The Raspberry Pi 4 just received a RAM upgrade, bringing it to 2GB for the same price as the 1GB version: $35.

Raspberry Pi was originally developed to help teach computer science, but became popular with computer tinkerers, engineers and corporations. The devices are increasingly being used in home automation, as well as manufacturing. With the announcement of the RAM upgrade, the Raspberry Pi could become an even bigger mainstream success, as 2GB of RAM makes it possible to use the machine as a full desktop computer.

Raspberry Pi’s announcement makes a compelling case for the new model, especially when comparing it to the original.

“The fall in RAM prices over the last year has allowed us to cut the price of the 2GB variant of Raspberry Pi 4 to $35. Effective immediately, you will be able to buy a no-compromises desktop PC for the same price as Raspberry Pi 1 in 2012. In comparison to that original machine, we offer:

• 40× the CPU performance
• 8× the memory
• 10× the I/O bandwidth
• 4× the number of pixels on screen
• Two screens instead of one
• Dual-band wireless networking

“And of course, thanks to inflation, $35 in 2012 is equivalent to nearly $40 today. So effectively you’re getting all these improvements, and a $5 price cut.

“We’re going to keep working to make Raspberry Pi a better desktop computer. But this feels like a great place to be, eight years in. We hope you’ve enjoyed the first eight years of our journey as much as we have: here’s to another eight!”