Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

raspberrypi.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

681–690 of 776 posts

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#681

Post by justin66 »

larschdk wrote: post #173
rwmj wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The RPi 4 has USB 3 + UAS which is actually quite decent. I use it for Aarch64 development[1]. It boots and runs entirely off the SSD, and the performance is not spectacular but perfectly usable, and being it's a regular SSD it should be at least as reliable as a laptop. It also has a firmware bug where it cannot boot unless there is an (empty, unused) SD card in the slot, which is annoying! [1] https://rwmj.wordpres…

I boot my RPi 4 entirely from USB with the Sep-3-2020 bootloader. No sd-card inserted. The Sandisk Extreme Pro benchmarks at 230 MB/s on USB 3.0.

I've never had the problem either - I started using the RPi4 seriously when it became possible to boot from USB, and it's great. USB boot is working properly in the newest Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu MATE Desktop images as well as the official Raspberry Pi OS.

The Samsung T5 and T7 are frighteningly fast USB-attached portable SSDs - some simple tests of mine had them at around 335MB/s. On paper the T7 should be twice as fast, so it's interesting that they tested so close (the T5 was even a little faster, as high as 350MB/s), but they are both totally good enough.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#682

Post by asdff »

diehunde wrote: post #356
ineedasername wrote: post #265

This blows my mind. I know, it's much more incremental than it is revolutionary, but I think the form factor achieves a much greater degree of access for many people than a typical Pi whose bare hardware may be a lot more intimidating. Now, it's "just" a computer, which happens to expose a 40-pin connector for the standard Pi hardware fun. And unlike other options you might find, this has the massive built-in communi…

I was talking to some friends who are teachers about remote learning the other day. They were saying many of their students (they work in rural areas) had the devices but no access to internet. It's a very complex issue now with all the restrictions.

When schools were first closed 17% of LAUSD didn't have internet access. Not just a rural issue.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#683

Post by walrus01 »

My primary concern about using this as a desktop PC with a GUI (perhaps for educational, very cost-sensitive, or developing nation environments) is microSD card write wear leveling problems. Even if you use a "expensive" industrial microSD card, it's still going to suck compared to even a cheap $45 consumer grade SATA3 MLC SSD. And ultimately fail much earlier.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#685

Post by tonyedgecombe »

moonbug wrote: post #648
ilrwbwrkhv wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and it is british. anecdotally in terms of longevity and development i have seen they do the best job.

If you believe that, I've got a vintage Allegro to sell you.

My dad had one of those, it had so many faults they gave him a new one after a year. I wrote off the new one a few days later.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#686

Post by benjaminRRR »

brainless wrote: post #278
Kelteseth wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My mother runs (from germany) a local shelter for street kids in Kolkata. Let me know if you want to share some of your knowledge with these kids :)

Wow this is the HN effect, right? I would love to get some insights. I have been wanting to get into some long-term model of social giving. I have been really lazy and only do regular donations to Watsi (YC funded) for about 6 years now. I constantly feel I need to invest more of my personal energy into this but I would like some guidance.

Is there somewhere we can discuss? I'm helping out with a curriculum to help slum kids to (web) program in Thailand in English, but in a way that they can learn English as well. I'd welcome more help (project is going slow as I'm low on spare time), and this could also help the kids in Kolkata as well.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#687

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

The comments in this thread appear to focus on form factor. What makes this offering interesting IMO is that this a PC sold without a HDD and without an OS pre-installed. Although the "kit" may supply an SD card with a "recommended" OS, there is no obligation to use it. There are plenty of other options. Users can use multiple OS on the same computer without the inconvenience of "dual-boot".

Although some of the first personal computers, e.g., the ones advertised in the back of Popular Science, did not come with software, that flexibility did not last and bundling/pre-installation became a corporate strategy. User choice of OS is something no "Big Tech" company today will ever allow. Their business relies on being able to make this choice for the user and all the power that control over the OS allows. Imagine buying a computer without a Microsoft, Apple, Google or Amazon OS pre-installed.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#688

Post by numpad0 »

soneil wrote: post #632
lostlogin wrote: post #628

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting the POE hat in there somewhere, somehow, would be pretty neat.

The PoE hat - at least the existing one as we know it - won't work for the 400. Besides the 40pin header it also uses another 2x2 header behind the magjack, which is where it receives the input from the ethernet jack. Oddly, this board spots a separate ethernet transformer which does support PoE, but there's no circuity to tap that, and nowhere to add it. Which begs for a modification, but seems like missed opportuni…

Agreed that it’s a missed opportunity but a Pi with a GPIO hat attached and receiving power over PoE and in hand of a kid doesn’t sound particularly great
Post reply on HN