The 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 now costs $385, up $80, and the price took effect on 2 November. When the board launched it sold for $120, so the top memory option has more than tripled in price.
Raspberry Pi blames memory. The company says there is no alternative supply for 16GB DRAM, on top of other component shortages, and it is the latest in a series of selective rises it has made as memory costs climbed over the past two years.
The Compute Module 5 is affected too. Every 16GB version costs $40 more, according to Eben Upton’s announcement, and The Verge puts the new prices between $375 and $415.
What stays the same
Buyers of the Raspberry Pi 500+ are spared: that keyboard-shaped desktop also has 16GB but its price did not move. Other Pi 5 memory sizes are not part of this rise, though The Verge notes the 2GB model went up last month.
Advice from the maker
Upton’s advice is to avoid paying for memory a project does not need: use a smaller-memory Pi or an older model, or trim how much RAM the software uses. The company also warns that some sellers are charging inflated prices or selling products that are not what they claim, and tells buyers to use its network of Approved Resellers.
Upton calls the memory squeeze temporary and promises to undo the rises once costs ease, though no date is given.
Compared with the launch price of $120, the 16GB board now costs $265 more, while the cheaper memory sizes remain the better value for most hobby projects.
