How much RAM does a Raspberry Pi actually need?

Raspberry Pi boards have helped hobbyists get computing projects started for very little money down. Knowing how much memory is needed can be tricky. How much RAM does a Raspberry Pi actually need.

It all comes down to how you’re going to use it. The platform is capable of handling everything from light computing tasks to continuous server-esque deployments. My own home automation system ran off a Pi 3 stashed away in the closet for years.

And even after I upgraded to a more powerful computer, I still use it for the occasional Raspberry Pi project. Given the Raspberry Pi’s versatility, you might be wondering how much memory you need. The Pi 5 specifically comes in five different versions, ranging from 1GB to 16GB of RAM.

Meet the teacher running Raspberry Jams so kids can access computers and programming in rural Argentina. Bringing computing to rural schools in Argentina.

Eliana Otrera lives in Forres in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. A city now, it was just a “small town with dirt roads” when she was a kid, but that didn’t stop her from seeking out technology and ultimately, computing.

Programming in Minecraft on a Pi-Top is a classic of Raspberry Pi digital making “That was when I decided to study Computer Science at university,” Eliana tells us. “Since I did not have my own computer, I had to go to internet cafés and rent one.

I’m not talking about the 1980s – this was in 2003! But none of that stopped me from continuing my education.

Obviously, as I progressed through my degree, my parents were eventually able to buy me my first computer.” In 2017 she joined a programme called Conectar Igualdad (Connecting Equality) and started to bring coding and robotics to rural schools.

The choice matters more than a typical desktop PC too — you cannot upgrade the memory once you’ve taken delivery of it.