I realised a while ago that it’s way cheaper to hunt for second-hand intel NUCs, and the resulting machine is way more powerful… And the RAM and storage is upgradeable, if the NUC didn’t come with plenty of storage or RAM already…

Basically the only benefit the Pi has is GPIO pins for embedded projects.

Pi is also a fraction of the power consumption (meaning also heat dissipation requirements) and physical size.

Low power draw but ridiculous power supply requirements of 5V5A (depending on the model) with a USB-C connector which isnt a thing outside of this specific application meaning they’re going to be expensive and hard to source. They should have just done a barrel plug or put an effing voltage regulator on board like Arduinos.

Low power draw but ridiculous power supply requirements of 5V5A (depending on the model) with a USB-C connector which isnt a thing outside of this specific application meaning they’re going to be expensive and hard to source.

That’s only for the Pi 5 (the highest end unit), and I’ll agree that at that level its hard to justify a Pi over a larger computer. Even for the Pi 5 its not that hard to find those Power Supplies. Most laptops today use power supplies that meet or exceed those specs. You’re right that those are more expensive than Pi 4 and below Power Supplies.

They should have just done a barrel plug or put an effing voltage regulator on board like Arduinos.

Again, no defense of Pi 5 from me. However, for everything below Pi 5, HARD PASS on a voltage regulator. I don’t want that heat in the tiny Pi case. At the lower power requirements of Pi4 and below USB power is fine.