Raspberry Pi 400 vs Regular Desktop: Can It Replace Your PC?

When the Raspberry Pi 400 desktop arrived at my workbench, I honestly wasn’t expecting much. After years of designing PCBs and working with everything from bare microcontrollers to full industrial systems, I’ve grown skeptical of “revolutionary” claims in computing. But after three months of using this compact Raspberry Pi computer as my secondary workstation, I have some thoughts that might surprise you.

The question everyone asks is straightforward: can this $70 keyboard with a computer inside actually replace your desktop PC? The honest answer requires nuance. Let me walk you through what works, what doesn’t, and who should seriously consider making the switch.

What Is the Raspberry Pi 400?

The Raspberry Pi 400 represents a philosophical shift for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Rather than selling a bare circuit board that requires cases, heatsinks, and accessories, they’ve integrated everything into a compact keyboard form factor reminiscent of 1980s home computers like the Commodore 64 or BBC Micro.

Inside the slim keyboard housing sits a modified Raspberry Pi 4 running at 1.8GHz (300MHz faster than the standard Pi 4), 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 32GB of storage via microSD. The entire computing system connects to your monitor via micro-HDMI, draws power through USB-C, and includes Gigabit Ethernet plus dual-band WiFi for connectivity.

The clever part is the thermal design. A large aluminum heat spreader runs across the entire internal PCB, using the keyboard chassis itself as a heatsink. This passive cooling solution keeps temperatures remarkably low even under sustained load, something the standard Pi 4 in its official case struggles with.

Raspberry Pi 400 Hardware Specifications

Before comparing against traditional desktops, understanding the exact specifications helps set appropriate expectations:

Component	Raspberry Pi 400 Specification
Processor	Broadcom BCM2711, Quad-core Cortex-A72 @ 1.8GHz
Architecture	ARM (64-bit)
RAM	4GB LPDDR4-3200
Storage	microSD slot (supports SDXC)
Video Output	2x micro-HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60fps)
USB Ports	2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0
GPIO	40-pin header (horizontal access)
Power Input	USB-C (5V/3A)
Dimensions	286mm x 122mm x 23mm
Weight	385g

Raspberry Pi 400 vs Traditional Desktop PC Comparison

The raw specifications tell only part of the story. Here’s how the Raspberry Pi 400 desktop stacks up against entry-level and mid-range traditional PCs:

Feature	Raspberry Pi 400	Entry-Level Desktop	Mid-Range Desktop
Price	$70 (unit) / $100 (kit)	$300-400	$600-900
Processor Performance	~1,500 (Geekbench 5 Multi)	~4,000-5,000	~8,000-12,000
RAM	4GB	8GB	16GB
Storage	microSD (expandable via USB)	256GB-512GB SSD	512GB-1TB NVMe
Power Consumption (Idle)	3-4 Watts	30-50 Watts	50-80 Watts
Power Consumption (Load)	5-6 Watts	100-150 Watts	150-300 Watts
Operating System	Linux (Raspberry Pi OS)	Windows 11	Windows 11
Form Factor	Keyboard integrated	Tower or Mini PC	Tower
Noise Level	Silent (fanless)	Fan noise present	Fan noise present
Annual Electricity Cost*	~$5	~$40-60	~$60-100

*Based on 8 hours daily use at $0.12/kWh

Real-World Performance Testing

Numbers on paper mean little without practical context. Here’s what daily use actually feels like on the Raspberry Pi computer.

Web Browsing Performance

Chromium browser handles modern websites competently with 5-6 tabs open simultaneously. Beyond that, you’ll notice slowdowns as the 4GB RAM becomes a constraint. Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, and most news sites load within acceptable timeframes.

Video playback works smoothly at 1080p. 4K content plays but occasionally stutters depending on the codec. Hardware acceleration through the VideoCore VI GPU handles H.264 and H.265 decoding efficiently.

The practical limit I discovered was around 8-10 browser tabs before the system starts swapping to the microSD card, which creates noticeable lag. Using a USB 3.0 SSD instead of microSD storage significantly improves this experience.

Office Productivity

LibreOffice comes pre-installed and handles document creation, spreadsheets, and presentations adequately. Writer opens in approximately 9 seconds from a cold start, while Calc and Impress take around 10 seconds. These aren’t instant like on a modern desktop, but they’re perfectly usable for actual work.

I wrote several technical documents, including parts lists and assembly instructions, entirely on the Pi 400. The experience was smooth enough that I occasionally forgot I wasn’t using my main workstation.

For spreadsheets, complex formulas across thousands of cells introduce noticeable calculation delays. Simple budgeting, inventory tracking, or data organization works fine.

Software Development

Here’s where my perspective as an engineer becomes relevant. I compile embedded firmware, write Python scripts, and occasionally dabble in web development.

For lightweight development, the Pi 400 surprised me. Visual Studio Code runs (though not as snappily as on x86), Python development works well, and basic Arduino/embedded compilation completes without drama. The ARM architecture means some tools require recompilation or finding ARM-specific versions, but the ecosystem has matured significantly.

KiCad for PCB design runs but struggles with larger projects. Compiling substantial codebases takes considerably longer than on desktop hardware. Real-time FPGA simulation tools largely don’t exist for ARM Linux.

Media and Entertainment

YouTube streaming at 1080p works flawlessly. Netflix and other DRM-protected content require installing the Widevine library, which isn’t entirely straightforward but is documented in community wikis.

Steam Link allows streaming games from another PC on your network, which works surprisingly well over Gigabit Ethernet. Native gaming is limited to older titles and emulators, though RetroPie transforms the Pi 400 into an excellent retro gaming machine.

Tasks Where the Raspberry Pi 400 Excels

Not every computing task demands heavy processing power. The Raspberry Pi 400 desktop shines in several specific scenarios.

Education and Learning Programming

This remains the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s core mission, and the 400 delivers exceptionally. Students learning Python, Scratch, or basic electronics get immediate feedback without expensive hardware investments. The GPIO header enables physical computing projects that simply aren’t possible on traditional desktops without additional hardware.

Always-On Services

The minimal power consumption makes the Pi 400 ideal for services that run continuously: print servers, network-attached storage interfaces, home automation dashboards, and monitoring displays. Running 24/7 costs roughly $4-5 annually in electricity versus $50+ for a traditional PC.

Secondary Workstation

As a dedicated machine for specific tasks (email, writing, basic research), the Pi 400 keeps your main workstation free for resource-intensive work. The silent operation means no fan noise in quiet environments like bedrooms or recording studios.

Kiosk and Point-of-Sale Applications

The compact form factor, lack of moving parts, and low power consumption make the Raspberry Pi computer practical for commercial displays, information kiosks, and simple point-of-sale terminals.

Where the Raspberry Pi 400 Falls Short

Certain tasks remain impractical regardless of how you optimize the system.

Professional Creative Work

Video editing in DaVinci Resolve technically runs but becomes frustrating beyond basic cuts. Photoshop alternatives like GIMP work for simple edits but struggle with large files or complex compositions. Audio production in Ardour is possible but latency-sensitive work suffers.

Modern Gaming

Native gaming beyond retro titles isn’t realistic. The ARM processor and integrated GPU can’t handle modern games, and most titles aren’t compiled for ARM Linux anyway. This isn’t a gaming machine.

Heavy Multitasking

The 4GB RAM ceiling becomes problematic when running multiple applications simultaneously. Opening a browser, spreadsheet, and development environment together pushes the system into swap territory quickly.

Windows Software Dependency

The Pi 400 runs Linux. While remarkable alternatives exist for most software categories, some Windows-specific applications have no viable Linux equivalents. Industry-specific software, certain accounting packages, and some enterprise tools simply won’t work.

Cost Analysis: Total Ownership Comparison

The $70-100 purchase price tells only part of the financial story. Here’s a more complete breakdown:

Cost Category	Raspberry Pi 400 Kit	Budget Desktop	5-Year Difference
Initial Hardware	$100	$350	-$250
Monitor (if needed)	$100	$100	$0
Peripherals	Included	$50	-$50
Operating System	Free	$0-139	$0-139
Office Software	Free (LibreOffice)	$0-150/yr	$0-750
Annual Electricity	$5	$50	-$225 (over 5 years)
5-Year Total	$205	$550-1,389	$345-1,184 savings

The savings compound when you factor in software costs. LibreOffice handles 95% of what Microsoft Office does for typical home and small business use, completely free.

Optimizing Your Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop Experience

Several modifications significantly improve daily usability:

Storage Upgrade

Replace the microSD card with a USB 3.0 SSD. This single change transforms the experience. Boot times decrease, application launches quicken, and swap performance improves dramatically. A 256GB portable SSD costs around $25-35 and provides both speed and reliability improvements.

Memory Management

Close unused applications aggressively. Browser tabs consume substantial RAM; use bookmarks instead of leaving research tabs open indefinitely. Consider lightweight browser alternatives like Midori for basic browsing tasks.

Overclocking

The excellent thermal design supports stable overclocking to 2.0-2.1GHz. Adding these lines to /boot/config.txt provides noticeable performance improvements:

over_voltage=6

arm_freq=2000

Temperatures typically stay below 55°C even at these speeds, well within safe operating limits.

External Monitor Selection

Connect a high-quality 1080p monitor rather than 4K. The GPU handles 4K output but at a performance cost. Most productivity work doesn’t benefit from ultra-high resolution on a screen you’re sitting close to anyway.

Software Alternatives for Desktop Replacement

Successful desktop replacement requires finding capable Linux alternatives for common software:

Category	Windows Standard	Raspberry Pi Alternative
Office Suite	Microsoft Office	LibreOffice
Web Browser	Chrome/Edge	Chromium, Firefox
Email Client	Outlook	Thunderbird
Image Editing	Photoshop	GIMP, Krita
Video Player	VLC	VLC (native support)
PDF Reader	Acrobat	Evince, Okular
File Manager	Explorer	PCManFM (included)
Code Editor	VS Code	VS Code (ARM), Geany
Remote Desktop	RDP	Remmina
Password Manager	Various	KeePassXC

Useful Resources for Raspberry Pi Desktop Users

Resource	Description	URL
Official Documentation	Setup guides, troubleshooting, configuration	raspberrypi.com/documentation
Raspberry Pi OS Downloads	Official operating system images	raspberrypi.com/software
Pi-Apps	Easy application installer with hundreds of apps	github.com/Botspot/pi-apps
Raspberry Pi Forums	Community support and project sharing	forums.raspberrypi.com
Jeff Geerling’s Blog	In-depth technical testing and tutorials	jeffgeerling.com/tags/raspberry-pi
The MagPi Magazine	Official magazine with projects and guides	magpi.raspberrypi.com
RetroPie	Retro gaming distribution	retropie.org.uk

Who Should Actually Consider This Switch?

Based on extensive testing, here’s my honest assessment of ideal users for the Raspberry Pi 400 desktop:

Excellent fit: Students learning programming, retirees doing email and web browsing, families needing a shared homework computer, anyone wanting a silent secondary workstation, users comfortable with Linux, people building dedicated-purpose machines (media center, home automation dashboard).

Workable with compromises: Writers and journalists doing text-heavy work, small business owners handling basic office tasks, anyone whose workflow lives primarily in a web browser, hobbyists and makers who value GPIO access.

Not recommended: Professional creatives needing Adobe software, gamers, users dependent on Windows-specific applications, anyone doing video editing or 3D rendering, people uncomfortable learning new software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run Windows on the Raspberry Pi 400?

Technically, experimental Windows on ARM builds can run, but performance is poor and driver support is limited. The Pi 400 is designed for Linux, and fighting against that reality creates frustration. Embrace Raspberry Pi OS or another Linux distribution for the best experience.

How does the Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard feel for extended typing?

The membrane keyboard is adequate but not exceptional. Keys have reasonable travel and layout is standard. Professional writers or programmers accustomed to mechanical keyboards will find it acceptable for occasional use but may prefer connecting their preferred external keyboard via USB.

Can the Raspberry Pi 400 connect to two monitors?

Yes. The dual micro-HDMI ports support two displays simultaneously at up to 4K resolution each. This makes it genuinely useful for productivity workflows requiring reference material on one screen while working on another.

What happens if the Raspberry Pi 400 breaks?

The integrated design means repairs are impractical. However, the lack of moving parts (no fans, no spinning hard drives) means failure points are minimal. Most “failures” involve corrupted SD cards, which are inexpensive and easily replaced without losing the hardware.

Is the Raspberry Pi 400 suitable for children?

Absolutely. The rugged keyboard form factor survives handling better than a separate computer and peripherals. The educational software ecosystem is excellent, and the low cost means accidents aren’t financially devastating. Parental controls are available through standard Linux tools.

Final Verdict: Desktop Replacement or Dedicated Tool?

After three months of genuine use, my conclusion is that the Raspberry Pi 400 desktop succeeds brilliantly as a specialized tool but falls short as a complete traditional desktop replacement for most users.

For email, web browsing, document writing, learning to code, and running dedicated services, it’s remarkably capable. The power efficiency, silent operation, and low cost create genuine value that traditional PCs can’t match in these specific applications.

For users expecting Windows compatibility, professional creative software, or gaming capabilities, disappointment awaits. The ARM architecture and Linux operating system remain fundamentally different from the mainstream desktop experience.

The honest answer to “can it replace your PC” is this: it depends entirely on what you actually do with your PC. If your computing life lives in a browser and basic productivity software, the Raspberry Pi computer can absolutely serve as your primary machine. If you need the full Windows ecosystem or substantial processing power, it’s better suited as a secondary workstation or dedicated-purpose device.

At $100 for a complete kit, the barrier to experimentation is low. Buy one, try it for your specific workflow, and decide for yourself. The worst case scenario is you end up with a fantastic little machine for home automation, media serving, or teaching the kids to code.

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