One of the best things about the Raspberry Pi 5 (other than the performance boost over its predecessor) is how much easier it is to add an SSD.
And using an SSD with the Raspberry Pi 5 is a no-brainer if you’re running a proper desktop OS like Ubuntu since performance is dramatically better than what an SD card can provide – yes, even super-duper expensive ones.
Having recently announced is own range of Raspberry Pi-branded SD cards (with support for command queuing on the Pi 5 and reliable read/write speeds) the company is now offering a range of own-band Raspberry Pi SSDs.
The Raspberry Pi SSDs come in 2 sizes, and appear competitive price-wise with budget SSDs. Plus, for the price, you do get the assurance that the drive will work well with the official M.2 HAT and most 3rd-party boards, e.g., the $10 Pineboards HatDrive! Nano:
- 256 GB (40/70 IOPS) – $30/£28
- 512 GB (50/90 IOPS) – $45/£42
And for those who don’t have an M.2 expansion board?
Well, that’s where the new Raspberry Pi SSD Kit comes in. It bundles the official M.2 HAT+ with an SSD for an all-in-one, ready-to-roll solution.
- 256 GB SSD + M.2 HAT Kit – $40/£37
- 512 GB SSD Kit + M.2 HAT Kit $55/£51
Given how versatile the PCI Express port on the Raspberry Pi 5 is – the official AI HAT can use it; a PoE HAT can use it; and even external PC graphics cards can use it – it’s a shame there’s only one.
But hey: fast, reliable, and roomy storage is what most of us want, so use that port to connect a speedy SSD is by far and away a sensible, if not the most exciting, use. I use a Pimoroni NVMe base with a 128GB Patriot P300 SSD on my Pi 5 for anyone interested—oh, no-one is…
If you’re interested in learning about the drives check out the official announcement post, or point your browser at your preferred approved Raspberry Pi reseller to pick up a standalone Raspberry Pi SSD or as part of the Raspberry Pi SSD kit.