SSD and SSD kit now from Raspberry Pi's authorized retailers. The 512GB variants are available for pre-order, with shipments expected by the end of November. Source: Raspberry Pi