I started out with a Hubitat C8 Pro then migrated to a Home Assistant Green about 5 months ago (So glad I did!). Then I upgraded to an HA Yellow with Raspberry Pi CM5, 8GB of RAM, and 500GB SSD HDD. Since then I’ve read several articles and watched some YouTube videos that suggest even the CM5 pales by comparison to a mini PC. I currently have 4 video feeds (But I have a Reolink hub), 174 devices, 64 automations, 45 scripts, etc. From what I’ve read I thought I might want to consider upgrading to a mini PC. But I’m running the System Monitor integration and I seldom break 20% of RAM usage, and 5% CPU usage! So my Yellow is barely breaking a sweat. I realize what hardware is adequate for some might not be for others. I’m curious to hear other opinions regarding the Raspberry Pi and CM5, and whether they find it adequate.
RPis are not bad as such.
5-10 years back they were the best choice cost/performance-wise.
During the last 5 years RPis with required gear (SSD, power supply, powered USB, case and cooling) have increased quite a bit in price and mini PC have decreased slightly, so today a mini PC often only cost a bit more than a RPi, but the mni PC delivers more power.
If you have to make a buy today, then nearly all will recommend a mini PC and if you go for a second hand one and there are even a lot of good and extremely cheap second hand options.
If you already have a RPi, then stick with it until it can not handle the load anymore or it dies.
I run two instances of HA; a NUC and a Pi. Both run perfectly. What tipped me over the edge is camera feeds and Frigate object detection. The number of cameras depends on your image size. Keep it small simple and Pi can perfectly cope.
When I started my HA journey back in 2017(?), I started off with an RPi3+; then I upgraded to an RPi4 and I’m running my whole system now on an RPi5 (with an SSD, of course).
I run a second (remote) HA instance just for Frigate (with 8 cameras) on an old laptop without a screen.
The RPi 5 works fine for me, except when I’m trying to do a bulk upgrade of e.g. my 12 Sonoff S31s to a new ESPHome version - I’ve done this sometimes from the laptop to not bog down the main machine, no big deal.
Could I run all of this off of a single Mini PC? Sure!
Do I need to spend the money now just to run it all on the same device? No!
The next main HA instance might (will probably) not run of a Pi once the current one can’t cope with it any more. Until then it’s fine for me.
Thanks I read the post. My next device will certainly be a mini pc. But my Yellow doesn’t have ALL the shortcomings described. I like the fact that it’s solid state and uses very little power. Right now it far exceeds my needs so I’ll most likely keep it for the foreseeable future. Or unless I am overwhelmed with the urge to tinker.
They have a poor price performance ratio
I got the Yellow with 8 GB of RAM, 500 GB SSD HDD, and CM5 for $260. I see mini pc’s are not much more.
Their internal storage isn’t ideal . SD cards corrupt easily
My Yellow has a 500 GB SSD drive
I employ frigate object detection in 3 of my 4 video feeds. But I have a Reolink hub, so I think that handles a lot of the load. Currently the Video feeds in my Yellow are just about as fast as the Reolink web interface.
I configured HA to send notification if an animal or person is detected in my backyard. I often get “animal detection” notifications and can watch the critters. I don’t check for automobiles in my backyard.
An RPi3? You are showing your age! I feel the same way, my Yellow (With 8 GB of RAM, CM5, and 500 GB SSD drive is currently more than sufficient. My next device will most likely be a mini PC though.
FYI, I paid $75 for a Reolink hub which can handle 8 camera feeds. I currently have 3 cameras and the doorbell.
I think the crux of the question is if you are willing to buy used.
I ebayed an old:
Intel Core i5-4278U 2.60GHz
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
For USD $55 ($73 including tax + shipping)
There is usually plenty of older / low spec hardware that people are throwing away so you can usually get a deal on it.
Thats plenty good enough to run a few docker containers (including HA)
I should probably measure how much power its using - I think thats the only downside of old PC hardware.
I wanted to use a Pi 4 or 5 when I started with HA 2 years ago. But the cost of a pi was equal to the miniPC back then. My miniPC is a n150, 8gb, 256g SSD and I think was ~130 USD then. Uses 6w at idle for most of the day (idle for me is 1-2% cpu use). Then it maxes at 16w under 100% load - verified by a kill-o-watt. I was worried that the miniPC would use way more power but it doesn’t.
I’m running HAOS and doing nothing remarkable. If the pi had been a better value and I was able to get one, I’d still have gone that route. But at that time they were sold out everywhere, and when they came in stock they were overpriced. My local Microcenter had people lining up just to see if they got a new shipment of 4’s or 5’s. I too lined up 1x then ordered the miniPC and never looked at a pi again.
All good comments. But one question I always ask is: What do you need?
I can relate to the “tinkerer” mindset and the urge to buy The Next Thing. But the real question to ask is: what are your constraints now? Are you running low on memory? CPU? If so, then all the answers above are good ones.
If not, and HA is running fine as is, you should also consider the “do nothing” option.
