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  "path": "/article/2583964/i-turned-a-raspberry-pi-5-into-a-real-ssd-powered-pc-for-less-than-200.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-14T11:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.pcworld.com",
  "tags": [
    "Desktop PCs",
    "Raspberry Pi 5",
    "10 surprisingly practical Raspberry Pi projects anybody can do",
    "Waveshare POE M.2 HAT",
    "NVMe-based SSD",
    "official charger from Raspberry Pi",
    "Raspberry Pi: The best beginner projects",
    "Raspberry Pi Imager",
    "ESD wrist strap",
    "Raspberry Pi troubleshooting: Helpful fixes to common problems",
    "Hifiberry Amp4 Pro",
    "Installation guide can be found here",
    "Follow the guide here.",
    "Poolside Factory has a guide",
    "Shairport-Sync",
    "have a guide",
    "video guide you can follow here",
    "here is a guide"
  ],
  "textContent": "The Raspberry Pi 5 is several times faster than previous models of the compact and cheap computer. For less than a couple hundred bucks, you can have a computer that can do many tasks that previously required a regular PC, that consumes very little power, and for which the web is overflowing with exciting tutorials and projects you can take on.\n\nIn this guide, I’ll first walk you through how to build a Raspberry Pi 5 with maximum performance so you can use it for everything it’s capable of. To do that, you’ll need to take advantage of the board’s new ability to connect an SSD via PCI Express.\n\n> **Further reading:**10 surprisingly practical Raspberry Pi projects anybody can do\n\n## Here’s what you need\n\nTo fully follow this guide, you will need the following hardware:\n\n  * Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB for maximum performance, but you can choose 2- or 4GB as well)\n  * A so-called “hat” (a type of daughterboard called HAT that attaches to the top of the Raspberry Pi) with an M.2 slot (I chose the Waveshare POE M.2 HAT but there are several others)\n  * A cooler — often comes with the HAT\n  * NVMe-based SSD in M.2 format\n  * MicroSD card of at least 8GB or a USB adapter for the M.2 SSD for the installation\n  * Micro HDMI to HDMI cable to connect display\n\n\n\nAnders Lundberg\n\nYou will also need a power source, either a USB charger that supports USB-PD and a USB-C cable or the official charger from Raspberry Pi. If you’re going to use USB accessories without external power, the charger should be able to handle at least 25 watts, otherwise 15 watts is enough. You should be able to build the complete PC for under $200 if you opt for the 2GB Raspberry Pi 5 and a 256GB or 512GB SSD, but prices climb if you’re looking for more spacious versions. The AI-fueled RAM and storage crisis is making consumer hardware painfully expensive.\n\nIn addition to the above, you will need a mouse, keyboard, and a monitor — otherwise you will have to connect using SSH in Terminal and make all settings via text commands. If you are later going to use the computer as a server of some sort, these are no longer needed and you can connect using SSH or VNC to make changes.\n\n> **Further reading:** Raspberry Pi: The best beginner projects\n\nIt’s not a must, but I recommend getting a chassis for the computer. It protects against dust and reduces the risk of damage from static electricity. A chassis also makes the Raspberry Pi look more like a complete computer and not just a circuit board.\n\nFoundry\n\n## Installing the operating system\n\nHere you have two options. If you have a USB adapter for M.2 SSDs, you can plug your SSD into it and install the system directly onto it. If you don’t, you can use a Micro SD card instead and clone the system to the SSD once the Raspberry Pi is up and running.\n\nWhichever way you choose, start by downloading and installing Raspberry Pi Imager, a program that makes it easy to install the operating system for the tiny computer.\n\nOnce it’s up and running, select the Raspberry Pi 5 for the device on the left, the Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) in the middle, and your new SSD or Micro SD card on the right. Double-check that you get the right disc so you don’t accidentally erase an external hard drive or SSD if using with your regular computer.\n\nFoundry\n\nThen click _Next_ and select _Edit Settings_. These settings make it easier to get started, and they’re saved so you don’t have to fill them in again if you want to reinstall the system later. For example, you can select the time zone and enter the name and password of your wireless network. If you have an SSH key on your computer and want to connect remotely without a password, you can tick _Enable SSH_ under _Services_ and enter your public key.\n\nWhen you save and move on, the program will ask one last time if you are sure you want to delete all content on the selected target. After that, it will install the system and check that everything was done correctly.\n\n## Assembling the computer\n\nThe first step is of course to put the parts together. There aren’t many so it shouldn’t take too long, but if you’re not used to tinkering with computer components, there are a few things to keep in mind.\n\nPerhaps the most important is to avoid static electricity, which in the worst case can burn the sensitive circuitry. Do not walk around the room while holding the circuit board, especially not on carpet. Use the box it came in or an anti-static bag to move it.\n\nGround yourself before touching the circuit board, for example by touching an element or the metal casing of a grounded electrical product. Even safer is to get a so-called ESD wrist strap and follow the instructions.\n\nAnders Lundberg\n\nStart by screwing on the four stands for the HAT where the SSD is mounted. They should be included and are usually made of brass, with a small screw that should sit on the underside of the circuit board.\n\nThen attach the cooling pads that come with the cooler to the various circuits and mount the cooler according to the instructions provided. The cooler is pressed into place with two spring-loaded pins in specific holes on the PCB.\n\n> **Further reading:** Raspberry Pi troubleshooting: Helpful fixes to common problems\n\nAttach the SSD to the HAT and then carefully install the HAT so that all pins are in the correct position. If the M.2 HAT you have purchased has a built-in fan, you first need to attach it to the connector labelled _FAN_ , which is located behind the outer USB connectors. Gently push the HAT into place and screw it on with the supplied screws.\n\nAnders Lundberg\n\nThe next step is to attach the small cable tie between the HAT and the dedicated PCI Express connector on the Raspberry Pi. Gently loosen the fasteners (a brown plastic piece on the Raspberry Pi, may look a little different on different HATs) and insert the ribbon. There are little white arrows showing which way is right — you can see how it should look in the pictures above. Push back the fasteners to hold the band in place.\n\nThe last step is to mount the computer in the chassis, if you have one.\n\nFoundry\n\n## The first start\n\nNow it’s time to see if everything went right. Connect the monitor, mouse, and keyboard and then plug in the USB cable for power. The Raspberry Pi doesn’t have an on/off switch, so the computer will start up immediately (however, some power adapters designed for Raspberry Pi have a built-in switch).\n\nIf all has gone well, you’ll soon be greeted by the Raspberry Pi OS welcome screen and can start going through the basic settings. If you didn’t fill in a new account name and password during installation, you should do so here. Once you’re done with the settings, the system will check for and install the latest updates before letting you into the desktop.\n\nFoundry\n\nNow you can basically start using the Raspberry Pi as a simple desktop computer. Firefox and Chromium are pre-installed and you can install other software by clicking on the Raspberry Pi icon in the top-left and selecting _Settings > Recommended Software_.\n\nOn the top-right you will see shortcuts to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi settings and available updates.\n\nBefore we go any further, I suggest you make a small change via the terminal so that the SSD can utilize its maximum speed. Click on the terminal icon on the top-left and type the following command:\n\n`sudo nano/boot/firmware/config.txt`\n\nScroll to the bottom and add the following text (which enables PCIe 3.0):\n\n\n    # Change PCIe speed to gen 3dtparam=pciex1dtparam=pciex1_gen=3\n\nFoundry\n\nThen press **Ctrl-O** , **Return** , **Ctrl-X** to save and close the file. Then type in:\n\n`sudo rpi-eeprom-config --edit`\n\nChange the line with BOOT_ORDER to:\n\n`BOOT_ORDER=0xf416`\n\nPress **Ctrl-O** , **Return, Ctrl-X** again and the file will be saved and the system will overwrite the firmware settings so that the computer will prefer to boot from SSD even if an SD card is in place with operating system.\n\nIf you installed the system on a Micro SD card, it is now time to clone the system to the SSD. Type the following commands one by one in the terminal:\n\n\n    git clone https://github.com/geerlingguy/rpi-clone.gitcd rpi-clonesudo cp rpi-clone rpi-clone-setup /usr/local/sbinsudo rpi-clone nvme0n1\n\nAs long as you have connected the SSD and HAT correctly, the last command will ask if you really want to delete all content on the target. When you agree, it will hold for a while while it copies over all the content from the SSD card to the SSD.\n\nFoundry\n\nOnce complete, you can shut down by clicking the _Raspberry Pi button > Logout > Shutdown_. Then remove the Micro SD card and reboot by unplugging and plugging in the power cable (or with the power switch if your cable has it). If all has gone well, the computer will restart nicely and is significantly quicker thanks to the faster storage.\n\n## Other exciting accessories\n\nOf course, an M.2 SSD cap isn’t the only interesting accessory for the Raspberry Pi. There are many other accessories for different uses, which can open up the computer to new applications. Here are some examples:\n\n**Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)**\nThis means that the computer is powered via network cable instead of USB-C. If you have a switch with PoE and have wired your home, you can place the Raspberry Pi at an available network socket and not need another cable — perfect if you’re using it as a server. The M.2 cap I chose myself (see above) has built-in PoE functionality.\n\nWaveshare\n\n**Display**\nThere are a huge number of different-sized screens for direct connection to the small computer. Ranging from tiny screens that can display information to relatively large touch screens, for example.\n\n**Sensors**\nRaspberry Pi can be turned into an indoor weather station that monitors the air quality in your home. Not the cheapest solution, but an exciting project.\n\nRaspberry Pi\n\n**Cameras**\nA common project with Raspberry Pi is a home-built surveillance camera that can then be used with Home Assistant. There are a plethora of camera modules, including one with a built-in AI accelerator that can recognize people, for example.\n\n**Sound card**\nMany people use the Raspberry Pi as a music server, connected to a speaker system. The computer has no built-in audio outputs (except via HDMI), but there are a number of “HATs” with both RCA and 3.5-millimeter connectors and optical audio-out. One example is the Raspberry Pi DAC Pro.\n\nThere are also simple amplifiers so you can connect analog speakers directly to the computer, such as the Hifiberry Amp4 Pro.\n\nAnother option is a USB sound card, such as Apple’s USB-C headphone adapter which has a really good DAC.\n\n## 5 smart ways to use the Raspberry Pi 5\n\n52pi\n\n**Retro gaming computer**\nThe Raspberry Pi is perfect as a small games console that emulates classic console games from the 1980s and 1990s. It _can_ also emulate newer consoles such as the Nintendo Gamecube and Wii, but the performance is not quite enough on the Raspberry Pi 5. Batocera is currently the best platform and you download it as a disc image that you can write to Micro SD cards (at least 16 gigabytes) or directly to the SSD with the Raspberry Pi Imager. Installation guide can be found here.\n\n**Server for home automation**\nInstall Home Assistant and instantly the Raspberry Pi 5 becomes the perfect server to power all your smart home gadgets. Connect a Zigbee radio with USB and you can connect, for example, Ikea gadgets without needing the Ikea app. Inbuilt Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also useful. Follow the guide here.\n\n**For those with an iPhone or iPad: Airplay receiver for streaming music**\nPlay music from any streaming service on any old speakers using Raspberry Pi as an Airplay receiver. This is not something that requires a Raspberry Pi 5, but works well on other Pi models too, such as the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. All you need is some type of sound card (see above) and a little patience in the terminal. Poolside Factory has a guide — you just need to use the commands in the gray box under _Option 2: Airplay 2_.\n\nThe developers of the Shairport-Sync server software have a guide to choosing an audio device which may be useful if you have purchased a HAT with a DAC.\n\n**Router (Openwrt)**\nIf you want to use alternative router software but have a router that doesn’t support it, you can try building your own using Raspberry Pi and the Openwrt operating system. With an extra Ethernet adapter for USB, you get one connector for WAN (internet) and one for LAN (your local network). Home Network Guy has a video guide you can follow here. You can then set up your old router to act as a Wi-Fi access point — your computer’s inbuilt Wi-Fi is not designed to act as an access point. Another option is IP Fire — here is a guide to that.\n\nAnders Lundberg\n\n**Experimental computer**\nLearn to use Linux without changing the system in your regular computer. Learn to code with Python. Get started with hardware control with various accessories that control LEDs, motors, and more. Raspberry Pi is the perfect platform for experimenting.",
  "title": "I turned a Raspberry Pi 5 into a real SSD-powered PC for less than $200"
}