# Raspberry Pi 5 16GB hits $385 after triple price hike

> The top-spec Raspberry Pi 5 now costs three times its launch price as RAM shortages drive another unavoidable increase.
- Title: Raspberry Pi 5 16GB hits $385 after triple price hike
- Summary: The top-spec Raspberry Pi 5 now costs three times its launch price as RAM shortages drive another unavoidable increase. Raspberry Pi's 16GB model costs $385…
- Keywords: raspberry pi, raspberry pi 5, 16gb ram, price hike, ram shortage, eben upton, microcomputers, technology, culture, Raspberry, 16GB, hits
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/tech/1024342/raspberry-pi-5-16gb-price-hike-ram
- Author: Stevie Bonifield
- Published: 2026-11-02T14:07:22+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: raspberry pi, raspberry pi 5, 16gb ram, price hike, ram shortage, eben upton, microcomputers, technology, culture
## Raspberry Pi 5 16GB hits $385
The 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 now costs $385 after an $80 price hike, driven by ongoing RAM shortages. This configuration launched at $120, meaning it now costs more than triple its original price.
## CEO blames lack of alternative supply
Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton says the hikes were driven by a lack of alternative supply for 16GB DRAM, on top of shortages for other components. He called the increases unavoidable but unwelcome.

> Though these increases are unavoidable, we know they are unwelcome news for our customers.
## Upton suggests cheaper alternatives
Upton encouraged customers to consider Raspberry Pi models with less memory or older Pi versions instead of the expensive 16GB model. Other Raspberry Pi 5 configurations have also gotten more expensive recently.

> We encourage you to make sure you're not paying for more memory than you need.
## Company expects prices to fall again
Upton said the current memory landscape is difficult but ultimately temporary, and Raspberry Pi looks forward to rolling back price increases when memory costs fall once again.

> the current memory landscape is difficult but ultimately temporary, and we look forward to rolling back our price increases when memory costs fall once again.
## Key takeaway

Raspberry Pi's 16GB model costs $385 after an $80 hike, triple its $120 launch price, driven by a global RAM shortage the CEO says is temporary.