Category: RaspberryPi

In the last months, chimp, my old 2013 ZOTAC ZBOX ID42 HTPC, has been struggling more and more to decode and transcode high-resolution video on the fly, especially when encoded in H.265/HEVC. Thus, I set out to find a worthy successor to act as a squire to my TV. The ZOTAC still works, mind you, but it has become slow, loud and it takes ages to boot Arch Linux.

In my crusade to find the perfect replacement, I have considered recent off-the-shelf HTPCs, options with a Mini PC form factor like the intel NUCs, and some of the affordable single-board computers. It is in this last category that we find the Raspberry Pi. I have been interested in the Pi since its inception, following its developments and the various versions with mild curiosity. Finally, emboldened by its low price point, I bit the bullet and got a NinkBox Raspberry Pi 4 (4 GB) kit which comes with a 64 GB SD card, a power supply, an HDMI cable and a case with a fan and three heat sinks. In this post I dump my first impressions of the little thing after a couple of days of tinkering.