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The new Raspberry Pi 3B+
Did you check the Raspberry Pi website this morning? You might have seen the Raspberry Pi 3B+.
Another Raspberry Pi? Yes – the Raspberry Pi got even more powerful!
Whats new?
- More CPU power
With the updated CPU the Raspberry Pi 3B+ now runs at up to 1.4GHz per core (compared to the 1.2GHz of the Raspberry Pi 3B) - Higher network bandwith
Both Ethernet and WiFi network connectivity have been improved (Ethernet speed is now around 3 times as fast as before, WiFi has also about 3 times the throughput when running on the 5GHz band) - Optional Power-over-Ethernet module
With this module (that isn’t yet available), the Raspberry Pi 3B+ can be powered directly via Ethernet if you use Ethernet switches that support PoE. As this module is not yet available, we can’t say if this will be compatible with additional add-on-boards. From the first pictures on the Raspberry Pi web site it seems that the PoE board will block access to the GPIO and you might not be able to use additional add-on-cards. - Lots of other small improvements
Check out the official web site for more information on all other changes. - Higher power consumption
That’s the downside of the improved the higher computing speed. The power consumption will increase. Make sure you use a high-quality power supply!
Question: Will the Raspberry Pi 3B+ work with my HiFiBerry boards?
Answer: Our initial tests show that the Pi 3B+ seems to be fully compatible with our boards. Due to the limited time, we couldn’t test all combinations yet. However, as the design is very similar to the existing Raspberry Pi 3B, we do not expect any problems.
Question: Should you upgrade your system?
Answer: For normal audio use cases, the higher computing power and bandwidth usually aren’t necessary. However, it might be an interesting upgrade if there are many WLANs in your environment using the 2.4GHz frequency range and your WiFi access point also supports the 5GHz WiFi ranges (most routers sold in the last 5 years should be able to do this). So if you’re happy with your existing installation, there is no need to upgrade it.
Question: Will the software still work on the new Raspberry Pi?
Answer: In general: yes. However, there is one problem: Most distributions will need to be upgraded to the latest Linux version to support the Raspberry Pi 3B+. The latest kernel was just released a few days ago. Older Linux version won’t work. Therefore before upgrading check if the distribution you’re using already provides updates. You need to install the upgrades on the older Raspberry Pi before migrating to the new Pi 3B+!
Question: Will you also sell the Raspberry Pi 3B+ in your shop?
Answer: Yes, we plan to do so. I hope we will have it available in about 1-2 weeks.
Update 30.3.18: While the cards are in general compatible with the Raspberry Pi 3B+, it can be problematic with the older Amp+. The Raspberry Pi 3B+ consumes much more power than the older Raspberry Pi 2 and 3. The Amp+ wasn’t designed to provide that much power. While it might work in some installations, it might be unstable in others. Therefore we recommend you stay with the Raspberry Pi 2 or 3 if you’re still using the Amp+.
The Amp2 can provide more power for the Raspberry Pi and will work fine.
March 14, 2018
