Jeff Geerling·2yM4 Mac mini's efficiency is incredible
The M4 Mac mini demonstrates impressive efficiency gains, achieving 6.74 Gflops/W on the HPL benchmark, a significant 32% improvement over previous models. It operates at 42W to achieve 283 Gflops, significantly exceeding the efficiency of the M1 Max Mac Studio. The system draws between 3-4W at idle and includes advanced features like 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 32 GB of RAM, making it a highly efficient machine for its size.
Jeff Geerling·2yIf AI chatbots are the future, I hate it
The author experienced a significant drop in their AT&T Fiber Internet speed and faced frustrations with both AI-powered chatbots and human support. Despite being a programmer, they struggled to bypass the chatbot's confusion between 'WiFi' and 'Internet'. After multiple attempts, they reached a human support rep, who still failed to address the issue adequately by suggesting irrelevant fixes.
Jeff Geerling·2yWhy Raspberry Pi for an SBC guy
The author expresses frustration with the time-consuming process of getting an ArmSoM Sige7 single-board computer to boot and become usable, compared to the ease of use and reliability they experience with Raspberry Pi. They highlight issues such as finding compatible OS images and setting up user accounts, which hinder their ability to start projects efficiently with new SBCs.
Jeff Geerling·2yNew 2GB Pi 5 has 33% smaller die, 30% idle power savings
Raspberry Pi released a 2GB Pi 5 for $50, featuring a new BCM2712 D0 chip stepping which is 33% smaller and offers around 30% better idle power efficiency compared to older versions. Despite having less RAM, the new model shows significant improvements in chip size and power consumption. Overclocking tests reveal stability issues above 3.5 GHz, and direct die cooling presents marginal gains. Ultimately, the 2GB variant is a budget-friendly option as long as your applications don't require extensive memory.
Jeff Geerling·2yUse an External GPU on Raspberry Pi 5 for 4K Gaming
The post covers the process of setting up and using an external GPU with a Raspberry Pi 5 for enhanced 4K gaming performance. It includes detailed instructions on the necessary hardware setup, choosing compatible graphics cards, and patching the Linux kernel to enable full GPU support. Additionally, it discusses the performance benchmarks achieved and potential applications beyond gaming, such as video transcoding.
Jeff Geerling·2yHome Assistant and CarPlay with the Pi Touch Display 2
Raspberry Pi has updated its official Touch Display to 720p. The new display had some software issues with Linux support, but improvements are expected. The post discusses using the new Touch Display 2 for two main projects: a Home Assistant smart home control panel and integrating CarPlay in a 2007 Toyota Camry. It includes a guide on configuring Pi OS for the new display and mentions a custom 3D printed stand for it. The author also shares the challenges of using the display in a car due to temperature limits.
Jeff Geerling·2yLLMs accelerated with eGPU on a Raspberry Pi 5
A stable patch for the `amdgpu` Linux kernel driver now allows AMD RX series GPUs (400 to 7000) to work with Raspberry Pi 5, supporting both Vulkan graphics and compute API. This guide provides steps to install `llama.cpp` with Vulkan support on the Pi 5. While larger models face performance issues due to inefficient memory access translations by the `amdgpu` driver, smaller models perform well. The compact, power-efficient setup only uses about 10-12W when idle, making it an attractive option for local machine learning tasks.
Jeff Geerling·2yTesting Raspberry Pi's AI Kit - 13 TOPS for $70
Raspberry Pi has launched the AI Kit, an addon that combines a Hailo-8L accelerator with a Raspberry Pi 5. The Hailo-8L offers 8 TOPS/W efficiency, putting it on par with Nvidia's edge devices in terms of price and efficiency. Google's Coral TPU, a popular choice for Raspberry Pi machine learning/AI acceleration, is no longer actively supported. The Pi AI Kit undercuts other options on the market in terms of price and power efficiency.
Jeff Geerling·1yAmpereOne: Cores are the new MHz
High-core-count servers have become increasingly important in datacenters, with Ampere's 192-core Arm CPU being a significant player. It offers competitive performance and efficiency at a lower cost compared to AMD's EPYC CPUs and is particularly suited for Telco Edge deployments. The server is designed with front-facing ports for 5G use cases and supports extensive RAM and PCIe expansion. Despite its high idle power consumption, it provides significant performance per dollar value and can handle a variety of workloads including machine learning and web applications.
Jeff Geerling·1yRaspberry Pi 500 uses QMK Firmware for built-in keyboard
The Raspberry Pi 500 integrates an RP2040 microcontroller to interface its built-in keyboard through the open-source QMK Firmware. This setup allows for customizable key mappings. However, detailed instructions for re-flashing the firmware are currently unavailable. The possibility of developing an enthusiast-grade mechanical keyboard version of the Pi 500 is being explored.
Jeff Geerling·2yRealizing Meshtastic's Promise with the T-Deck
Meshtastic is a mesh network for off-grid text communication, but historically required a phone or computer for interaction. The T-Deck is a new, standalone Meshtastic node with a built-in display and a long-lasting battery, ideal for emergencies. While its experimental UI is promising, it has many bugs and limited features currently. Detailed installation instructions are provided for those looking to test the new UI.
Jeff Geerling·2yThey stole my voice with AI
A content creator discovered their voice was cloned using AI and used without permission in promotional videos by a company they've reviewed in the past. The creator discusses their concerns about the lack of legal precedent for unauthorized AI voice cloning and emphasizes the ethical responsibility not to misuse someone's likeness for commercial purposes.
Jeff Geerling·2yWhere is Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite Dev Kit?
A developer recounts the frustrating experience of attempting to purchase Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite Dev Kit, touted as a 'Mac mini killer' for Windows. Despite receiving an email about the availability and being quick to act, stock issues and shipping date complications marred the process, leading to significant delays. The developer also notes ongoing efforts to test the device with Linux, where compatibility currently surpasses that of Windows on Arm.
Jeff Geerling·2yRemote shell to a Raspberry Pi at 39,000 ft
The post discusses a new remote shell feature available in Raspberry Pi Connect, addressing the limitations of using VNC or remote desktop on unstable or low bandwidth connections, such as airplane WiFi. Remote terminal access via Raspberry Pi Connect is highlighted as a more stable and practical solution, eliminating the need for exposing the Pi to the internet or setting up a private VPN.
Jeff Geerling·2yAMD Radeon PRO W7700 running on Raspberry Pi
The Pi community has successfully enabled AMD Radeon GPUs, including 6000 and 7000-series, to work on the Raspberry Pi 5. Some modern AAA games can run at low FPS on the Pi's hardware, while older games like Portal 2 run smoothly. This guide details how to set up and patch the Raspberry Pi OS for AMD GPU support, including firmware installation and kernel recompilation. It also addresses hardware transcoding support and provides a list of hardware used for the setup.
Jeff Geerling·2yRaspberry Pi Pico 2 - RP2350 adds more PIO, RISC-V cores
The Raspberry Pi Pico 2, priced at $5, introduces the RP2350 chip, which significantly upgrades many features of its predecessor, the RP2040. Enhancements include an extra PIO, faster clock speeds, upgraded Arm Cortex M33 cores, and additional power-efficient RISC-V cores. The device offers increased GPIO pins, SRAM, and the addition of built-in flash variants. Despite the enhancements, it uses less power, which benefits battery-operated projects. The Pico 2 maintains the same form factor, enabling easy upgrades for existing projects.