Technology

Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices hit parity as DRAM costs skyrocket — price hikes force hobbyists to weigh up performance versus power consumption

Source

Tom's Hardware

Published

Jan 6, 2026

TL;DR

AI Generated

The Raspberry Pi and mini PC home lab prices have reached parity due to rising DRAM costs, forcing hobbyists to consider performance versus power consumption. Prices for Raspberry Pi boards are now comparable to Intel N100-based mini PCs like GMKTec. The increase in flash memory costs and tariff uncertainties has led to price hikes across the board for mini PC manufacturers. As a result, building homelabs with mini PCs has become a more cost-effective option compared to Raspberry Pi setups. The trend of repurposing old hardware may continue due to ongoing price shocks in the market.

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