Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB
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Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB review
Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›
by SudoPicks Research · published 24 Oct 2026 · updated 24 Oct 2026
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB is for beginners, tinkerers and homelabbers who want official Raspberry Pi OS support and an active community for light, low-memory jobs. It suits GPIO projects, small services and learning Linux, where the software ecosystem matters more than raw capacity.
2nd of 6 single-board computers we've reviewedAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details
How the 7.0 adds up
Our single-board computers rubric- Software support30% of score
- Performance25% of score
- Storage15% of score
- I/O and networking15% of score
- Value15% of score
Against the 6 single-board computers we've reviewed
bar = the range of all 6 · dot = this one · better →
- Overall score 7.0/102nd of 6
- Price £44.303rd cheapest
- Value for money 15.8 per £1003rd of 6
Power use and running costs
Running 24/7 at idle, at 26.32p per kWh (the Ofgem price cap).
- Electricity per year
- £6.57
- 25 kWh
- 3 years, all in
- £64.01
- £44.30 to buy + £19.71 to run
- Against the others
- 3rd of 5
- 1st = lowest idle power
- Arduino UNO Q 4GB0.5 W£1.15
- Raspberry Pi 3 Model B1.4 W£3.23
- Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB (this)2.85 W£6.57
- Raspberry Pi 5 4GB3 W£6.92
- ZimaBoard 28.2 W£18.91
- Raspberry Pi 3 Model B£42.68
- Arduino UNO Q 4GB£62.77
- Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB (this)£64.01
- Raspberry Pi 5 4GB£126.35
- ZimaBoard 2£345.61
Today's best price, or the typical price when researched. Drives and accessories not included.
Not shown, as no idle figure is published: Raspberry Pi Zero WH.
Running costs and support
| Software updates | No software end date announced; production committed until at least January 2034, which is not a software date. source |
|---|
- PoE
- Gigabit Ethernet
Pros and cons
+ pros
- Official Raspberry Pi OS and a large, supportive community
- Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and the standard 40-pin GPIO header
- Dual micro-HDMI outputs with up to 4kp60 support
− cons
- Micro-SD only, with no M.2 or NVMe interface listed
- Owners report heavy heat and throttling without better cooling
- 1GB is the smallest memory option in the range
Price history
Price history appears here once we have tracked this product for a few days.
The full review
Where it fits
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 1GB is the smallest-memory option in the Pi 4 range. The specifications list 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, 4GB or 8GB of LPDDR4-3200 depending on model. The board launched in June 2019 and uses a Broadcom BCM2711 with four Cortex-A72 64-bit cores.
Sources disagree on clock speed. The manufacturer page gives 1.8GHz, while the datasheet and the Amazon listing give 1.5GHz. Treat the figure as unconfirmed.
Software support10/10
This is the strongest part of the package. The manufacturer page points to Raspberry Pi OS installed through the Raspberry Pi Imager. The datasheet describes a mature Linux software stack with recent kernel support and many drivers upstreamed.
Owners back this up. Reviewers call it the go-to standard for DIY enthusiasts and the best beginner board. For a first single-board computer, that community is the main reason to pick it.
Performance and memory5/10
Four 64-bit Cortex-A72 cores and LPDDR4-3200 memory give the board a solid base. The 1GB tier limits what it can hold in memory, though. With a 1GB ceiling, it suits a single small service, a GPIO controller or a learning machine better than several containers running at once.
Heat is the main owner complaint. Reviewers say the board runs extremely hot and needs better cooling. One says performance without cooling is far worse than with it. If you buy this board, plan for a heatsink or fan from the start.
Storage4/10
Storage is a micro-SD card slot, used for both the operating system and data. The research lists no M.2 or NVMe interface. Anyone who wants fast native storage should look at the spec sheet first and decide whether SD-only fits the job.
I/O and networking8/10
The connectivity list is broad. It has Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE. Ports include two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0. PoE is possible only with a separate PoE HAT.
The 40-pin GPIO header is the Raspberry Pi standard, with 28 user GPIO pins. The datasheet calls it fully backwards compatible with previous boards. For video there are two micro-HDMI ports supporting up to 4kp60, a 2-lane MIPI DSI display port and a 2-lane MIPI CSI camera port. A 4-pole stereo audio and composite video port is also fitted.
Power and connector changes
Power comes in over USB-C at 5V, with a 3A minimum. Owner views on the connector changes are mixed. Some say the new layout is not compatible with the old one, and that USB-C is power-only. Others praise it for power. If you are reusing cases or accessories from an older board, check the fit before you order.
Value6/10
Owners describe the board as reasonably priced. The research gives no direct price comparison with rival boards, so that judgement rests on owner opinion alone. The limits that stand out in the specifications and owner reports are memory and cooling rather than connectivity.
Who it suits
It suits beginners, GPIO and camera projects, and light Linux services. The ecosystem and the broad port list are the reasons. It suits others less if they need more than 1GB of memory, native fast storage, or a board that stays cool without added cooling.
This review is based on specifications and owner reports, not hands-on testing by SudoPicks.
What owners report
Recurring themes from public owner feedback, summarised in our own words.
- Owners say it runs extremely hot and needs better cooling, with performance dropping badly without it.
- Reviewers call it the go-to standard for DIY enthusiasts and the best beginner board.
- Owners describe it as reasonably priced.
- Opinions on the connector changes are mixed: the new layout is not compatible with the old, and USB-C is power-only, though some praise it for power.
Who should skip it
- Buyers who need native M.2 or NVMe storage rather than micro-SD
- Anyone running several containers or VMs who needs more than 1GB of memory
- People who want a board that stays cool without adding a heatsink or fan
Full specifications
| Processor (SoC) | Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC at 1.5-1.8GHz (sources conflict: 1.8GHz on the manufacturer page, 1.5GHz in the datasheet and Amazon listing) |
|---|---|
| Memory | 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM (depending on model); the 1GB variant is one option |
| Storage options | Micro-SD card slot for loading operating system and data storage; no M.2 or NVMe interface listed |
| Networking | 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 5.0, BLE; Gigabit Ethernet (PoE requires a separate add-on PoE HAT) |
| GPIO | Raspberry Pi standard 40 pin GPIO header (fully backwards compatible with previous boards); 28x user GPIO |
| Video outputs | 2 × micro-HDMI ports (up to 4kp60 supported); 2-lane MIPI DSI display port; 2-lane MIPI CSI camera port; 4-pole stereo audio and composite video port |
| Power input | 5V DC via USB-C connector (minimum 3A) |