Raspberry Pi as a gift

[08LFlynn]

My boyfriend is 18 and really into computing and is planning on taking it at uni and pursuing as a career etc, but I know absolutely nothing about it! I want to get him a Raspberry Pi but after that I have no idea, which model? What else should I get to go with it to get him started? Any advice on what to get with it or where to start would be a great help as I really know nothing about this kind of thing.

Thanks

[Heater]

Excellent idea. Wish I had a girl friend like you at that age.

Get a Model B. That's all you need to know. After that things get tricky. A mouse and keyboard and network connection I'm sure he can work out for himself. The tricky part for me is finding a spare TV or monitor with HDMI input.

P.S. Perhaps a nice case to put the Pi in. Like a nice rainbow Pibow http://shop.pimoroni.com/

[ZacharyI123]

My boyfriend is 18 and really into computing and is planning on taking it at uni and pursuing as a career etc, but I know absolutely nothing about it! I want to get him a Raspberry Pi but after that I have no idea, which model? What else should I get to go with it to get him started? Any advice on what to get with it or where to start would be a great help as I really know nothing about this kind of thing.

Thanks

All depends on your budget. It's a lovely idea, and if I were him, I would really appreciate it. Get a model b. If you can, also get him a preloaded SD card, and if he doesn't have a spare keyboard and mouse, buy him them too!

[sprinkmeier]

Get a B. And a decent powersupply. Dodgy PSU's cause too much trouble.

The NOOBS zip-file makes creating SD cards so easy the preloaded ones aren't worth it.
Get a good 8G card and unzip the NOOBS file onto it, done.

[rickseiden]

If you can, also get him a preloaded SD card

I disagree. Quite often the preloaded SD cards are old, and out of date. Specifically, if he gets a Model B with Hynix memory on it, the old versions just won't work. Certainly buy him an SD card to go with it, but skip the pre-loaded ones, and let him figure it out for himself. He'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

Rick

[Speedwell68]

A model B revision 2, with an 8gb Class 10 SD card and a 8GB memory stick to use as a storage partition. Then get a wireless mouse and keyboard combo, so only one USB is used.

[08LFlynn]

Excellent idea. Wish I had a girl friend like you at that age.

Get a Model B. That's all you need to know. After that things get tricky. A mouse and keyboard and network connection I'm sure he can work out for himself. The tricky part for me is finding a spare TV or monitor with HDMI input.

P.S. Perhaps a nice case to put the Pi in. Like a nice rainbow Pibow http://shop.pimoroni.com/

He has a pretty large tv in his room that I think he uses a HDMI lead for to watch movies off his laptop on and stuff, would that work or would he need something else?

Thanks

[08LFlynn]

Can anyone give me any suggestions for mouse/keyboards as that seems to be a big thing? I really don't know what i'm looking for so thanks for all the help!

[08LFlynn]

Also do you think it would be worth getting one of the many books about it and if so which are good?

[sprinkmeier]

A TV with HDMI input is ideal. If you need to buy a cable for it don't spend more than $10.
I haven't had any trouble with keyboards and mice, from $9 ceapo-combo ones to $45 wireless-with-trackpad. One thing that worked for me was USB extension + keybard with USB hub + USB mouse to get enough distance from the TV, YMMV.
Check the supported HW list: http://www.elinux.org/RPi_Hub
Initially I'd point him at this forum rather than getting a book.

[08LFlynn]

Wireless or USB keyboard/mouse?

[4thdwarflord]

Either wireless or usb will be fine -But don't get bluetooth keyboard/mouse because then you need a bluetooth adapter>

[08LFlynn]

OK, thanks, so: Model B, Keyboard and mouse, case, and 8GB SD card?

[solar3000]

Also do you think it would be worth getting one of the many books about it and if so which are good?

By the time he gets to page 2, that book will be obsolete.

Also, I would get at least a 16GB SD card or better a 32GB. There's really not a huge difference in price.
I had a 8GB card and its already filled.

[Jim Manley]

Although it was mentioned once above, don't forget a good power adapter, at least 5 volts at 1 amp (same as 1,000 milliamps, or ma). The Pi suppliers sell many, and you can check http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals to ensure everything you're getting will work - do a search within the page for specific models you're considering, as the list can be extremely daunting if you look at it as a shopping list!

Also, don't get more than an 8GB SD card as they're too expensive, and he can always expand storage with a USB flash ("thumb") drive or a USB hard disk drive with its own power adapter. Either will be useful for making backups that will be needed eventually (another potential future gift ), although backups can also be made over a network without shutting down the Pi, or the SD card can be backed up to any other computer with an SD card interface (including your Pi - you may discover you can make use of one, too).

[thradtke]

About the wireless keyboard/mouse: While expensive, a Logitech MK520 wireless desktop will work with every operating system. If that's too much, I'd refrain from buying one and let him figure out what works for him. If he only use Linux, an inexpensive one will likely do as well. RISC OS is a little more picky.

[Davespice]

Wow lucky guy, +1 to awesome girlfriend. My wife hardly ever gets me tech
One last suggestion; Maplin do a starter kit which comes with a bunch of stuff;
http://www.maplin.co.uk/landingpage.asp ... aspberrypi

Tell him to not use any pre-loaded SD cards. These are only for people who are technophobic or can’t be bothered to spend ten minutes learning how to make the SD cards themselves. That maplin kit comes with one, but you should just overwrite it with the latest raw image from this page. Or use the Noobs system.