You've probably seen it in the news over the last few days: the Recalbox team has been hard at work making the Raspberry Pi 5 2G compatible with your favorite emulation system. Excellent news for this more affordable, less power-hungry and less prone to overheating model. However, we would like to draw your attention to some important points regarding its use.

As its name suggests, the Pi 5 2G features 2 GB RAM, but the changes don't stop there. The Raspberry Foundation has also removed certain components from the board and modified others, such as the Broadcom network chip, for example. These changes initially made Recalbox incompatible with this version. This problem has now been corrected. However, a dedicated installation will be required: a microSD card configured for the Pi 5 4G will not work with this 2G model.

To date, the performance of the Pi 5 2G is similar to that of the 4G and 8G models, with the advantage, as mentioned earlier, of reduced power consumption and less heating. What's more, its attractive price - around 15 euros less than the 4G version (depending on package and purchase site) - makes it interesting for certain uses.

However, we would like to warn you about the future. We are currently working on adding new emulators, including the GameCube, which requires more resources, particularly in terms of RAM. While the 2G model is perfectly capable of running currently supported systems, we cannot guarantee its compatibility with the GameCube. So, if you're thinking of upgrading your Recalbox, we don't recommend buying this model.

On the other hand, if your project is to create a dedicated arcade neo-box, the Pi 5 2G will be sufficiently. This model, compatible with our RGB Jamma / RGB Dual hardware solutions, allows you to enjoy “conventional” systems up to PlayStation 1, Dreamcast or Saturn, without any problems (subject to Pi 5-specific audio limitations, easily circumvented thanks to these tips).

Finally, if you're thinking of buying this 2G model, we recommend you get:

• The official Raspberry Pi 5 power supply.
• The official case with ventilation.
• Update your Recalbox over time.

Also note that RetroFlag is planning a compatible case in the near future, presumably with an integrated ventilation system.

To conclude on the subject of the different Raspberry Pi5 models, we remind you that the 8G model is not useful for Recalbox use, and that the 4G model is more than sufficient, even for GameCube use.