Sometimes it’s amazing what creators and modders can do with the humble Raspberry Pi. But no one would accuse the tiny, flexible system-on-a-chip of having an overabundance of storage, since in its base form it relies on a microSD card slot.
If you want more storage space than that, you can add a standard M.2 drive with a “hat” board. But now you don’t need to shop around that — the official Raspberry Pi shop is now selling compatible SSDs and the hardware needed to use them.
According to the announcement post on RaspberryPi.com, you can now get officially branded NVMe drives along with the M.2 HAT+ upgrade board in a handy bundle. These come in two capacities (256GB and 512GB), both in the teeny-tiny 2230 size (30mm long) that fits in the HAT+ add-on board for the Pi 5. The drives cost $30 and $45, respectively, and you can add in the HAT+ module for an extra $10.
The drives should be available via Raspberry Pi’s retail partners soon. Pre-order pages on PiShop.us are up for all four packages with a small surcharge. The smaller drive and bundle are “available to buy today,” with the larger drive and bundle “shipping by the end of November.” If you’re feeling impatient, nothing’s stopping you from buying the HAT+ on its own and installing your own 30mm or 42mm drive.
Further reading: Surprisingly practical Raspberry Pi project ideas
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.