I wasn't anticipating that I would see much of an increase in performance going from 1.2Ghz to 1.4Ghz processor speed and faster networking, but I was wrong.
This Pi seems much, much faster than the previous P3 B models. I'm not sure if the improvements are from the new OS, The CPU or the Networking, but Chromium was painfully slow before, youtube was barely keeping up in a small window and opening more than one or two tabs would bog the entire system. Now I can view a youtube video full screen (1920x1080). Everything works quicker. It's a viable desktop machine at this point.
There are a few quirks:
1) My Keyboard and mouse go through a USB hub and then a USB KVM Switch. This would not work due to "USB Device nested too deep" error in Linux. Had to remove the hub and go straight to the KVM. So there must be some difference in the USB controller from the Pi 3 B.
2) Even though the P3 B+ supposedly uses less power, I occasionally see the low power "Lightening Bolt" warning when the CPU is really maxed. (Like trying to watch a video through VLC, epic fail). This is with any of my 2.5 amp Canakit Power supplies that NEVER gave me a warning on the Pi 3 B. **(see below)
3) You must use the new Raspbian Strech version of Raspbian. Raspbian Jesse would not boot.
I'm still giving it 5 stars because most folks won't have an issue and I am so impressed by the performance improvements.
** (edit) I discovered that my low power warning issue went away after removing the in-line microUSB On/Off switches that I normally use. I'm not sure why the non-B plus Raspberry Pi's had no issues with the switches. Nonetheless, the new P3 B+ gave no power warnings (even under heavy CPU loads) when I plugged the USB power sources directly into the Pi's microUSB port.
I've been reading and hearing about the various versions of Raspberry Pi for a long time now, but never fully understood what all of the fuss was about. Now I have one, my first, and I finally get it. If anything, they are under-hyped. If you haven't seen one in person yet, they are much smaller than you probably imagine. If you haven't used one yet, they are much, MUCH, more capable than you probably imagine. It would be good with just 2.4gHz WiFi, but with the built-in dual band AC WiFi it is just plain GREAT! I opted for the very basic CanaKit because I wanted a power supply that fully met the requirements of the Pi, and the heat sinks seemed like a good idea anyway. Everything you need, nothing you don't. The download and installation of the operating system (NOOBS) to a micro SD card I purchased separately couldn't have been easier, and the initial setup was effortless. If the majority of what you do with a computer is browse the Web, email, and light word processing, this little thing could easily be all you need. Where is really shines, and what was the biggest pleasant surprise, was how well it works as a media player using OSMC. No problem at all watching YouTube videos, playing remote content from my Plex computer, or playing local video and music files from a USB drive. All of that without even talking about the programmability or available pins to control external devices, or available accessories like the camera and cases. I almost wish I had gotten one sooner, but then, the Pi 3 B+ with the upgraded processor and fast WiFi, as a complete kit from CanaKit, makes me realize I was just waiting for the one I really wanted.
Got this as I am new the the raspberry pi and wanted to get a kit that had all i needed. Included items are all sturdy, and the manual is a full color manual. The only thing I had to search was where to put the heatsinks. for those reading and wondering to here it is:
The two heatsinks go on the two black chips on top that are the same size. There is a 3rd chip looking thing that has a raspberry logo on it. DO NOT put a heatsink on that.
1 extra page in the book would make this easier for new and seasoned users a alike. Would buy again as it is a AWESOME product quality and accessory wise.
Good evolution of the Rasberry Pi. Small uptick In the processor does appear to be faster than the Rasberry Pi 3. It's almost snappy performance! Special note: Use a fast micro SD card for an Impressive speed Improvement! Look for 32GB U3 Class 10 card.
These are great little single board computers that give you an option to use them for a variety of things. I currently have one dedicated to running retropi, which if you don't know is a collection of emulators and old school games. You can have almost every game from the Atari 2600, games for the SNES, Gameboy, arcade games that we used to dump buckets of quarters in. Some people have theirs setup for a media center, which utilizes kodi and common apps such as Netflix, hulu, Pandora, the list goes on. What's superior about the raspberry pi as a media center is, it's not limited on who can put their app on there. My other pi I use to learn how to code with it, which is very useful if you have kids still in school. Technology is taking us in a direction where coding will give you an edge in almost any job, like speaking a second or third language will give you an edge. I highly recommend any and everyone to get one and spend a little time learning another language called coding, then when your done swap out the sd card which holds your operating system abd throw in your retro pi and play some old school games. Better yet, get a couple and use one for gaming or as a media center and use the other for going online and surfing the internet or learn to code, you won't regret it.
Feature Product
- Includes Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (B Plus) with 1.4 GHz 64-bit Quad-Core Processor, 1 GB RAM
- CanaKit 2.5A USB Power Supply with Micro USB Cable and Noise Filter - Specially designed for the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ (UL Listed)
- Dual Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac Wireless LAN, Enhanced Ethernet Performance
- Set of 2 Aluminum Heat Sinks
- CanaKit Quick-Start Guide
Description
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you see a rainbow splash screen with a lightning bolt symbol, this indicates you are NOT using B+ compatible software. NOOBS 2.7.0 or later is required for operation of the B+.
An exclusive kit from CanaKit that includes the fastest model of the Raspberry Pi family - the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (B Plus)!
The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is the latest production Raspberry Pi 3 featuring a 64-bit quad core processor running at 1.4 Ghz. It incorporates built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity with enhanced dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2/BLE and faster Ethernet.
To take full advantage of the improved power management on the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and provide even support for even more powerful devices on the USB ports, a 2.5A adapter is recommended.
The power supply included in this kit incorporates a noise filter to provide the highest stability and comes with a 5-foot cable. This power supply can power the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ and other USB accessories (such as most portable hard drives) without requiring an external powered USB hub.
Kit Includes:
As an IT professional, I've been working with the Raspberry Pi (RPi) line for a couple of years, now. My first exposure was the RPi 3 B. I set up several of them with wall-mounted TVs as digital signage for the public library I work part-time at. I also set one up as a minor web server and another as a live HD video streaming system for parents to watch there little ones from outside the story time room. I was so impressed with them that I got one to play with for myself.
I have shown friends and colleagues projects that I've made using an RPi, and they've given me more. I now have a total of 6, one RPi 3 B, two RPi 3 B+, and 3 RPi Zero W. They seem to just multiply! I've made a security camera for my front porch, a dedicated MP3 player (controlled via phone or tablet) for my bedroom, a couple of digital picture frames with old screens, and so forth.
Since I'm only part time at the library, I also do independent IT contracting. In that capacity, I've set several clients up with RPi units. I set up an entire lab of 25 units for a charter school. They only needed something that students could get online with, and when I demonstrated mine and gave them the cost, they jumped at it. Between 4 and 6 of these for the cost of one Windows PC - they felt it was a no-brainer. A year and a half later, and they're still happy.
I've had private customers ask me for a cheap way to get on Facebook, Gmail, and their banking website without having to resort to the tiny screen of their phone. I demonstrated one of my RPi units to them, and they've been thrilled. For a price of under $80, the RPi 3 B line does so much!
Thrilled as I've been with the RPi 3 B, the 3 B+ is even better! the CPU runs 200 MHz faster (1.4 GHz vs. 1.2 GHz) and the Ethernet port is faster, connecting at 1 Gbps instead of 100 Mbps. In fairness, it really only goes about 300 Mbps because it's still on the USB 2.0 bus, but still....
There are a couple of downsides to the RPi 3 B+. First, it uses more power that the RPi3 B. However, it still work great with the 12.5 watt power supply. Second (and this is true of any Linux-based computer) it doesn't work with online services like Amazon Prime, Hulu or Netflix. These services use a digital rights management system that Linux doesn't seem to work with - for now. Since many products like smart TVs, Bluray players, and other web-based content players are Linux-based, it's only a matter of time before this gets fixed.
If you are looking to learn Linux, programming, or digital controllers, This is a great device to get!
How do you perfect perfection? just add a "+"! The 3B+ is a great enhancement over an already great product. While the 200 mHz increase is great, the substantial increase to networking speed is the gem of this new revision! Using Raspbian and Chromium, videos and web pages load much faster. Check out the reviews and benchmarks on YouTube and see for yourself!
Using this model with the Nespi case to make one of these RetroPi's everyone on the net seems to be so happy with. So far, my experience has been as expected, pretty good overall with a few speedbumps. Most of those speedbumps are more software based so far. However, there is one minor concern I've run into, this particular power supply is not always supplying enough power to my Pi 3B+. Seems like on occasion a lighting bolt will show up on the screen during certain tasks in RetroPie such as video preview playback or other heavy tasks. This has not effected my ability to play the games themselves, but it's worth noting the concern. I'm not entirely sure if this is due to the power supply itself, or the fact that it's being passed through the Nespi case, more troubleshooting might be needed in this case.
Anyhoo, I am overall very satisfied with my purchase. Now I'm off to tinker some more and play some retro games all day.
Best Pi yet. I can't resist getting every new Pi model when they come out. Great that CanKit bundles the heat sinks and power supply. Every Pi needs power.
My first Rasberry Pi and this is a good starter kit. I didn’t want a case and already had spare micro SD cards, what I did want was a power supply, which is included with this kit. The inline on/off switch is nice to have, however I was disappointed with the wall wart design, which is the type where the prongs orient the wall wart so it blocks the use of 3 adjacent outlets on a power strip.
The Pi itself has worked fine and the included documentation is helpful to get started. I downloaded installed NOOBS with Rasberian Linux using a Windows laptop, inserted the SD card In the Pi, and it booted up without any problems. Using a USB keyboard and mouse and HDMI cable to my desktop computer monitor, I was impressed with the full HD resolution desktop on the monitor.
I enabled both SSH and VNC for remote access. One tip I’ll pass on - with the HDMI cable disconnected and using VNC for remote access, the desktop resolution was greatly reduced. After some searching I found a soulution in editing the “config.txt” file in the boot directory. I used the nano text editor to uncomment and change 2 lines to HD (1920 x1080). Use the sudo command to give yourself admin rights otherwise your changes cannot be saved.
Overall I recommend this kit, but would skip the power supply if I order another.
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