Raspberry Pi with 512mb RAM in the Wild and Element14...

[liz]

Sorry we couldn't discuss this before - I've been dying to all weekend but contractually FORBIDDEN. Although we have been dropping big, fat hints to some of you. (And some of our partners have been a little...leaky.)

This has, as you've probably guessed by now, been in the works for months. (In fact, the day we visited the factory last month, all the Pis being made there were 512MB ones already - we had to be very careful which photos we used from the visit.) It's exciting news, and it's a decision we've made largely because we're finding an increasing number of people, especially in the developing world, who are using a Raspberry Pi as their sole productivity machine. This is meant to make things much more useable for them.

A very important point: if you have already ordered from either RS or Farnell but have not yet received your Pi, you will be getting a 512MB one.

[RaTTuS]

Aha so lots have been shipping it's just not that the RAM has been enabled ....

[davorin]

I'm currently fighting with the Swiss Farnell section...

Though everywhere it states that the price stays the same, for business customers it doubled....but not for private customers in Switzerland...

[milhouse]

Hooray - just had two 512MB Raspberry Pi's arrive from CPC (not kidding, ordered on 5 October, shipped 13 October and just arrived!)

PHEW!!

[davorin]

On what you can detect it's a 512MB version?
Some special markings on it?

[liz]

You can read the amount of RAM off the memory chip.

Davorin: this is almost certainly another wrinkle in Farnell's giant sales database. Please draw their attention to it; the price is meant to stay the same, and I'm sure they'll fix it once they know about it.

[milhouse]

On what you can detect it's a 512MB version?
Some special markings on it?

I'm just booting Raspbian with the 240/16 split and I get the following for free - still 256MB:

Code: Select all

pi@raspberrypi ~ $ free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        237872      95144     142728          0      12116      39420
-/+ buffers/cache:      43608     194264
Swap:       102396          0     102396

What special markings are you interested in?

The memory chip is marked as follows: Samsung 231, K4P4G324EB-AGC1, GKF4979P

And the 512MB Pi is made in the UK!

[MmmPi]

Soo... will the model A be able to grab 512mb as well?
No idea how far 512mb chips will have come down in price.

[RaTTuS]

On what you can detect it's a 512MB version?
Some special markings on it?

I'm just booting Raspbian with the 240/16 split and I get the following for free - still 256MB:

Code: Select all

pi@raspberrypi ~ $ free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        237872      95144     142728          0      12116      39420
-/+ buffers/cache:      43608     194264
Swap:       102396          0     102396

What special markings are you interested in?

to quote liz on the front page
"Units should start arriving in customers’ hands today, and we will be making a firmware upgrade available in the next couple of days to enable access to the additional memory."
so you cannot use the extra ram without the changes
well you may be able with the arbirty RAM split hack someone has done on the forums

[milhouse]

Yes, understood that - hence why not surprised to see it still thinks it has only 256MB.

[liz]

Model A: sadly not. There's some complicatedness around the edges of the cost structure (in particular, margins, royalties etc. have changed a little for us to be able to bring you 512MB at the same price as the old 256MB version), which won't work for us on the even-lower-margined Model A. I've seen the parts we've set aside for the manufacture of Model As, and those memory packages are all 256MB.

[MmmPi]

On what you can detect it's a 512MB version?

Code: Select all

cat /proc/cpuinfo

• Model and revision .......................................................... Code(s)
  Model B Revision 1.0 ......................................................... 2
  Model B Revision 1.0 + ECN0001 (no fuses, D14 removed) ... 3
  Model B Revision 2.0 .......................................................... 4, 5, 6
  Model B Revision 2.0 (512 MB) ............................................ 13, 14, 15

raspberry-pi-model-b-512mb-changes

[davorin]

You can read the amount of RAM off the memory chip.

Davorin: this is almost certainly another wrinkle in Farnell's giant sales database. Please draw their attention to it; the price is meant to stay the same, and I'm sure they'll fix it once they know about it.

Hi Liz

Already made them aware by phone and several emails this morning...
So far the feedback was "I will look what I can do..." (o;

Wonder what models I will get this noon from Farnell (o;

[milhouse]

Both my 512MB versions are showing as Revision #5, I guess the new firmware will be required to differentiate from the 256MB hardware.

Just realised I've already blown the warranty on both these new units by booting them with my over clocked/over volted/forced turbo Raspbian image. Gah!

[MmmPi]

Both my 512MB versions are showing as Revision #5, I guess the new firmware will be required to differentiate from the 256MB hardware.

Can you read your RAM chip part number?

Did you get one of these little notices in with your RasPi?

Photo by Ammar Mirza (mirza88) on element14 forum. Tho his post originally linking to his photos has been deleted from the thread.

[milhouse]

Can you read your RAM chip part number?

K4P4G324EB

Did you get one of these little notices in with your RasPi?

No, but then I ordered from CPC. The cardboard boxes both have a "512MB RAM - We have a little surprise for you..." label on the outside, and I've checked the RAM part number and it's 128Mx32/4Gbit (aka 512Mx8).

[davorin]

Just received my order from October 2nd...with 50 sheets saying "We have a surprise for you.." ))

Just talked to a sales guy from Farnell Switzerland...takes them 2 to 3 days to provide an answer for the doubled price for business customers...

[MmmPi]

Both my 512MB versions are showing as Revision #5, I guess the new firmware will be required to differentiate from the 256MB hardware.

Wow, I wonder if any 512MB versions were sent out but not labeled as such.
If box didn't say 512MB RAM & there was no notice... one just wouldn't know. Anyone with a very recent RasPi might want to check there RAM part number.
Maybe one could just wait for new firmware... but wheres the fun in that?!

What if you don't think to update your firmware? How many non-geeks could just stick xmbc on it, not realize its only accessing 256MB & feel no need to update anything? The distributors should really have the firmware to access 512MB right from the factory.

[davorin]

On what you can detect it's a 512MB version?

Code: Select all

cat /proc/cpuinfo

• Model and revision .......................................................... Code(s)
  Model B Revision 1.0 ......................................................... 2
  Model B Revision 1.0 + ECN0001 (no fuses, D14 removed) ... 3
  Model B Revision 2.0 .......................................................... 4, 5, 6
  Model B Revision 2.0 (512 MB) ............................................ 13, 14, 15

raspberry-pi-model-b-512mb-changes

Hmm...I don't see any code 13/14 or 15 when I do:

Code: Select all

root@raspberrypi:/home/pi# cat /proc/cpuinfo
Processor	: ARMv6-compatible processor rev 7 (v6l)
BogoMIPS	: 697.95
Features	: swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp java tls 
CPU implementer	: 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant	: 0x0
CPU part	: 0xb76
CPU revision	: 7

Hardware	: BCM2708
Revision	: 0005
Serial		: 00000000d53b034e

[milhouse]

Hmm...I don't see any code 13/14 or 15 when I do:

It's not likely you will until you're running the 512MB firmware that knows about revisions 13, 14 and 15.

[davorin]

The only difference I see is:

256MB version:

Code: Select all

Hardware	: BCM2708
Revision	: 1000004
Serial		: 00000000673bee0a

512MB version:

Code: Select all

Hardware	: BCM2708
Revision	: 0005
Serial		: 00000000d53b034e

[shuckle]

Seem like the code is actually 5 instead of 13. Which in my opinion is more logigal anyway.

Farnell advertizes the new model as "faster". Is that only because of more memory or is the new memory also really faster than the old ?
Perhaps it is possible to overclock it more?

[milhouse]

Seem like the code is actually 5 instead of 13. Which in my opinion is more logigal anyway.

Farnell advertizes the new model as "faster". Is that only because of more memory or is the new memory also really faster than the old ?
Perhaps it is possible to overclock it more?

Most likely just double the RAM, although I've just hit 1100/600/600/+6/+0 with the first 512MB model I have here, which wasn't possible with my old 256MB unit (which maxed out at 1000/500/500/+6/+4 - not sure which memory chip it uses as it now has a heatsink stuck on top of it - purchased from Farnell though). I can probably go a bit faster still on the 512MB RAM by upping the sdram voltage.

Edit: Got the 512MB RAM up to 700Mhz with over_voltage_sdram=6...

[shuckle]

Well, Millhouse, doesn't your test results say the opposite? Your new card is faster!

[milhouse]

Well, Millhouse, doesn't your test results say the opposite? Your new card is faster!

It's only faster because it's a better overclocker - probably just improved component yield which will have no guarantees. There is no difference at stock frequencies, which is how it is sold, other than the extra 256MB RAM.