Hardware
RaspiBlitz runs on RaspberryPi 4&5 - but if you go buy new hardware anyway, we recommend getting a RaspberryPi 5 with 8GB RAM. The LCD screen is optional but also recommended for easier setup and monitoring once running.
For the RaspberryPi 5 you can already use an NVMe (over the new PCIexpress) instead of an external SSD via USB3. But we dont have settled on a final hardware recommendation for NVMe yet - so for RaspBlitz v1.11 we still recommend using an external SSD. If you want to play it safe with an NVMe upgrade, wait until we offer a hardware recommendation and a migration path with a later version release of RaspiBlitz.
Shopping Lists
Please try to use the exact hardware models that are recommended in the shopping lists. We have had multiple reports where, for example, other SSD or SSD cases/controllers lead to problems. The idea of the shopping lists is to provide you the best tested hardware components that work together - improvement recommendations are always welcome.
RaspberryPi 5 Setup (recommended)
- RaspberryPi 5 8GB pimoroni shop
- RaspberryPi 5 Active Cooler pimoroni shop
- RaspberryPi 5 Official Power Supply 27W pimoroni shop
- 1TB SSD - SanDisk SSD Plus 1TB 2.5" : amazon referral link other 1TB SSD models might cause power issues
- SSD-case - UGREEN 2.5" External USB 3.0 Hard Disk Case with UASP support : amazon referral link
- LCD - 3.5" RPi Display, GPIO connection, XPT2046 Touch Controller: amazon referral link
- MicroSDCard 32GB - Samsung PRO Endurance 32 GB microSDHC UHS-I U1: amazon referral link
RaspberryPi 4 Setup (legacy)
- Raspberry Pi 4 4GB (or 8GB) amazon referral link
- Heatsink Case for RPi4 : amazon referral link
- Power Supply - USB-C, 5V, >=3A amazon referral link
- 1TB SSD - SanDisk SSD Plus 1TB 2.5" : amazon referral link other 1TB SSD models might cause power issues
- SSD-case - UGREEN 2.5" External USB 3.0 Hard Disk Case with UASP support : amazon referral link
- LCD - 3.5" RPi Display, GPIO connection, XPT2046 Touch Controller: amazon referral link
- MicroSDCard 32GB - Samsung PRO Endurance 32 GB microSDHC UHS-I U1: amazon referral link
Alternative Parts
If the above mentioned LCD screen is sold out you can also use these different vendors for the screen on Amazon:
- Quimat 3,5'' Zoll Inch Touch
- ELEGOO Display 3.5" Zoll TFT LCD
- kuman 3.5 Inch Touch Screen TFT Monitor
- Waveshare 3.5inch Display for Raspberry Pi
With all LCD screen models don't use the ones that have an HDMI port/connector - what you need is a 3.5 inch LCD screen model (resolution of 480×320) that connects only thru the GPIO ports (SPI) and has an XPT2046 touch controller.
If you already want to get an NVMe instead of a external SSD you can try these parts (instead of external SSD & SSD-case) - but this remommendation might still change in the future:
- Pimoroni NVMe Base pimoroni shop
- NVMe Crucial P3 Plus 2TB Gen4 CT2000P3PSSD8 amazon link
If you are testing or searching alternative SSD/NVMe models - check out this repository: https://github.com/chGoodchild/raspi5_ssd_compattibility
Assemble your RaspiBlitz
When you have all parts you need to:
- Assemble the Heatsink-Case (when RaspberryPi4) or click-on the Active Cooler Fan (when RaspberryPi 5).
- Put the SSD into the Case and connect it per USB to the Raspberry Pi (blue ports).
- Add the display on top with the pins ending at the edge.
- Plug in the network cable.
In the end your RaspiBlitz should look like this (when RaspberryPi 5):
You now have the hardware ready for your RaspiBlitz - whats missing is the software to run. This is normally done by downloading an image file and then writing it (flashing it) to the sd card. This is a bigger file (multiple GigaBytes) so make sure to have the available storage space on your laptop.
To continue setup go to next chapter Software Download.
If you are a very advanced user who is able to read/verify code or you like to run a self-modified/forked version of RaspiBlitz you can also build the sd card image yourself - see the Build your own sd card image