Raspberry Pi 500 vs Raspberry Pi 500+

Benchmarks, specifications, and real-world performance data

Tested by Bret Weber Last updated 15 September 2026

Raspberry Pi 500vsRaspberry Pi 500+

Fastest

Raspberry Pi 500

2,162 GB6 multi-core

Best value

Raspberry Pi 500

11.1 GB6 pts/$ at $194

Most efficient

Raspberry Pi 500

6.0W under load

Comparison Summary

This comparison puts the Raspberry Pi 500 and the Raspberry Pi 500+ side by side using benchmark results from our own testing of each board. There is little between them on CPU grunt, with the Raspberry Pi 500 at 2,162 Geekbench 6 multi-core points and the Raspberry Pi 500+ right behind at 2,121. For budget-focused builds, the Raspberry Pi 500 wins the value contest at 11.1 multi-core points per dollar at $194.32. If power budget matters, the Raspberry Pi 500 draws the least at 6.0W under load (3.0W at idle).

Read our individual reviews:

Raspberry Pi 500 →Raspberry Pi 500+ →

Specification	Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)	Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)
Basic Specifications
Price	$194.32 AMZALIOFF	$442.62 OFF
RAM	8GB	16GB
SoC	Broadcom BCM2712 VideoCore VII	Broadcom BCM2712 VideoCore VII
Architecture	ARM	ARM
CPU Cores	4 cores 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz	4 cores 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz

Connectivity
USB Ports	4× USB ports 2× USB-A 2.0, 2× USB-A 3.0	4× USB ports 2× USB-A 2.0, 2× USB-A 3.0
Display Ports	2× micro-HDMI 2.0	2× micro-HDMI 2.0
Ethernet	1.0Gbps	1.0Gbps
WiFi	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth	5.0, BLE	5.0, BLE
Storage & Expansion
SATA Ports	None	None
M.2 Slots	N/A	N/A
PCIe Support	N/A	N/A
Power & I/O
Power Requirements	5.1V	5.1V
Power Inputs	USB-C	USB-C
GPIO	40-pin RPi compatible	40-pin RPi compatible
Features
Real-Time Clock	No	No
Power Button	Yes	Yes
Fan Header	No	No
Mainline Linux	No	No
Armbian Support	Official	Official

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Environment	Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)	Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)
Last Tested	15 September 2026	15 September 2026
System Configuration
OS Version	Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)	Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
Kernel Version	6.12.34+rpt-rpi-2712	6.12.34+rpt-rpi-2712
CPU Governor	performance	performance
RPi Firmware	69471177	000d3ca2
Hardware Setup
Boot Device	Raspberry Pi 64GB 64GB (microSD)	Raspberry Pi 256GB 256GB (M.2 NVMe)

Every figure above comes from hardware run in-house by Bret Weber, on the exact OS build, kernel, firmware and boot device listed here. Boards are tested to a fixed procedure so results stay comparable between them: see our testing methodology for how each benchmark is run.

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Detailed Reviews

Read our comprehensive reviews from bret.dk featuring data and benchmarks from sbc.compare:

•Raspberry Pi 500 Review

•Raspberry Pi 500+ Review

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)

CPU Performance

Processor performance across single and multi-core workloads

Geekbench 6

Higher Scores are Better

Single-Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)903

903

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)892-1%

892-1%

Multi-Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)2,162

2,162

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)2,121-2%

2,121-2%

7-Zip Benchmark

Higher Scores are Better

Single-Core Combined

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)3,375 MIPS

3,375 MIPS

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)3,356 MIPS-1%

3,356 MIPS-1%

Multi-Core Combined

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)12,057 MIPS

12,057 MIPS

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)11,979 MIPS-1%

11,979 MIPS-1%

High Performance Linpack

Higher Scores are Better

Performance

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)36.48 GFLOPS

36.48 GFLOPS

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)35.15 GFLOPS-4%

35.15 GFLOPS-4%

Performance/Watt

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)3.41 GFLOPS/W

3.41 GFLOPS/W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)2.66 GFLOPS/W-22%

2.66 GFLOPS/W-22%

UnixBench

Higher Scores are Better

Single Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)1,649

1,649

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)1,646

1,646

Multi Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)4,601-6%

4,601-6%

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)4,884

4,884

PassMark CPU

Higher Scores are Better

CPU Score

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)2,382

2,382

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)2,384

2,384

CPU Mining (cpuminer-multi)

Higher Hashrates are Better

Single Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)3.86 kH/s

3.86 kH/s

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)3.86 kH/s

3.86 kH/s

Multi Core

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)15.43 kH/s

15.43 kH/s

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)15.43 kH/s

15.43 kH/s

Memory Performance

Memory bandwidth and throughput benchmarks

PassMark RAM

Higher Scores are Better

RAM Score

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)1,379-4%

1,379-4%

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)1,432

1,432

AI & LLM Performance

Large Language Model inference performance

Ollama LLM Benchmark

Higher Scores are Better

Tokens/sec

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)9.96 tok/s-3%

9.96 tok/s-3%

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)10.26 tok/s

10.26 tok/s

Tokens/Watt

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)1.13 tok/W

1.13 tok/W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)0.88 tok/W-22%

0.88 tok/W-22%

Tokens/Dollar

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)0.05 tok/$

0.05 tok/$

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)0.02 tok/$2.5× slower

0.02 tok/$2.5× slower

Storage Performance

Disk I/O throughput measured with FIO

fio Storage Performance - microSD

Higher Speeds are Better • Raspberry Pi 64GB (64GB microSD)

4K Random Read

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)22.1 MB/s

22.1 MB/s

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)21.7 MB/s-2%

21.7 MB/s-2%

4K Random Write

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)15.3 MB/s

15.3 MB/s

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)14.9 MB/s-3%

14.9 MB/s-3%

fio Storage Performance - M.2 NVMe

Higher Speeds are Better • Raspberry Pi 256GB (256GB M.2 NVMe)

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)4K Random Read: 301.4 MB/s4K Random Write: 267.4 MB/s

Only this board has been tested so far, so there is nothing to compare against yet.

Network Performance

Ethernet and WiFi throughput measured with iPerf3

iPerf3 Network Performance

Higher Speeds are Better

Ethernet Up

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)937 Mbps

937 Mbps

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)937 Mbps

937 Mbps

Ethernet Down

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)941 Mbps

941 Mbps

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)941 Mbps

941 Mbps

WiFi Up

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)71 Mbps

71 Mbps

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)45 Mbps-37%

45 Mbps-37%

WiFi Down

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)176 Mbps

176 Mbps

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)140 Mbps-20%

140 Mbps-20%

Power & Thermal

Power consumption at idle and under various workloads

Power Consumption

Lower is "Better"

Idle Power

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)3W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)3.3W+10%

3.3W+10%

Load Power

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)6W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)6.6W+10%

6.6W+10%

Ollama Max

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)8.8W

8.8W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)11.7W+33%

11.7W+33%

Linpack Max

Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)10.7W

10.7W

Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)13.2W+23%

13.2W+23%

Benchmark	Raspberry Pi 500 (8GB)	Raspberry Pi 500+ (16GB)

Geekbench 6 Single-Core	903	892
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core	2162	2121
7-Zip Single-Core Combined	3375 MIPS	3356 MIPS
7-Zip Multi-Core Combined	12057 MIPS	11979 MIPS
7-Zip Single-Core Compression	3415 MIPS	3380 MIPS
7-Zip Multi-Core Compression	11095 MIPS	10975 MIPS
7-Zip Single-Core Decompression	3335 MIPS	3333 MIPS
7-Zip Multi-Core Decompression	13019 MIPS	12984 MIPS
Linpack Performance	36.477 GFLOPS	35.146 GFLOPS
Linpack Performance/Watt	3.409 GFLOPS/W	2.663 GFLOPS/W
UnixBench Single Core	1649	1646
UnixBench Multi Core	4601	4884
PassMark CPU Score	2382	2384
CPU Mining Single Core	3.86 kH/s	3.86 kH/s
CPU Mining Multi Core	15.43 kH/s	15.43 kH/s

PassMark RAM Score	1379	1432

deepseek-r1:1.5b
Tokens per Second	9.96 tok/s	10.26 tok/s
Tokens per Watt	1.13 tok/W	0.88 tok/W
Tokens per Dollar	0.05 tok/$	0.02 tok/$
Max Power	8.8W	11.6W
deepseek-r1:8b
Tokens per Second	1.86 tok/s	1.94 tok/s
Tokens per Watt	0.21 tok/W	0.18 tok/W
Tokens per Dollar	0.01 tok/$	N/A
Max Power	8.8W	11W
deepseek-r1:14b
Tokens per Second	N/A	1.18 tok/s
Tokens per Watt	N/A	0.1 tok/W
Tokens per Dollar	N/A	N/A
Max Power	N/A	11.7W

Raspberry Pi 64GB (64GB)
Sequential Read 4K	39.0 MB/s (9992 IOPS)	38.5 MB/s (9869 IOPS)
Sequential Read 64K	72.0 MB/s (1152 IOPS)	71.3 MB/s (1141 IOPS)
Sequential Read 1M	87.7 MB/s (87 IOPS)	87.3 MB/s (86 IOPS)
Sequential Write 4K	35.4 MB/s (9076 IOPS)	36.9 MB/s (9446 IOPS)
Sequential Write 64K	73.9 MB/s (1183 IOPS)	73.7 MB/s (1178 IOPS)
Sequential Write 1M	71.0 MB/s (70 IOPS)	70.7 MB/s (70 IOPS)
Random Read 4K	22.1 MB/s (5664 IOPS)	21.7 MB/s (5559 IOPS)
Random Read 64K	56.9 MB/s (910 IOPS)	57.3 MB/s (917 IOPS)
Random Read 1M	88.9 MB/s (88 IOPS)	88.6 MB/s (88 IOPS)
Random Write 4K	15.3 MB/s (3933 IOPS)	14.9 MB/s (3835 IOPS)
Random Write 64K	55.3 MB/s (885 IOPS)	55.0 MB/s (880 IOPS)
Random Write 1M	76.3 MB/s (75 IOPS)	76.1 MB/s (75 IOPS)

Raspberry Pi 256GB (256GB)
Sequential Read 4K	N/A	829.9 MB/s (212471 IOPS)
Sequential Read 64K	N/A	638.3 MB/s (10212 IOPS)
Sequential Read 1M	N/A	832.9 MB/s (832 IOPS)
Sequential Write 4K	N/A	584.4 MB/s (149626 IOPS)
Sequential Write 64K	N/A	735.1 MB/s (11761 IOPS)
Sequential Write 1M	N/A	716.7 MB/s (716 IOPS)
Random Read 4K	N/A	301.4 MB/s (77173 IOPS)
Random Read 64K	N/A	458.6 MB/s (7337 IOPS)
Random Read 1M	N/A	842.7 MB/s (842 IOPS)
Random Write 4K	N/A	267.4 MB/s (68475 IOPS)
Random Write 64K	N/A	422.9 MB/s (6767 IOPS)
Random Write 1M	N/A	706.8 MB/s (706 IOPS)

Idle Power	3W	3.3W
Load Power	6W	6.6W
Ollama Max Power	8.8W	11.7W
Linpack Max Power	10.7W	13.2W

Ethernet Upload	937 Mbps	937 Mbps
Ethernet Download	941 Mbps	941 Mbps
WiFi Upload	71 Mbps	45 Mbps
WiFi Download	176 Mbps	140 Mbps

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is faster, the Raspberry Pi 500 or the Raspberry Pi 500+?

The Raspberry Pi 500 is faster in our testing, scoring 2,162 in Geekbench 6 multi-core versus 2,121 for the Raspberry Pi 500+, a 2% advantage.

Which board is the best value?

Of the boards in this comparison, the Raspberry Pi 500 offers the best performance per dollar: 11.1 Geekbench 6 multi-core points per dollar at $194.32.

Add One More Board

You can compare up to 3 boards at once. Add one more to get the complete comparison.

Raspberry Pi 500 vs Raspberry Pi 500+

Comparison Summary

Test Environment

Detailed Reviews

CPU Performance

Geekbench 6

7-Zip Benchmark

High Performance Linpack

UnixBench

PassMark CPU

CPU Mining (cpuminer-multi)

Memory Performance

PassMark RAM

AI & LLM Performance

Ollama LLM Benchmark

Storage Performance

fio Storage Performance - microSD

fio Storage Performance - M.2 NVMe

Network Performance

iPerf3 Network Performance

Power & Thermal

Power Consumption

Benchmark Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is faster, the Raspberry Pi 500 or the Raspberry Pi 500+?

Which board is the best value?

Add One More Board

Raspberry Pi 500 vs Raspberry Pi 500+

Comparison Summary

Test Environment

Detailed Reviews

CPU Performance

Geekbench 6

7-Zip Benchmark

High Performance Linpack

UnixBench

PassMark CPU

CPU Mining (cpuminer-multi)

Memory Performance

PassMark RAM

AI & LLM Performance

Ollama LLM Benchmark

Storage Performance

fio Storage Performance - microSD

fio Storage Performance - M.2 NVMe

Network Performance

iPerf3 Network Performance

Power & Thermal

Power Consumption

Benchmark Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is faster, the Raspberry Pi 500 or the Raspberry Pi 500+?

Which board is the best value?

Related Single Board Computers

Add One More Board