Raspberry Pi 4 memory choice: 2GB vs 4GB

  • After reading the "What box to buy" thread where chewitt recommends a Raspberry Pi 4, I wondered whether 2GB ram is sufficient, or whether I should consider 4GB. I wasn't able to find an answer directly in this forum but maybe I have missed something. Hopefully this thread and any replies will help others in the future too.

  • It depends... I am running fine LE 10 Nightly even on 1GB RPi 4B. So in general, 2GB should be enough for most users. But for LiveTV when I need the TimeShift data to be stored in RAM only, I would prefer 4GB version...

  • Stats show 4GB is the most popular choice but from a pure technical perspective 2GB is all you need for LE use. Avoid the 1GB model unless you only plan to use 1080p media. I find running from an SD card perfectly fine (and nothing extra hanging off the case).

  • Thanks very much for the replies! Sounds like 2GB is fine then. It'll only run libreelec from an SD card to replace my Pi 3B, which struggles with HEVC and only 2.4GHz WiFi which really cripples playback at certain times. Although now I think about it a 3B+ will solve that last issue and won't need a new case and power supply :/ That's for another thread!