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Orange Pi 5 Plus vs Raspberry Pi 5 4GB

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against single-board computers at a similar price

The Raspberry Pi 5 4GB scores 7.9/10 overall, ahead of the Orange Pi 5 Plus at 7.4/10.

The Orange Pi 5 Plus leads on performance, storage, I/O and networking and value.

The Raspberry Pi 5 4GB leads on software support.

The biggest difference is software support, where the Raspberry Pi 5 4GB scores 10/10 to the Orange Pi 5 Plus's 5/10.

Raspberry Pi 5 4GB

Raspberry Pi 5 4GB

7.9/10verdict: buy

The Raspberry Pi 5 4GB is for homelabbers and developers who want a small Linux board with official OS support and a standard 40-pin GPIO header. It suits people moving up from a Pi 4 who want more CPU performance for services, projects or display output. Buyers should be ready to sort out a proper 5A power supply and think about cooling.

Typically about £105.60 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightOrange Pi 5 PlusRaspberry Pi 5 4GB
Software support30%5/1010/10
Performance25%9/108/10
Storage15%9/106/10
I/O and networking15%8/107/10
Value15%7/106/10
Overall7.4/107.9/10

Specifications

SpecOrange Pi 5 PlusRaspberry Pi 5 4GB
Processor (SoC)Rockchip RK3588 (8nm), four Cortex-A76 cores up to 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores up to 1.8GHz, Mali-G610 MP4 GPU, 6 TOPS NPUBroadcom BCM2712, quad-core Arm Cortex A76 processor @ 2.4GHz, 512KB L2 per core and 2MB shared L3 cache
Memory4GB, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB (optional configurations)LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM, offered in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB variants
Storage optionsQSPI NOR flash 16MB/32MB, microSD slot, eMMC module socket (16GB to 256GB modules), M.2 M-key PCIe 3.0 x4 slotmicroSD card slot with SDR104 support; M.2 storage needs a separate adapter over PCIe 2.0 x1
NetworkingTwo 2.5G Ethernet ports; Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only via M.2 E-key module (not on board)Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0/BLE, Gigabit Ethernet; PoE+ needs a separate HAT
GPIO40-pin expansion header (Raspberry Pi compatible) with GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, CAN and PWMStandard 40-pin header
Video outputsTwo HDMI outputs, one HDMI input, HDMI 2.1 8K output, Type-C DP1.4A, MIPI DSIDual 4Kp60 HDMI output with HDR support; VideoCore VII GPU; micro-HDMI connector
Power inputUSB-C power input, recommended 5V/4A supply; no USB PD negotiation5V/5A DC via USB-C with Power Delivery support

Strengths and weaknesses

Orange Pi 5 Plus

  • + Dual 2.5GbE ports and an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot
  • + RK3588 with RAM options up to 32GB
  • + Owners praise its low price for the hardware
  • − Mainline Linux is listed as not supported
  • − Heavy sustained loads need a heatsink or active cooling
  • − Wi-Fi and Bluetooth need an extra M.2 E-key module

Skip it if:

  • Beginners who want Raspberry Pi level software polish and community help
  • Anyone who needs mainline Linux support
  • Buyers who need built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth without adding a module
Read the full Orange Pi 5 Plus review ›

Raspberry Pi 5 4GB

  • + Official Raspberry Pi OS images built for the Pi 5
  • + Quad Cortex A76 cores at 2.4GHz; owners report big gains
  • + Standard 40-pin header, two USB 3.0 ports, dual 4K HDMI
  • − Owners report high temperatures, throttling and shutdowns
  • − Needs a 5A supply; some 3A and laptop chargers fail
  • − M.2 storage needs a separate adapter; Ethernet is Gigabit only

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who need 2.5GbE or faster wired networking on the board
  • Anyone who wants native M.2 NVMe without buying an adapter
  • Buyers who cannot supply a 5A USB-C power supply or plan for cooling
Read the full Raspberry Pi 5 4GB review ›

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