The Raspberry Pi 5 is the first Pi that feels like a real desktop computer for hobby budgets — fast NVMe storage, native PCIe, dual 4K out, and enough CPU to run a Home Assistant server, an Octoprint host, and a Frigate camera setup at the same time. The flip side: it is also the first Pi where the accessories meaningfully affect whether you actually enjoy using it.
This is the kit-and-accessories list we hand to Manitoba customers who walk in asking "I want to get into Raspberry Pi — what do I need?"
Bare board or full kit?
If this is your first Pi, buy the CanaKit. The five-dollar saving from sourcing pieces individually is not worth the afternoon you will spend matching connectors. If you already have a Pi 4 and you are upgrading, the bare board plus the new 27 W PSU and the active cooler is the right shopping list.
1. Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB) — bare board
The current flagship. Quad Cortex-A76 at 2.4 GHz, dual 4K display out, PCIe via the M.2 HAT+, dual-band Wi-Fi.
Best for: Best when you already own a power supply, microSD, and case and you just want the brain.
Watch out for: You will spend almost the same again on accessories. Start with a kit if this is your first Pi 5.
2. CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit
Board, 27 W USB-C PSU, microSD with NOOBS, premium case with active cooler, HDMI cable, and a heatsink set — boxed.
Best for: Best for first-time Pi users who do not want to source six things from six listings.
Watch out for: You are paying a small kit premium versus assembling parts. The trade is having a working Pi an hour after the box opens.
3. Official Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler
Aluminum heatsink with PWM fan. Snaps onto the four mounting points and plugs into the dedicated fan header.
Best for: Best as a small upgrade on any bare-board purchase — the Pi 5 will throttle without active cooling under load.
Watch out for: Mildly audible at full PWM. The temperature curve in Raspberry Pi OS keeps it quiet for desktop use.
4. Official 27 W USB-C PD Power Supply (Pi 5)
The PSU the Pi 5 actually asks for. Generic 5 V / 3 A chargers trigger an under-voltage warning the moment you plug in a peripheral.
Best for: Best if you want the Pi to negotiate 5 V / 5 A and stop nagging you in the dmesg log.
Watch out for: Other-brand USB-C PD chargers work but most do not advertise the 5 V / 5 A profile the Pi 5 wants.
5. Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ (NVMe)
Single-lane PCIe Gen 2/3 NVMe HAT. Fits a 2230 or 2242 NVMe SSD and turns the Pi into a real desktop in feel.
Best for: Best for anyone running Home Assistant OS, a Pi-hosted media server, or PiOS as a daily-driver desktop.
Watch out for: You will want a 2230 SSD around 256 GB for sweet-spot price-per-GB.
6. SanDisk Extreme 64 GB microSDXC A2 V30
A2-rated cards do real random IO well. A bargain card will make a Pi 5 feel like a Pi 3.
Best for: Best as the boot card if you are not buying an NVMe HAT yet.
Watch out for: Counterfeit cards are common on third-party listings. Buy from a fulfilled-by-Amazon listing or a known retailer.
What we would actually buy
If we were starting fresh tomorrow with a hundred-and-fifty-dollar budget for accessories around a bare Pi 5 8 GB: official PSU, active cooler, official case, M.2 HAT+ with a 256 GB 2230 NVMe, and a 64 GB A2 microSD for backup. That stack lasts for years and skips every common "why is my Pi slow" thread on Reddit.
FAQ
Will old Pi 4 cases fit a Pi 5?
No. The board layout changed — connectors moved, the headers shifted, and the fan header is new. Plan to swap the case.
Can I boot from NVMe without an SD card?
On the Pi 5, yes. The bootloader supports NVMe boot directly once you set the boot order in raspi-config.
Do I need the active cooler if I am just running a media server?
For light loads, the passive case fan is fine. For anything touching the camera stack (Frigate, motion capture, Stable Diffusion experiments) the active cooler is worth the eight dollars.
Will the Pi 5 run Home Assistant?
Yes. Home Assistant OS on Pi 5 with an NVMe HAT is currently the best-feeling self-hosted HA experience under two hundred dollars.
Is the 16 GB Pi 5 worth it?
Only if you are running multiple containers — Frigate plus Home Assistant plus an LLM experiment. For one major workload, 8 GB is plenty.
Related WNW guides
Pair this with our other maker guides and browse our Maker & STEM collection.
If you're planning a low-voltage build — automation in a workshop, a classroom maker corner, a STEM lab — ask us. We help Manitoba customers spec parts, sanity-check wiring choices, and run installation services for the bench, rack, or wall side of a project.