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Raspberry Pi models, price & common uses
Session 0 · Intro to Raspberry Pi
What it is, which model to buy, what people use it for, and how the family fits together.
What is a Raspberry Pi?
A small computer on a single board. Most “Pi” boards run Linux (Raspberry Pi OS) — like a mini desktop without a screen. Exception: Pico boards are microcontrollers — great for electronics, but they don’t run full Linux/desktop apps.
Product snapshots
Pico 2 ~$5–7
Zero 2 W ~$15
Pi 5 ~$50–120
Common uses
IoT · web demos · media · robots · NAS · learning to code
How to choose (simple)
Want to blink LEDs / learn electronics? → Pico 2 (or Pico 2 W for WiFi) Want a tiny always-on IoT / web demo board? → Zero 2 W Want a home server, desktop, or Docker apps? → Pi 5 (start 4GB or 8GB) Buying tip • Budget for: PSU, SD/SSD, case, cooler (Pi 5) • Official power supply avoids flaky boots • Ethernet > WiFi for servers Next → Session 01: flash an OS & SSH in.
web server IoT architecture (layer client-server) massive client messaging queue python programming pi, microcontroller