Raspberry Pi is a very well-known single-board computer that can be used for a wide variety of applications like crypto mining, home automation, robot controller, smart TV, network monitoring tool, and many others. Raspberry Pi has different versions from Raspberry Pi 1 to Raspberry Pi 4, and each of the new models is better than the previous one. However, not all devices are perfect as they do have some limitations.
In this article, we are going to discuss in detail about latest Raspberry Pi 4 limitations so that it will help readers think about purchasing the device or not.
Limitations of Raspberry Pi
There is no doubt that Raspberry Pi is an amazing device for multiple reasons, like the portability feature, the support of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the availability of multiple USB ports, and a large number of GPIO pins for creating different projects. But with all these features, the Raspberry Pi does have some limitations, which are given below:
- Power Limitation
- Hardware Limitation
- Memory Limitation
- Processing Limitation
- Software Limitation
- Storage Limitation
Let’s discuss each of these limitations in detail.
1: Power Limitation
Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer that doesn’t require a lot of power (5V) to operate but if adequate power isn’t provided to the device, it won’t boot up properly or it might damage the device if excess power is provided. Further, it also affects the system’s performance in case if it boots up properly. You should consider purchasing the official power supply for your Raspberry Pi device.
2: Hardware Limitation
The Raspberry Pi board is almost the size of a credit card, which is very small and lightweight that it can easily get damaged if it falls or is placed in the wrong place. Unlike a computer’s CPU, the Raspberry Pi body is exposed to dust particles that can easily enter the device and may damage the main device’s board. Further, there is no reset button on the Raspberry Pi device unlike other boards such as Arduino.
3: Memory Limitation
The RAM of Raspberry Pi is not expandable so users have to be very vigilant about what kind of applications and software they are downloading and using on it. It has a maximum RAM of 8GB, which is enough to support running different tools and applications. However, the device may not handles high computational tasks that require greater RAM storage.
4: Processing Limitation
The Raspberry Pi device has a processor Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC processor due to which X86 operating systems are not supported and some dependencies that are supported on laptops/PC also don’t work on Raspberry Pi. The processing speed of the Raspberry Pi processor is also slow in comparison to desktop computer processing, So, for users who require complex multi-tasking, it’s better not to go with Raspberry Pi. Although Raspberry Pi does support multiple gaming emulators, it doesn’t work well for running heavy gaming emulators like Gamecube.
5: Software Limitation
Due to non-expandable RAM and an ARM-based processor, the Raspberry Pi has some software limitations. The software that smoothly runs on other systems may not work well on Raspberry Pi. Even if some software is installed properly on your Raspberry Pi system, it still won’t run. So it’s better to use lightweight software and packages that are well supported on Raspberry Pi because running heavy software might affect the device’s performance.
6: Storage Limitation
Unlike other computers, Raspberry Pi does not have any built-in internal storage. It uses an SD card or other external storage devices like a USB or SSD for booting the system, which might create the risk of data loss. This is the main reason why Raspberry Pi users are always advised to keep a backup of their data so that in case of any damage they can repair it anytime.
Final Words
Raspberry Pi is a well-known single-board computer that has enormous advantages ranging from creating a webserver to controlling powerful robots. Besides advantages, the device does have limitations, which are associated with power, hardware, memory, processing, software, and storage. All these limitations are provided in the above guidelines. So, if anyone wants to purchase this device, he/she should consider these limitations before purchasing it for daily life use.
