The next-gen credit card-sized Raspberry Pi 2 computer, designed for uses such as electronic projects, is now on sale for US$35, maintaining the same price as its predecessor while offering a significant upgrade in specs.The Pi 2 is powered by a 900 MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU, which Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi founder and CEO, noted in a blog post announcing the new release provides around six times the performance of the Pi 1.
The speed-up varies between applications, with Upton stating six times is a typical figure for a multi-threaded CPU benchmark like SysBench.
The Pi 2’s 1 GB of LPDDR2 SDRAM equates to two times the memory of its predecessor, with which the Pi 2 provides complete compatibility.
Upton noted there’s no substitute for memory and CPU performance.
“Our challenge was to figure out how to get this without throwing away our investment in the platform or spoiling all those projects and tutorials which rely on the precise details of the Raspberry Pi hardware,” he wrote.
“Fortunately for us, Broadcom were willing to step up with a new SoC, BCM2836.
“This retains all the features of BCM2835, but replaces the single 700 MHz ARM11 with a 900 MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 complex: everything else remains the same, so there is no painful transition or reduction in stability.”
The ARMv7 processor allows the Pi 2 to run the full range of ARM GNU/Linux distributions, including Snappy Ubuntu Core, as well as Microsoft Windows 10.
A Pi 2-compatible version of Windows 10 will be available free of charge to makers.
The Pi 1 will remain in production, and will continue to sell for US$35.
