Raspberry Pi 5 Hits $385 as Another Memory Shortage Drives Up Prices
Raspberry Pi has raised the price of its 16GB single-board computer by $80, citing limited DRAM supply and ongoing component shortages.
Technology news
Raspberry Pi announced another round of hardware price increases on November 2, pushing the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 to $385. The latest $80 increase applies to the company's highest-memory version of its flagship single-board computer, adding to a series of price adjustments driven by rising memory costs.
In an official company blog post, Raspberry Pi chief executive Eben Upton attributed the decision to a lack of alternative suppliers for 16GB DRAM and shortages affecting other components. The company has previously attempted to reduce its exposure to supply constraints by qualifying alternative parts, but those efforts have not eliminated the pressure on its highest-density products.
The increase also affects 16GB versions of Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5, which now cost $40 more. Exact prices for those modules depend on their configurations. Other Raspberry Pi 5 memory variants are not included in this latest adjustment, and the company is maintaining the price of its 16GB Raspberry Pi 500+ desktop computer.
The new price represents a substantial change from the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5's original $120 list price. ComputerBase traced the product's successive increases through December 2025, February 2026, April 2026, and November 2026, bringing the cumulative rise to $265. The result is a significantly more expensive option for developers and enthusiasts who need larger amounts of memory for local applications.
Raspberry Pi describes the current memory-market disruption as temporary and says it intends to reverse price increases when conditions improve. In the meantime, the company recommends evaluating whether projects require 16GB of RAM, using lower-memory configurations where practical, and considering earlier hardware generations. It has not provided a timetable for returning to previous prices.