Raspberry Pi 3

Raspberry Pi 3B vs Raspberry Pi 3B+

The latest 3rd generation Raspberry Pi microcomputers are available in several variants. The most popular ones are, of course, the Raspberry Pi 3B and the Raspberry Pi 3B+. Which device should you choose?

Usually, at the beginning, we look at the parameters of individual components - and rightly so. In the case of Raspberry Pi (and other) microcomputers, the most important thing is the processor that was placed on such a development board. It is safe to say that in this respect, the Raspberry Pi has long been setting standards and is a benchmark for other manufacturers. In the 3B version we find a powerful Broadcom BCM2837 quad-core SoC processor. CPU clock - 1.2 GHz, ARM Cortex-A53 architecture. The next edition from 2018, the Raspberry Pi 3B +, in turn, has a built-in even more powerful BCM2837B0 processor with a frequency of up to 1.4 GHz. Both devices, however, have the same graphics coprocessor - Broadcom VideoCore IV 250MHz and the maximum possible size of SDRAM - 1 GB. The devices are similar, so if the third generation Raspberry is to be our first microcomputer, it is worth choosing the cheaper version. However, if we are looking for something more advanced, but also for the beginning, we recommend buying the RB Pi 3B+.

Raspberry 3 Pi – better communication modules – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB

The purchase of a newer version of the third-generation Raspberry board can be safely recommended to people who care about modern wireless communication modules. The latest Raspberry Pi 3B+ is especially noteworthy in this respect. On this board we have a Bluetooth module that supports the newer Bluetooth standard (4.2 LS BLE) than in the microcomputer version 3B (4.1 BLE). The most important thing, however, is a change in Wi-Fi communication. The RB Pi 3B + has a Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac dual band 2.4/5 GHz module. Thanks to this, we have the ability to connect to 5 GHz networks, which ensures much better, more stable data exchange with modern routers and computers supporting the new WLAN standard. This is very important especially when there are a lot of Wi-Fi devices in the area. Probably most of them work on the 2.4 GHz frequency, which will make the connection slower than using the less frequently used 5Ghz connection.

Another improvement is the transition to a full-speed 10/100/1000 Mbit/s Ethernet link. Earlier versions of the Raspberry Pi had a built-in Ethernet ↔ USB converter module. It was connected to the internal USB 2.0 bus. This technology limited the transmission speed to only 300 Mbit/s. Currently, the transfer is much faster, despite the fact that the new Raspberry Pi 3B + board (especially now) is not much more expensive than the 2016 version!

Raspberry Pi 3A+ – great microcomputer available at a low price

Although the Raspberry Pi 3A+ version is smaller and less efficient than the "B" variants, these are the advantages! The Raspberry Pi 3A+ minicomputer is the third edition of the "slimmed" version of the B model. 'On the board' you can find one USB A port, full-size HDMI, microSD slot, DSI and CSI connectors, as well as the famous 40-pin GPIO connector and module Bluetooth, but newer version: 4.2 / WiFi dual band (same as 3B+ version). The small dimensions of the 3A + microcomputer (65x56x8.5 mm) allow it to be used in a different way. The device is perfect as a built-in controller for many devices, because it will fit where the "B:" version would not.

Currently, another argument for buying a Raspberry Pi A is the price. The RB Pi 3A+ costs several dozen percent cheaper than other versions. If we are looking for a really efficient microcomputer to get to know how modern programmable electronics works and what it is, it is worth choosing the A model. Among others, the most important differences are the amount of SDRAM memory - 3A + has 'only' 512 GB. This, however, is enough for most tasks!