Raspberry Pi SSDs and SSD Kits on sale now

To help you get the best out of your Raspberry Pi 5, today we’re launching a range of Raspberry Pi-branded NVMe SSDs. They are available both on their own and bundled with our M.2 HAT+ as ready-to-use SSD Kits.

The image depicts a Raspberry Pi single-board computer with an M.2 HAT attached. The HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) is labeled "Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT," and it supports an M.2 key slot, which is a standardized slot for attaching M.2 SSDs or other compatible devices. In the image, there is an M.2 module connected to the HAT, likely providing additional storage or interfacing with specific hardware for performance enhancements. This setup is often used to expand storage capabilities or add custom hardware accelerators for applications like fast booting, large file storage, or computational purposes when connected to a Raspberry Pi. The M.2 module can be seen secured to the HAT via screws and has various regulatory markings visible. The Raspberry Pi itself, underneath the HAT, is partially obscured, but you can see key features such as the HDMI ports, USB ports, and Ethernet jack. This combination is useful for those looking to boost their Raspberry Pi's storage capacity or performance through M.2 SSDs.

When we launched Raspberry Pi 5, almost exactly a year ago, I thought the thing people would get most excited about was the three-fold increase in performance over 2019’s Raspberry Pi 4. But very quickly it became clear that it was the other new features – the power button (!), and the PCI Express port – that had captured people’s imagination.

We’ve seen everything from Ethernet adapters, to AI accelerators, to regular PC graphics cards attached to the PCI Express port. We offer our own low-cost M.2 HAT+, which converts from our FPC standard to the standard M.2 M-key format, and there are a wide variety of third-party adapters which do basically the same thing. We’ve also released an AI Kit, which bundles the M.2 HAT+ with an AI inference accelerator from our friends at Hailo.

512GB variant
256GB variant

But the most popular use case for the PCI Express port on Raspberry Pi 5 is to attach an NVMe solid-state disk (SSD). SSDs are fast; faster even than our branded A2-class SD cards. If no-compromises performance is your goal, you’ll want to run Raspberry Pi OS from an SSD, and Raspberry Pi SSDs are the perfect choice.

This image shows a Raspberry Pi setup on a wooden surface, with a Raspberry Pi connected to an M.2 HAT (labeled "Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT M Key") and an attached M.2 SSD module. The Raspberry Pi is powered via a red USB cable, plugged into one of the ports. The setup includes a white Raspberry Pi keyboard and a matching red and white mouse, connected to the Raspberry Pi, suggesting this is a complete desktop computing setup. The keyboard and mouse are placed on the desk next to the Raspberry Pi, and the mouse sits on a mousepad featuring a bright red and blue design that complements the color scheme of the peripherals. The setup is wired with multiple connections, including two white USB cables going into the Raspberry Pi, likely connecting other peripherals like the keyboard and mouse, and a red Ethernet or power cable. This configuration is typically used for light computing tasks, educational purposes, and experimenting with hardware or software using a Raspberry Pi with expandable M.2 storage for enhanced functionality.

The entry-level 256GB drive is priced at $30 on its own, or $40 as a kit; its 512GB big brother is priced at $45 on its own, or $55 as a kit. Both densities offer minimum 4KB random read and write performance of 40k IOPS and 70k IOPS respectively. The 256GB SSD and SSD Kit are available to buy today, while the 512GB variants are available to pre-order now for shipping by the end of November.

So, there you have it: a cost-effective way to squeeze even more performance out of your Raspberry Pi 5. Enjoy!