In late June of 2019, Raspberry Pi unexpectedly announced a new version of their hardware: the Raspberry Pi 4.
This device offers:
- A jump in processing speeds of between two to four times over the 3B+
- The welcome addition of two USB 3.0 ports
- Dual-monitor support
You can find more details in the official announcement, but suffice it to say, this is a huge upgrade.
Even better, the Raspberry Pi 4 still has a price tag of $35, but breaks with tradition and offers three different RAM specs and different prices:
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Raspberry Pi initially built more of the 2GB versions and will adjust production volumes based on demand. So, how can you get started with this brilliant new device? If you've used a Pi in the past, the Raspberry Pi will feel very familiar. There are, however, a few new wrinkles.
Tools to Get Started with Raspberry Pi 4
Like previous Pi versions, you'll need to come up with the following supplies:
- HDMI Monitor (or one with an HDMI adapter)
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- MicroSD card 8GB or larger
Unlike previous versions of the Raspberry Pi, you'll also need:
- Compatible USB-C cable. As we outlined in detail, the Pi 4 won't work with higher-end electronically marked USB-C cables (EMCA). However, less expensive cables should still work properly.
- USB-C power supply capable of 3A. Raspberry Pi offers a supply with an attached cable that runs at a boosted 5.1V DC and provides 3.0A. You can also use an adapter from a Micro USB power supply to USB-C, but this won't provide the full power of the "pure USB-C" option.
- Micro HDMI to HDMI cable or adapter (or two for dual-screen use). I personally chose a short adapter to plug into an existing HDMI cable. This should also work with DVI-to-HDMI (or even VGA-to-HDMI) cables, which will be useful for some monitors.
Most existing Raspberry Pi accessories will still work on the Pi 4, as the GPIO pins, camera, and display connectors are still intact. The layout is extremely similar, but you'll notice that the Ethernet port has been relocated and there are new micro HDMI connectors. Therefore, examine any hardware or builds that rely on the physical layout of the device, such as the official case. There is a new version of this case available for the Pi 4, but you can easily modify the old one to be able to access the updated ports.
RPi also sells a "Desktop" kit that includes everything you'll need except the monitor for $120. This is a solid option, especially since the kit includes the 4GB Pi version, as well as a keyboard and mouse.
Software for Raspberry Pi 4: Installation & Troubleshooting
If you want to get started with your Pi, you can buy an SD card with the New Out of the Box Software (NOOBS) pop it in, power it up and follow the on-screen instructions. I haven't personally tried this, but it could be a good solution for users with limited internet bandwidth. But if you already have a disk running Raspbian—Raspberry Pi's officially supported OS—from another Pi that you're not using, you can just insert the card, boot up and try it out.
There are two disadvantages to these two methods:
- Your OS version will be out of date―check which version of Raspbian you're using by typing in "cat /etc/os-release")
- You'll need another disk if you borrowed one from another Pi and still want to use it.
The good news is that installing Raspbian only takes a few steps:
1. Navigate to the NOOBS download page and select either NOOBS or NOOBS Lite. If you're not sure whether you'll have internet access during installation, or if you want to make several disks, choose the full version of NOOBS. NOOBS contains the Raspbian and LibreELEC operating systems. NOOBS Lite doesn't include an OS but downloads it when installing itself for your Pi. For this experiment, I chose NOOBS Lite.
2. Next, extract the zip file and open the resulting folder.
3. Copy all the files and place them on the root directory of a freshly formatted microSD card (use the official formatting tool from the SD Association to prepare the card).
4. Take the card with data embedded out, then place it in your (unpowered) Pi.
5. Plug in the Pi, and it should boot to an installation screen that prompts you to set up internet access so it can download the actual operating system.
6. Once complete, the menu should present several options. Check the box for "Raspbian Full [RECOMMENDED]," and press "Install (i)."
You'll have to endure a rather long process of downloading and setting everything up. After answering a few questions and a couple of reboots, your Pi will be ready to use!
Raspberry Pi 4 Dual Monitors
Dual Monitors for work, play, or anything in between
To test out one of the Pi 4's coolest new capabilities, I plugged in a second HDMI monitor to the HDMI1 port with the system powered on. Nothing happened. Next, I rebooted the system. After coming alive again, it displayed an extended screen upon which I could arrange programs as needed. There were only two small issues:
1. Minecraft Pi took some time to boot up.
2. When I disconnected this second monitor, the windows didn't immediately "snap back" into the first.
But after a restart, everything worked well in one monitor.
Unless you're planning to dock and undock your Pi to a second monitor frequently, the dual-screen function works well enough. Notably, the primary monitor (on HDMI0) used an HDMI to DVI cable, so the connection chain was:
- Pi Micro HDMI socket
- Micro HDMI-to-HDMI adapter
- HDMI-to-DVI cable
Monitor DVI connector
Also, the two monitors I tested were different sizes, with the secondary running off HDMI alone. Impressively, these differences didn't create any problems. If you're only using one monitor, either HDMI0 or HDMI1 will display your primary screen.
With its impressive capabilities and improved power, the Raspberry Pi 4 may be the new favorite. While the previous three generations are still useful for a wide variety of projects, applications that need high performance would definitely benefit from the Raspberry Pi 4.