What is Raspberry PI 2 Model B?

It is a small computer. It runs Linux and there will be a version of Windows 10 available. The new version 2 is more powerful than previous models.

In addition to the Raspberry PI you would need:

- Monitor (HDMI)
– HDMI cable
– USB keyboard
– USB mouse
– Ethernet cable (optional, but you probably want networking)
– Micro USB power supply (like cell phones use) at least 600mA at 5V
– SD card (you can buy one with a pre-installed operating system or set it up yourself)

Here are some sample projects done with older versions of the Raspberry PI Lifehacker – Ten More Awesome Projects for Your Raspberry Pi

Totally worth a try if those projects sound interesting to you.

If you’re in the US, you can get the parts from Newark Electronics

Nice! Thank you very much! I can’t wait till it is in stock again to buy it!

@dina_didi
It’s available on Amazon also if you want it has a WiFi add-on.

@Tropical_Willie the one with Windows 10?

Here’s a CNET article about the Raspberry PI2 B. Windows 10 is not generally available.

Thanks for the information :) I am going to wait for the new one since there are huge differences between them but the price is the same. It will be available on February 20 according to http://uk.rs-online.com/ so I will not have to wait for a long time

@dina_didi :: It doesn’t really have windows 10 on it (when that is released). It is more of a shell where you can use a normal desktop to write applications to push to the Pi. But it won’t be like a normal Desktop where you can install Office. Windows will be more of something you would use for embedded applications (like using windows to control a toaster). And it is ARM based so normal Windows application won’t run anyway.

That being said I pre-ordered two of them. One of them for Rasplex and the other for my sister. My sister has the Model B hoked up to the TV for her twins. It actually works pretty well for the girls to write papers and do research on. And the OS and the kids data are on a SD card. So when one is done the other can just stick in their SD card and it is like they each have their own little computer. And they can stash their SD card so they kinda like having that privacy.

Right now I have a model B that is hooked up to a few motors. I hung some shoestrings from the motors so I can control them from my normal computer. The kitten loves chasing the strings as they spin around. I can control the speed and direction. It is a blast.

I use one as an engine for a multi-arcade machine.

It’s a small computer alright, but more akin to something you’d find in a tablet than in an actual computer. Look at this PiPad and you’ll see what I mean. But no, there is no way a single Pi can hold it’s own as a general-use machine; Pi is good for the price, but the limits on it also explain why the price is so low compared to something like a Core i5.

@ARE_you_kidding_me MAME is a good use for one, especially as arcade games are not nearly as demanding on the hardware as, say, Skyrim.

@johnpowell and @jerv thanks for clearing it out… I was hoping to create my own low budget PC using a Raspberry PI but I will reconsider it. I saw some <<build your own PC using the Raspberry PI>> videos on YouTube but the result was not the same as using a common low budget PC which you can find on the market. The idea of creating a tablet is also appealing but I am not sure what I will do yet…

When you factor in everything you need for the PI like a SD card, case, power supply, wifi dongle you are looking at around 70 bucks. The main draw for me and the Pi is that it uses very little electricity and is silent. And that it has GPIO header so I can hook it up to real world things like motors and light sensors.

You can get a significantly better computer for 100 bucks on Craigslist. I just scored a older mac mini from Craigslist for 120 bucks that is so very much raster than the pi.

Raspberry pi is much more useful as an embedded platform. I seldom interface directly with them as you would with a pc. I generally configure and program them using ssh. You can buy a laptop these days for a couple hundred bucks that will run rings around a Rpi.

The Pi-Top will be about $300 when it comes out, and it will lack a bit of computing power compared to other things in it’s price range like netbooks and used systems.

As one who used a lot of “recycled” parts, I’ve made more powerful desktop systems cheaper using older technology. And being a Seattlite, it’s pretty easy for me to find cheap parts; we have a few stores for that stuff. I picked up a mini-ITX Pentium 4 system that’d run circles around a Pi for under $100. Yes, the Pentium 4 is deprecated to the point of being quaint now, but it still beats a Pi soundly

If you want to build a budget system, there are better ways to do it than the Pi.