Raspberry Pi 400 Unboxing and Review

[@pweddy1]

This feels a lot more like the original vision of the Raspberry Pi folks, as being a modern replacement “BBC Micro” for educational use! The raspberry pi boards are great for makers, but this feels more like a full computer.

[@MeTube3]

The big difference between this and BBC model B is that BBC Model B was a months wages for many when it came out.

[@brostenen]

Same thought here.

[@brostenen]

@@MeTube3 That was how technology in general was back then. The BBC mikro was just a cheaper piece of technology, and that is what the PI have in common. The thing that have changed, is technology have become cheaper. In general that is.

@@brostenen Microsoft and intel accessories were a lot cheaper than bbc micro.

[@brostenen]

@ Not from what I remember. IBM PC's from 1981 were extremely expensive. Some 5 to 6 times more expensive.

[@DaveGme]

This would also be great to start remote students on if the school systems would support students using Linux. For the price they could give them away to students.

[@ConanRider]

It would be even better if it had a touchpad.

[@NickyNiclas]

@@ConanRider It doesn't seem unlikely that a Pi laptop is in the works ;)

[@YeeLeeHaw]

@@ConanRider I think that would take up too much space unfortunately. They could put one of those rubber thingies in the middle with two extra mouse buttons though.

[@brentgreeff1115]

@@ConanRider - A wireless mouse would be my first swap - but I assume you cannot get power & display via just the USB-C? - 1 cable would clean this up nicely.

[@DigitalJedi]

@@brentgreeff1115 the USB-c is power only to my knowledge. 2 cables and a sleve or other clever management could be done though.

[@volkerswille]

The Kensington lock is great to protect your Kensington cable from being stolen with this bulky Pi 400 dangling at one end.

[@xavierpendrag0n]

lmao, that's awesome.

[@hansoak3664]

lol!

[@mutekatsu]

Hahahahahaha!

[@patrickjeromeobaldo2450]

If I were to design the Kensington slot on this, I would make sure that it goes through the motherboard.

[@hellsbunniestv584]

The implications of this, for poorer kids in lockdown, without computers for home schooling, are massive. Also I love the packaging. It just seems super simple, almost cheerful and very environmentally friendly! Raspberry Pi hit it out the ball park, again.

[@ry44anrobot16]

first reply

[@jek__]

Maybe. Low end computers are a great idea but if they create tons of technical problems for non technically inclined people they can be more frustrating than helpful. Like, can this thing even run a standard video call without massive issues that would be hard to really diagnose for someone who doesn't have a strong understanding of the innerworkings of the machine? Do schools even bother to attempt to facilitate web-browser based learning that isn't logging into a virtual classroom via a webcam and a video streaming service? Most don't for certain. I think its likely someone on a budget would have a better experience with a cheap smartphone like the moto g line than this. It's a really cool concept but it seems mostly for enthusiasts and tinkerers at this point. Someone just looking to get computing done its probably better steered towards a more streamlined experience

[@RicH0864]

@@jek__ You hit the nail on the head. When my little brother and sister got stuck in lockdown, getting them a Pi wasn't remotely even in the plan. That would have been a headache. A secondhand miniPC, ThinkPad, Android box, or even just a Miracast dongle was way more useful than a Pi.

[@ChristopherGray00]

@@jek__ You don't need a deep understanding of computers to figure out why a low end machine wouldn't be doing HD video calls perfectly...

[@jek__]

@@ChristopherGray00 You dont need a deep understanding of computers to figure out THAT a low end machine wouldnt be doing HD video calls perfectly Why is a different question than simply if it does or not

[@taiwanjon2583]

I bought one of these. Pretty much what you said in the video - I wanted a Pi that was already built and in a case and ready to go. I have mine overclocked to 2.3Ghz and I've never had a problem with it getting hot. Yes it works fine with a hat, I have a VGA666RGBS hat sending 240p to a Sony PVM monitor, for a real old-school nostalgic feel. It works great!

[@LucGendrot]

"As heavy as a pack of twizzlers" is a surprisingly understandable unit of weight, I really feel like I know how much this thing weighs now.

[@jaimehouston3163]

I guess im asking the wrong place but does any of you know a method to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb lost the account password. I love any tips you can offer me.

[@jamesonemory3413]

@Jaime Houston instablaster =)

[@jidofole]

WF are twizzlers?

[@jek__]

It's pretty subjective though. The only packs of twizzlers I've ever seen that aren't those large tubs are like fun sized ones you get in halloween bags. But I think it's actually referencing like, a soft plastic pack of maybe 20 twizzlers? Like one you might buy in a store as a normal sized pack of candy, which i've never seen or indirectly experienced anyone in my life ever do

[@DaHaiZhu]

sigh. They developed a brand new PCB, with tons of space, and they still used two micro HDMI adapters. sigh

[@realistrampage7106]

hahaha, I totally agree. Though, it'd be great if they at least will give us two micro-hdmi to full-size hdmi to compensate..

[@overPowerPenguin]

Probably they got ton of these.

[@roua.]

probably cost constraints

[@realistrampage7106]

@@overPowerPenguin That might be the case for rpi enthusiasts but not for the others. Most people do not usually have any micro-hdmi cables lying around.

[@overPowerPenguin]

@@realistrampage7106 I'm saying about the PCB manufacture. However, the adapter is like 2-5 USD.

[@HarrieWorst]

Am I the only one getting a bit of vibes of the classic era of home computing like ZX Spectrum, MSX and C64 for example?

[@LuxurioMusic]

I've wanted a computer with this sort of keyboard form factor for a while, and I'm quite tempted to get this.

[@petermsamson]

AMIGA 500, I wish they had called it the Raspberry Pi 500...

[@brendanfarthing]

I was thinking the same. They are on a winner in the lead up to Christmas. If I was my 12 year old self again I'd be begging my parents to get me that for Christmas. And with that price it's a no brainer! Back when i was 12 I got a Commodore VIC-20 for Christmas and totally loved it, I first learned how to program on that. But what a Pi can do compared to the VIC-20 - wow, how far computing has come.

[@homelessrobot]

nope.

[@toolsplustech]

I have a C128. If that had hdmi, I would be finding a way to use it. Too bad premium usff desktops aren't designed like this.

[@mikespencer3209]

11:48 Pretty sure that thiefs wont even realise that it is an actual computer and will most probably mistake it for a kids keyboard

[@JeffGeerling]

ha, until they release a slick black edition of the Pi 400!

[@ypat90]

I would have wished the microSD card could be secured with the Kensington lock somehow. Should the 400 finds its way into call centres, etc., instead of the Pi4, there might be some corporate data on the microSD which could be "borrowed" without even needing to physically take the whole computer.

[@ne5555]

@@ypat90 You could netboot it... In a corporate environment you will probably have ethernet. That would aleviate the need for any onboard storage.

[@mikespencer3209]

@@JeffGeerling True. That would look dope.

[@arlandi]

@@ypat90 yeah, the data inside the MicroSD card would be more valuable than the computer itself

[@jchidley]

Thanks for the excellent review. This Pi 400 is an instant purchase for me. I use an mini iPad most of the time - despite owning many computers - but the portability of this setup with a 2nd hand repurposed laptop screen means I can run the whole thing from a single power supply anywhere in my house and garage. There are so many things where a full keyboard and proper operating systems are necessary and the iPad just doesn’t cut it. Programming for example. Of course, I could just build my very own version from scratch but why bother? All my other Pis are used headless on various custom devices or dedicated jobs (3D printing, router, camera, etc) With my library of sd cards I can just boot up whichever customised system is required for the job. Brilliant.

[@42DangerVision]

A little wierd that they designed a whole new PCB for this form factor, yet still insist on using micro hdmi.

[@JeffGeerling]

Probably so they could still fit two ports. If going to the larger form factor it would only have room for one.

[@PflanzenChirurg]

@@JeffGeerling u really believe what u say? there was plenty of space to my eyes bro ^^

[@SankoshSaha_01]

@@PflanzenChirurg In my eyes its streamlining the production, they can siphon the board almost from the same parts, so that way less variation. plus hdmi has some lisensing fees so that maybe also be the factor, maybe...

[@skatcat743]

@@SankoshSaha_01 should be same license cost. My call would have been full size hdmi and a mini display port. failing that one micro and one full hdmi.

[@lonster3000]

That’s a huge fail. Makes no sense at all.

[@gabor222]

I didn't "need" this as I already had the Pi 3B but the form factor made me to buy it. My first computer was a C64 and I love that the Pi 400 is integrated in the keyboard case like the old computers. I wish they would release a keyboard case for the older boards too.

[@SDWNJ]

The name “400” reminds me of the Atari 400 computer that was around in my youth. Now get Red Shirt Jeff to hack a game cartridge slot into the top.

[@Doobie3010]

Yeah,likewise.Wonder if you could mod a top skin for this... 🤔

[@user-ys9yq8to1p]

I'm pretty sure they said that's what they named it after, if not something similar.

[@MegaManNeo]

I grew up with a C64, so I love this thing already.

[@smorrow]

And that's about the only thing I see it being useful for. Well, one of three things: 1. muh microcomputer nostalgia 2. blind people 3. yoinking the board for a project that may need a Pi with all the ports on one side.

[@MegaManNeo]

@@smorrow I honestly could myself seeing the Pi4 working as a daily driver since most of my PC usage happens in software that's either too available for ARM or is web based anyway. So outside of games (which I have my x86 PC for that can be accessed via SteamLink or Parsec), I should be good to go. A buddy of mine too often uses one of his Raspberry Pi computers at work to program Arduinos and the likes. Whether it is something for you is subjective - I guess - but that's exactly why there are so many different models :>

[@smorrow]

@@MegaManNeo A weak daily driver would work fine for me too (probably moreso than for you, since I don't care about games). I see keyboard computers as bad engineering though. Who wants *all the cables* going to the keyboard? That's the polar opposite of wireless keyboard, and wireless keyboards are popular. Plus, the keyboard is the most likely part of any computer to get drinks spilled in it, so there's that.

[@davidr137]

Amazing. It actually costs the same as a ZX81 did 40 years ago. Back then £100 was a lot. That would have been 6 months of my paper round! Kids are so lucky right now although computers were more magical back then

[@mspeter97]

This is actually pretty impressive and could solve the remote studying issues we have in times of pandemic.

[@backfromcuba]

hm yeah but no webcam!

[@DigitalJedi]

Webcams are cheap enough to be provided by the school without too much issue. Some districts already provided chomebooks that would cost more than this + cheap 720p webcam + cheap headset.

[@looneyburgmusic]

Google already has that market locked-down with the Chromebook

[@jek__]

It probably can't stream better than a $100 android smartphone, which is 99% of remote schooling these days, just streaming video and group video chatting

[@joltjolt5060]

@@backfromcuba that's a good thing. Who wants a kid on a webcam?

[@brycejeannotte7699]

Thanks Jeff. I bought one while I was watching your two videos! Looks like a fun unit.

[@wizpin]

this just reminds me of the early 80s; zx, c64, Loved those when i was a kid, love this

[@teesee2935]

This helped me so much im about to buy my first computer and this is the one i chose for a starter one thank you Jeff

[@nemocheerio]

This is definitely going to be the base for my next "cyberdeck".

[@AshtonSnapp]

“Cyberdeck”?????

[@roseofsilence]

This was my first thought too

[@nemocheerio]

@@AshtonSnapp Yeah, I don't know how the name came about about. I think it's pretty goofy. But it usually means a cobbled together computer that's in a tough case. Something like you would see a hacker using in a movie or some post apocalyptic scenario. Just think super cool, homemade, rugged, laptop.

[@rollerbladinggeek5507]

Before u take over the world

[@DigitalJedi]

My "cyberdeck" is an old Lenovo IdeaPad that I've toughened up a little. Dual core i7 @ 2.3gHz, single channel 8gb ddr3, 500gb 5000rmp HDD. By no means powerful but very good keyboard and near indestructible. If you added a portable monitor and beefy laptop power bank (those big 60+ watt ones) and an external drive, you could have a pretty tough and portable setup.

[@AnimalFacts]

How very 80s Retro. ❤️💯

[@jawaadalamgir3994]

Dude your everywhere with the same comment

[@junglemouse4585]

YOU ARE EVERYWHERE

[@JeffSmith03]

That's why bots are useful

[@zephz5404]

Lol

[@ThatVoxelBlock]

With a crt I will be more 80s and 4:3

[@Bengt.Lueers]

It's a modern Commodore C64.

[@landontrotter1757]

I thought the same thing when I saw this Raspberry pi 400

[@mrpositronia]

More precisely, the new BBC Micro :)

[@amigalemming]

@@mrpositronia New Archimedes?

[@mrpositronia]

@@amigalemming very true. However, my rose-tinted heart wants to believe the Archimedes is the more powerful computer. 😅

[@JeffSmith03]

I have C64 but I don't see the resemblance. It's the 64K RAM with 16 bit addressing that makes it

[@LenHarms]

I would have loved this as a kid, I started with a Tandy Coco 2 as my first computer and put thousands of hours into programming in Basic.

[@55Ramius]

I got the 1,2 and later 3 coco. Was so cool to create anything on it back in the early 80's. Replying to a 2 year old comment but just wanted to say... 😀

[@ProDigit80]

9:00 I think the motherboard is bigger too, extracting more heat from there as well. 15:00 Would be nice to be able to build an SSD inside the keyboard.

[@user-ro1cc8tz6d]

16:16 its adobe issue. There are professional studios that use linux and there is enough demand but adobe just nopes out. That's what proprietary software does for you.

[@pspicerwensley]

Adobe will have to do ARM for Apple and given the software as a service model, there is no reason ARM Linux support would not be possible.

[@AngryApple]

@@pspicerwensley there is no reason why x86 linux isnt possible, but still no adobe on linux

[@RafaCoringaProducoes]

Check out photogimp skin for gimp, kdenlive with proxy clips in explainingcomputers channel and ardour or reaper for professional audio editting *with audio interfaces like pisound. Some drawing tables are compatible as well. Just bought pi4 for home edditing and im excited in manjaro

[@MMABeijing]

@@RafaCoringaProducoes are you doing all of your editing with this vanilla set or did you upgrade it in anyway, and if you did how? thanks

[@RafaCoringaProducoes]

@@MMABeijing ive managed to use it to light text and image editting. ExplainingComputer's video of kdenlive editing was made using proxy clips (a light version of the video while editing, and slow rendering in 1080p). Right now strugling with monitor compatibility, ive been happy even without overclock but think twice before buying a raspberry!

[@DigitalJedi]

Might be picking one of these up for my grandfather. He's a software engineer from the early days of Microsoft and generally loves to tinker with Linux and hardware. His laptop is a decade old and it never leaves to house, and it's showing its age. Probably a good Christmas gift.

[@MichaelStroup]

This is really freaking cool and something I didn't expect to come out! Have been thinking of ways to make something like this, but was waiting for the compute module 4 to come out as I figured it would be easier. I am actually surprised they didn't use the CM4 in this. But I like the design they came up with. Great to see the raspberry pi foundation branching out with their products. I can't wait to see this in the hands of tinkers. Mark my words, the second people do they will have it apart and printing new bottem shells for it to fit things like active cooling, batteries so you don't need the power cable, and a SSD. I wonder if the overclock is still locked at 2.1 GHz with the new revision?

[@ultraseven]

Reminds of my favorite computer, Sinclair ZX Spectrum (it was given to me by my older brother when he was working in Saudi Arabia back in 1983, it was first personal computer using cassette tapes as program storage), I created a keyboard for when the keyboard matrix broke (it was a membrane keyboard with rubber keys)it using white acrylic panels and an old teletype keyboard and hard wired #22 wires (i memorized the membrane traces of the old keyboard and also included the power supply inside a 9V 1adaptor), unfortunately I accidentally dumped my precious machine :-(

[@voiceoftreason1760]

This is a really cool little integrated device. I'll wait till they release an 8GB version and get that.

[@deepsleep7822]

@VoT: agree with you regarding memory. As of the date of my posting, still only. 4gb model, so I’ll pass. ☹️

[@ollllj]

it also really lacks the pci slot for no good reason.

[@vrekman256]

it's the age of microcomputers all over again! It has no on/off switch too! just like spectrum didn't. I love it!

[@tejonBiker]

I think the Pi Foundation found a not so oficial reviewer, I'm glad about this :)

[@IrelandVonVicious]

I bought three of these. Father of five. These are great for kids. These work for Disney+, KZbin, Hulu, Netflix. Runs emulation well for old video games and can use the cheaper kid friendly games. Works great with touch screen. Comes with Office Libre already on it and can print to network for kids homework.

[@MarkParkTech]

I think the Pi 400 strong suit would be for prototyping those things you'd use a pi 4 for. Code it up, using the gpio breakout to a breadboard, and when it's all figured out, transfer all the scripts and settings to a pi 4 that you put in a smaller case. It's just nice to have all your tools at hand.

[@Cmyswagg83]

I wish I understood what you said... I have so much to learn lol

[@binder098]

First time viewer, I will subscribe. You are quite dynamic, like watching a stocks ticker machine, your human ones and zeros are non stop… yet, clear, informative and yes, funny. Off to dig through your vids, thanks!

[@Potapes]

Your video went live before news articles in my language. :D

[@JeffGeerling]

Glad I could break the news to you, but sorry I probably can't speak your language (unless your language is Raspberry Pi, then I might have a fair chance).

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

I went to college to become a perogrammer, I nice never used it! So I’m going to do this now that I’m disabled, can’t work a real job, I’ve got to do somethong with my time, I apologize if there is any horrible spelling, I can’t find my new glasses! lol I just wanted to say I will check out all of your videos! This is my first PI so I’m looking forward to what I can do with it! Peace! I am impressed with your video quality! You well suited for this! The lighting is perfect, it’s informative and you have a great on screen personality! Thank you for sharing your experience! Okay wrote this beforae the ending, I don’t know how anybody does it without swearing! You’ll hear combinations out of my mouth you’ve never heard before? lol

[@lookslikerain75]

Can you fit an SSD inside the case? There are some great pi cases but they don't allow for an SSD which is especially relevant now usb SSD boot is a thing.

[@shalokshalom]

You could always use a M2 with adapter I guess

[@TwatMcGee]

If you did that you'd probably want a decent little fan in there to help it cool

[@DigitalJedi]

The heatsink that let's this run passively cooled takes up basically the entire innards unfortunately. I don't think there's room for an SSD in there.

[@looneyburgmusic]

Considering you can easily boot off an external SSD, (I do so right now with my MS Surface GO), what's the point? Just get a small external SSD, attach it to the Pi case somewhere, off you go...

[@watynecc3309]

@@looneyburgmusic Dood is arm soo no bios right ?

[@nicholascureton933]

This video look like from 1990 but I like it. It's refreshing to see something different.

[@marketleverage1854]

Some people miss that old guides from the 8-16 bit era

[@dl8cy]

Have seen 3 other introductions of the Pi400 today before - but Jeff is Jeff .... and i like it!

[@DaveGme]

With that kind of room on the board, native NVMe support and a slot would’ve been awesome.

[@JeffGeerling]

Yes; it would be an interesting upgrade option. There's definitely room for it, though adding it in would require some sort of PCIe bridge if they still wanted to support USB 3.0, which would drive up the price :( It would be interesting to at least provide it as an option though. As it is, you'd have to modify the heat sink design slightly to accommodate any larger things inside.

[@murda2999]

You sold me. I ordered one about 3 minutes into the video!

[@BaeBunni]

honestly has me pretty in the raspberry pi. I usually just discount them for being a little to niche also I'm terrified of putting any type of electronic together because of my fingers having little to no sensation and I tend to snap things, so a completely built keyboard with just a couple plugins and done type deal is very appealing especially since I can hook it up to tv.

[@johannesdolch]

"Who is this actually for?" has been a constant question regarding Pi. And honestly, as cool as i think this whole project is, i have a hard time figuring out what problem this actually solves. And the main reason for that is, that we have soooo many Laptops that can be had for almost nothing where the only thing wrong with it is a dead battery. But you do have everything else, including a monitor. So i am having a hard time figuring out where the sweet spot is for this in a Venn Diagram. Most people watching this video will either have enough money to buy something better or will have access to basically free laptops, as i said. That leaves people who are not watching this (yet), don't have a computer but do have a monitor and a 100 bucks to spare and can't be better solved by using something that's basically free (like old hardware/Laptops). The Pi always claimed to be for the poor but actually seems to be a pet project for well off nerds.

[@yomamamama3637]

why are u so mad

[@frombrum]

the original pi was designed for education, a simple machine with built in programming and real world interface, it was given to schools almost free, to support that they have made many commercial variants which they sell to any body this is a logical extension to the family pre-boxing the SBC and adding a built in keyboard hope that helps

[@ianhollis51]

Way to go for my Xmas 2020 present. Who’d thought a 69year old would be so much anticipating Xmas? 🥳😂✅

[@Codescardbarn]

This was a good video breakdown. You speak very clearly. Great content!

[@kebman]

I made a case out of a milk carton. It's flimsy as hell, but it works for my use case lol. Go Pi!

[@JA-hg6ee]

You are my hero.

[@ChesterPaulSgroi]

Thank you for this nice, clear and concise presentation, sir. Much appreciated!

[@vonvision]

This got me Amiga 500 flashbacks :)

[@allanallen1835]

And you can put all those Amiga games on it also! Jesus on Es

[@willliu3025]

I felt like back in 90, when i got my commodore 64.. thx.. happy

[@nic2154572]

he speaks clear enough to play the video at 1.75 speed. saves you 9.5 min

[@mikotomurasakibara1801]

Doing the lords work. Thank you

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

2:33 Back in the ’80s, home computers were commonly plugged into TV sets, too. The difference is that today’s full-HD resolution is a bit better than the 40-column text that was all that would have been legible on those sets in the old days.

[@dhruvemital]

Get this out with the 8gb ram module and it becomes an actual replacement for education, htpc or just general computing. Then you have 3 segments: 1. Pi 400 - General Use, Home/Education 2. Pi 4 - General Use and Implementing in small devices/servers/htpc's etc. Possible to cluster, but then why have the ports. 3. Compute module - Clustering and computing. Or for use on more specific devices. Tinker's heaven.

[@joshuascholar3220]

given that it's Raspian not Windows 10, 4 gig of ram is enough to be useful

[@mspeter97]

4Gb of RAM is plenty when using Raspian actually. I did try setting up someone in my family with a 4Gb Pie to use only to read mail and go on the web, no issues were reported, the thing runs pretty well

[@dhruvemital]

@@mspeter97 oh completely agree on that. However, if you're doing general compute and want to keep more tabs in memory its going to be really useful. Also, now that it does have 2 screen support, you can really do a lot more with it. An 8GB module also futureproofs the thing for a while. It can actually be good for even programming a bit on the device if you needed to. That being said, for all of today's basic needs it is pretty good.

[@dhruvemital]

@TheDrewSaga Idk about the compute module for general home use. I meant a no-tinker generally reliable simple thing to almost be plug and play. Even for education, I dont think it can be used at the early stages. For a university project or a more specialized workflow for sure, but early education/small projects i dont think it provides as good a value as the Pi 4. The Pi 4 for sure can be a better all-rounder. For home use I'd recommend it only if it came with the case already modded for more cooling. Thats my only real issue with it. Else it is a great thing on a platform which will get even more support going forward.

[@danw1955]

I'm really liking this form factor! The only things I'd change would be to put an enclosed cutout with a lid, that's already wired up for a SATA 6gb SSD in the base, since the SD card is probably the most limiting factor of the whole system. That and bump the memory straight to 8GB right out of the box, so that when you're dealing with the newer ARM-based Win 10 (yuck!) you'll have enough overhead to run it successfully. It would also expand the number of more memory-intensive apps you may need to run. The Kensington lock is pointless, since it only attaches to the plastic. This would be a good place for an actual push-button power switch! A bluetooth included mouse would also be a plus to reduce the wire clutter a bit. I think you're right Jeff, there's a huge audience out there that want something simple and cheaper than any tablet or laptop out there to do everyday tasks that don't require a full size PC or a $1000 i-phone to accomplish. With all the supported OS flavors available, and more to come, there's something to appeal to most anyone! Great review... now I need to go watch the teardown vid. I wanna see the guts!😁👍

[@metasoft0221]

I've found floating point operations heat up Pi faster than either stress and stressberry. I'm using some home grown code to do this, running for about 30 minutes. So may I suggest you run floating point operations for your benchmarks also.

[@michaelhenderson5098]

This reminds me of our first computer. My wife was taking programming class. It was a keyboard with a cassette tape player on the right end of it. Don't recall the name. We bought it at Montgomery Ward for about $250USD sometime in the late 70's. I remember working on it all day. I didn't know anything about anything back then except hot rods. When my wife got home from work, I showed her my first program. When I ran the program, the display read "And on the 7th day, God created the Cowboys!" ha ha. Like I said that was a loong time ago.

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

Thi feels like an awesome computer to introduce someone to computing :D Like a Modern Acorn Electron, after all it's a Acorn RISC Machine :D

[@sandrodellisanti1139]

great Video, thank you, this Raspberry 400 reminds me of the Amiga Computer back then in the early 1990's..personally i love the Design..many greetings from Brunswick in Germany :)

[@kristiansims]

Micro HDMI kinda ruins this, IMO, especially as a kind of portable deploy-anywhere solution. There are always HDMI cables lying around, but never micro HDMI.

[@RudyBleeker]

Then get a cheap micro-HMDI to full sized HDMI converter, they should only be a few bucks. I honestly don't get the issue that a lot of people seem to have with micro-HDMI. They even include a micro-HDMI to full sized HDMI cable in the kit!

[@MeTube3]

I have plenty of cables but I’m more concerned about the strength of the small sockets, I feel I will need to adapt a cable so it doesn’t put a strain on the onboard connector and pcb.

[@smileyguyz]

I think USB C displayport would have been a better option, or anything that could allow it to be powered and have video out using a single, durable port.

[@tiloalo]

Agreed, it always bugged me with raspberry to have to search the specific cable...

[@MeTube3]

I’ve got the thing now and I have no worries about the strength of the connectors. They are well protected by the enclosure apertures.

[@ragereaver8576]

Great review. It has pushed me to buying it teach myself Linux and programing

[@MyurrDurr]

"Says the guy who uses a mac" That got me :')

[@ricoloco2251]

i got some nostalgic feelings and remember the time when i opend as 16year old my first commodore 64 box espacialy with the paper manual. i love it,

[@jondonnelly3]

Great for use as a remote desktop to a proper pc.

[@call_me_julie]

My thought: thin client that connects to a server

[@tomypower4898]

Yeeeeees!

[@RedMageGaming]

There was a project someone did a while back where they took an official Raspberry pi Keyboard and modded it to have a Raspberry pi Zero inside it, this feels like an official response to that old project. But with the full power of the pi4 available. TBH I would have preferred if this "Pi 400" was a carrier board for the raspberry pi CM4. It would have made it far more modular, and provided they stick with the new form factor for the Compute Modules going forward, would allow for a longer lasting product as they would not need to necessarily make a new version of it as components become more powerful and cheaper allowing for more powerful future pi. I do like the idea, it really harkens back to the home computers of yesteryear like the ZX Spectrum, or BBC Micro and the like. I can definitely see some of the cyberdeck crowd jumping on these as a core for their cyberdeck builds, as it really does half the work for you.

[@sudo_rice]

I imagine many of these "Pi in a keyboard" projects will become mainstream soon enough. Really hoped they exposed the PCIE lane just like in the cm4 dev board for NVME SSDs and GPUs :) Great video!

[@freeelectron8261]

What a great accent, Jeff sounds like Steve Buscemi to my non American ears. :) Really good review, I just ordered a Pi 400 kit. Thanks Jeff!

[@MaxMax-dq1lu]

Spooky.... Some1 commented on ur CM4 video that he was thinking of doing this & I said that's a great idea... 1 week later & the ppl @ the RPF have already done it... Nice..!

[@iHawke]

I have a feeling this was In the works anyway

[@nexusxe]

I'd honestly like to see this PCB in a better keyboard chassis

[@MaxMax-dq1lu]

@@nexusxe Me 2... in a keyboard track-pad/ball combo would b good... A fan would b a good idea 2... with a switch... & space 4 a USB/sata/... drive & converter would b awesome..!

[@paddycoleman1472]

Thanks Jeff, really interesting video. Looking forward to see you over lock the Pi400.

[@Mobile_Dom]

my biggest issue with the pi4 and now the pi400 is that the pi foundation is still calling this a desktop and it cannot play 720p or 1080p videos in the browser at an acceptable framerate. somewhat worse is the people saying "just put the URL into VLC, its hardware accelerated, it works fine!" that's a hack and you know it. web video, not just KZbin, is everywhere. not being able to play stable 1080p at all and 720p barely in windowed mode is BS. this is all a software issue, even the Pi0 can play Minecraft at an acceptable framerate, but OC a Pi4B to near 2.2Ghz and it still cant play 1080p KZbin. not being able to play web video properly is what annoys me most about them calling it a desktop. anyway I ordered mine and I'm looking forward to it, despite that.

[@SebastianHaban]

What is the limiting factor in this? If the hardware can run it (because it works in VLC) and now with 1GB Ethernet there is also no more bottleneck with buffering speed, this seems to be a software issue, I guess? Has it something to do with the missing codecs (With Pi 1 - 3 you'd had to purchase the MPEG-2 and VC1 codecs separately if you'd wanted to use them but when I bought my Pi and wanted to activate them as well the command wasn't working and googling the problem revealed you can't buy these codecs for the Pi 4 because it's now fast enough to handle this stuff in hardware...) ?

[@Mobile_Dom]

@@SebastianHaban its a software thing. the hardware can do it, I've watched 1080p YT videos on OSMC and even some Blu-Ray rips. the chromium browser isn't hardware accelerated to allow the GPU to help out playing video, it's all doing it on the CPU which is why its struggling but it gets a bit better when OCd

[@SwedeEad]

I got an email this morning, from the folks (PiHut in UK) where I bought my RPi 4 recently. Took me all of a minute to click BUY NOW! This looks amazing and will be my everyday computer and the bare Pi 4 will be for mucking about with. Onwards and upwards Raspberry Pi Foundation.

[@pspicerwensley]

The big big big plus for classrooms and for homes is the robustness and the SILENCE. Too many PCs and laptops just make too much darn noise. If the monitor has a 3.5mm audio jack (hopefully one in one out) then even a media class could be relatively quiet.

[@conraddewet5594]

If they release a 8Gb variant this will be fantastic for a portable pentesting kit.

[@shortwaverPL]

hi. Wifi works fine ? (im ask because a huge metal fan-plate over the board)

[@JeffGeerling]

Yep! I've used it in a couple places in my house (in different orientations) and can get between 30-80 Mbps (similar performance to my Raspberry Pi 4).

[@mt-qc2qh]

Hi Jeff, great review. How does the "Power" button work. Is is a hold down like the macs's? What about power up? Does the power supply need to be unplugged and reinserted?

[@Jossandoval]

Rasberry Pi 400? I'm going to call that the RPi Spectrum.

[@NaeMuckle]

Wish it came in those colours

[@Jossandoval]

@@NaeMuckle You are right. In honor of its awesome colors, I'm going to call it the Fabulous RPi Spectrum.

[@eric_bakken]

Love the bloopers.

[@UntrackedEndorphins]

War first I thought you were making some sort of joke lol, until I saw the IO on the keyboard

[@litebkt]

I too am a Mac person. I have a few. But I’m having a blast with the pi.

[@brostenen]

If it had space for a 2.5 inch harddrive of some sort, that it can boot off, then it would be really awesomme. I dont fully trust SD or other flash cards, for super reliability.

[@karl787]

If you get a authentic SanDisk you can't go wrong very reliable.

[@brostenen]

@@karl787 Still not as reliable as spinning discs. You see, SD card were not invented for constant read/write.... I still dont trust kingston and sandisk cards. Because they are SD cards.

[@eazyliving]

What I'd love to see is a test of playing Minecraft on that. I'd buy that one for my 7yo for christmas if Minecraft would be above/around 30fps :-)

[@eazyliving]

Not as a minecraft machine but as some kind of 21st century C64 experience...

[@shreyasmurali2836]

Reminds me of my old Color Genie which was a tad slower (ran at 2Mhz :p )

[@shahriarkabir2086]

Such a great pack. I think offices (especially governmental) can choose this instead of regular desktops except for the special case.

[@PSNGormond]

Great review. I feel that they missed the opportunity to put an m.2 slot in it, even if it was just space for a 2230.

[@SweBeach2023]

Maybe the SoC doesn't support it.

[@PSNGormond]

@@SweBeach2023 Apologies I meant m.2 slot, I have modified my original post to say that. Not sure why I said NVMe...

[@B1akTang1dH4rt]

It only has one pcie lane it wouldn't have enough bandwidth even if it had a m.2 slot

[@PSNGormond]

@@B1akTang1dH4rt Not enough for a Sata m.2 drive?

[@RudyBleeker]

@@PSNGormond The Raspberry Pi SoC only has one PCIe 2.0 lane. It actually does have NVMe support, that's why the board they designed for the compute module version of the Pi4 can use an NVMe SSD, see Jeff's video on the CM4 for more information about this. However with the Pi4 you can have either NVMe over PCI Express or USB3, not both. In the case of the regular Raspberry Pi 4 and the Pi 400 they have chosen to expose that IO bandwidth as USB3 ports instead.

[@Aerodos12]

This is also great for those who make not just software, but oses too! I usually use x86 (64 bit), but making my os work with arm wouldn't cost an arm and a leg now thanks to this (pun intended).

[@nandulalkrishna923]

CM4 + Mechanical Switches + Type C Display out That's what we want

[@joshuascholar3220]

lol, how about freesync >.>

[@videobyredjade]

thank you VERY MUCH, you answered most of my questions

[@unomasenelmar]

Remenber promise Raspberry Pi under 1u$s

[@maurozoia7938]

we want the new Pi Zero

[@ruffnutts]

This is very cool, might get one for my son for Christmas, great video dude :) Twister OS would be cool on this....

[@ShadowFandub]

We need a pro version: 8gb ram mechanical keyboard 128gb mmc storage (32gb/64gb) RGB for P L E A S U R E? *optional Full size HDMI 200$?

[@MrHack4never]

Also, battery, stereo speakers + headphone jack backlit keys trackpad/-ball POE(perhaps) and a breakout board that has the same shape as a standard PI, for HATs etc. ( a HAT sticking out the back seems risky to me)

[@brostenen]

Yup. That would be way more expensive. Do you plan on making it as a proof of concept then? You know, since you say we need it, then you can go ahead and make it.

[@brostenen]

@@MrHack4never Looks like you need to buy something that is not a RaspberryPI of any kind.

[@ShadowFandub]

@@MrHack4never Battery ehh...nah speakers, headphone? for what? hdmi monitors have it backlight i agree trackpad? u know about Rasbp mouse right? POE ok that is true Breakout u can make it

[@ShadowFandub]

@@brostenen I did some design when they released the desktop version last year

[@10.11.9]

Excellent presentation - very informative. Thank you.

[@simonemastroianni1985]

Just like a Commodore 64

[@saadwazir]

who the hell are these 22 haters ... hey ! i am from Pakistan love ur videos u r doing great ... i learn a lot from you

[@DavidGlaude]

Can I use the Pi400 as a keyboard? (Please someone, make a tiny image on a microSD that use the USB gadget on the USB-C and get key stroke into USB HID. You can split power and data from the USB-C to do that, so it need a bit of electronic)

[@autohmae]

I was thinking the same thing. It would be even better if it allows for a special hot key to switch between sending keys to USB-host or to the Raspberry-Pi 400 itself.

[@dfs-comedy]

I don't believe the USB-C port is actually usable as a USB port. It's only for power. AFAIK, the only Pi model that can act as a USB gadget is the Pi Zero. A Zero is small and cheap enough that you could probably sneak it into the keyboard somehow. Easier than modifying the Pi 4 hardware. EDIT: Apparently a recent bootloader update does let you use the USB-C port for a USB gadget. Cool!

[@mrdespondency6598]

Great video Jeff. What's the software that comes preloaded on the SD Card?

[@mutekatsu]

I am going to take a chance and say it is NOOBS. I am waiting for my unit to arrive.

[@mrdespondency6598]

@@mutekatsu It's just a nice thing to know, you glance the video a few months down the line, and you loose all context. It's just lost to time.

[@martinmajewski]

Raspberry Pi: Great to work on the tools! Mac: great to work with the tools! Windows PC: great for the tools! That's the difference!

[@virtuafighter3]

Good useful thorough review.

[@lsismeiro]

Hi Jeff, nice review. Thank you. When you say this Pi runs at 1.8 GHz it means is already clocked like that or there is some configuration like we can do in the other Pis to overclock them?

[@JohnSmith-ze6jm]

Based on the description, 1.8 out-of-the-box

[@MichaelStroup]

It runs native at the 1.8 GHz. What is. Curious about is, does it still only overclock to 2.1 or is it higher now?

[@chpoit]

this is such a cool little device, would be a great replacement/starter for a media pc

[@Among-the-trees]

I'm old enough to remember affortable computers like the ZX Spectrum. I'm getting heavy hints of that with the Pi 400.

[@nattankress]

I love it, it's a really convenient and cute computer, like for example for computer labs in middle schools those would be far better than the P4s with windows XP we had when I was in school a few years ago