The 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 now costs $385, triple its launch price

The big picture: The Verge reports that the Raspberry Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM now costs $385 after an $80 increase. RAM is the short-term memory a computer uses while it works. This model launched at $120.

The change took effect immediately, according to Tom's Hardware. Two other products are affected:

• Raspberry Pi 5, 16GB: up $80, now $385.
• Compute Module 5, 16GB: up $40, now between $375 and $415, The Verge reports. A compute module is a bare Pi brain on a small board that companies build into their own gadgets.
• Raspberry Pi 500+, 16GB: price held. Tom's Hardware notes it already costs $485.

Tom's Hardware adds that the Compute Module 5 16GB launched at $135 and has also been raised before.

Why it matters: The reason behind the rise is the same one behind many price hikes this year. Memory chips are in short supply, and AI data centers are buying a large share of them.

Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton says these particular rises came from a lack of "alternative supply" for 16GB DRAM. DRAM is the common type of memory chip used as RAM. The Verge says this comes on top of shortages of other components.

Tom's Hardware quotes Upton describing "the steep rises in the cost of memory over the past two years." He explained that other computer makers have had to make similar decisions lately. He also said Raspberry Pi had been doing what it could to limit the costs passed on to customers.

By the numbers: No. Tom's Hardware calls it one of several waves of price increases since what it nicknames the "RAMpocalypse" began. The 16GB model had risen before, which is how an $80 jump took it to $385.

Here is the recent timeline from the outlets we read:

• December 2025 and February 2026: earlier increases, which TechRadar says were blamed on competition for chip-making capacity.
• April 2026: a round of rises of roughly $11 to $150 depending on the model, TechRadar reports. Upton said memory chip prices for the Pi 4 and Pi 5 had gone up about sevenfold in a year.
• October 2026: the 2GB Pi 4 and Pi 5 went up by $12.50, to $67.50 and $77.50, Tom's Hardware reports.
• November 2, 2026: the 16GB Pi 5 and 16GB Compute Module 5 rise.

The 1GB boards have not risen recently. In April, TechRadar says, some older "classic" products that use stock chips were not affected, such as the Pi Zero family.

The catch: Upton explained in April that the higher-capacity memory has the tightest supply, so it gets pricier first. The 16GB chip has no easy substitute, which is exactly what he cited this time.

The gap between models shows it. Tom's Hardware points out that a 2GB Pi 5 now costs $77.50 while the 16GB model costs $385. That is nearly five times as much for eight times the memory.

Raspberry Pi has tried to soften the blow before. In April it launched a new Pi 4 with 3GB of memory, priced at $83.75, to give buyers a middle option, according to TechRadar. Upton said the company was doing engineering work to expand the range of memory sizes it offers.

In real life Say you want a Pi to run a home media server. You do not need 16GB for that. A cheaper model does the job, and the $385 board would be like renting a truck to carry one bag of groceries.

By the numbers: Tom's Hardware looked at the small boards in its October report. The Pi 5 with 2GB launched two years ago at $50. It crept up and then stayed at $65 for a long time. It now sells for $77.50, which is 55% above its launch price.

The Pi 4 with 2GB tells a similar story. It launched at $45, was cut to $35 when memory got cheaper, and reached $55 before the latest rise. It now costs $67.50.

So the pain is real across the range. It is simply much bigger at the top, where one board now costs about as much as a small desktop PC.

What's next: Upton did not hide that the rises are unpopular. He said, in the words quoted by The Verge: "Though these increases are unavoidable, we know they are unwelcome news for our customers."

His advice is simple. Upton encourages buyers to "make sure you're not paying for more memory than you need." He suggested Pis with less memory, or older Pi models, as alternatives to the 16GB board.

He also repeated a promise. The Verge quotes him saying the current memory situation is difficult but ultimately temporary, and that Raspberry Pi looks forward to rolling back its increases when memory costs fall again. No timeline was given.

Why it matters: Tom's Hardware thinks the price could hurt Raspberry Pi's business in particular. Pi boards were designed around a tight budget, and for years they stuck to a target price of $25 to $35.

The outlet says the company is now squeezed from both sides. At the low end, simple microcontrollers are popular for small projects. A microcontroller is a tiny, cheap chip that runs one program, with no screen or full operating system. Tom's Hardware names the Raspberry Pi Pico and ESP32 boards.

At the high end, with some Pis approaching $400 or $500, makers start to look at entry-level mini PCs. Tom's Hardware says a cheap mini PC can have a stronger processor and graphics, can be easier to expand, and can run the most popular operating systems and apps. The Verge makes a similar comparison, noting that the 16GB Pi 5 is nearing the price of a desktop mini PC.

Tom's Hardware also reported earlier that a bare-bones board, where hobbyists solder on their own memory, is not an easy way out. It says recent firmware, which means the built-in software that runs the board, now locks devices to their official factory memory sizes.

• If you need a Pi 5 for a normal project, look at the 2GB, 4GB or 8GB versions first. Most hobby uses do not need 16GB.
• If you build products with a Compute Module, expect higher bills on the 16GB versions and check the current prices before ordering.
• If you already own a Pi, nothing changes. The rise only affects new purchases.
• If you were waiting for a price drop, Upton says increases should roll back when memory gets cheaper, but there is no date.