Raspberry Pi Model A Breaks Cover, Lower Cost, Lower Power

If you’re one to tinker with computers, you probably already know about the Raspberry Pi Model B, which is a tiny, barebones computer that consumes very little power and cost a mere $35. It really is a no-frills system – it doesn’t even have a case – which is what makes the system so appealing to many DIYers: what you do with the little computer is up to you. Now, Raspberry is offering a $25 Model A, which boasts even lower power consumption.

The Raspberry Pi Model A PC

Just because the Raspberry Pi Model A is newer doesn’t mean that it’s better, though. Raspberry designed the two Pis for different uses. Where the Model B is aimed at DIYers and educational settings, the Model A is expected to be used widely in industrial settings. Consequently, Raspberry focused on lower power requirements. The Model A has 256MB of RAM (to the Model B’s 512MB) and the Model A lacks an Ethernet port.

“We’re seeing demand for the Model A from people making industrial control modules, from roboticists, from people doing automation, for a bunch of headless operations – and, significantly, for people who want to use the Pi as a very cheap media centre. The Model A will only cost $25 (plus tax and shipping),” Raspberry says on its website.
Joshua Gulick

Joshua Gulick

Josh cut his teeth (and hands) on his first PC upgrade in 2000 and was instantly hooked on all things tech. He took a degree in English and tech writing with him to Computer Power User Magazine and spent years reviewing high-end workstations and gaming systems, processors, motherboards, memory and video cards. His enthusiasm for PC hardware also made him a natural fit for covering the burgeoning modding community, and he wrote CPU’s “Mad Reader Mod” cover stories from the series’ inception until becoming the publication editor for Smart Computing Magazine.  A few years ago, he returned to his first love, reviewing smoking-hot PCs and components, for HotHardware. When he’s not agonizing over benchmark scores, Josh is either running (very slowly) or spending time with family.