Is a Raspberry Pi 5 better for Monero mining than a Pi 4?
Yes—a Raspberry Pi 5 is generally better for Monero mining than a Pi 4 because its newer processor can do more work. But it is still a small, low-output miner, so buying one just to earn XMR is unlikely to make financial sense.
Why the Pi 5 has the advantage
Monero uses RandomX, a mining method designed to favor CPUs—the main processors inside computers. Your Pi runs calculations to help secure the network, and its speed is measured as a hashrate, or calculations per second.
The Pi 5 has four newer processor cores running at a standard 2.4 GHz, compared with the Pi 4’s older cores, typically running at 1.5–1.8 GHz. Its faster memory system also helps.
However, clock speed alone does not tell you how much faster it will mine. RandomX depends heavily on memory access and cache, the small, fast memory close to the processor. That makes a simple “Pi 5 is twice as fast” claim unreliable without a comparable mining test.
Cache matters more than having four cores
RandomX needs roughly 2 MB of L3 cache per mining thread for efficient operation. A thread is one stream of calculations, and L3 is a level of processor cache.
The Pi 5 has only 2 MB of shared L3 cache. The Pi 4 has no L3 cache. This gives the Pi 5 an advantage, but it also limits how well its four cores can work together on RandomX.
You should not assume that four mining threads will deliver four times the output of one. Try different thread counts and compare:
- Your sustained hashrate after the board has warmed up.
- Power use measured at the wall.
- Processor temperature and whether its speed drops.
Cache guidance is not a hard limit on how many threads you can run. Testing shows which setting actually works best on your setup.
Choose enough RAM and keep it cool
RandomX’s fast mode uses a 2,080 MB dataset, a large collection of data used during mining, plus additional memory. A 2 GB Pi cannot comfortably accommodate that alongside its operating system.
For either model, 4 GB of RAM is a sensible starting point for native mining software. Buying 8 GB or more usually will not improve mining speed by itself. RandomX also has a light mode with a 256 MB cache, but it is much slower.
The Pi 5 benefits especially from active cooling—a heatsink with a fan—during continuous mining. Without adequate cooling, it may automatically slow down to avoid overheating. Include the cooler, suitable power supply, and electricity in your costs.
Compare the setup you actually plan to use
For a fair comparison, use the same miner version, a 64-bit operating system, similar cooling, and optimized settings on both boards.
If you plan to mine through your browser, native mining benchmarks may not reflect your results. Browser limits and the website’s implementation can change performance substantially. Check whether the service actually mines Monero and how it calculates payouts.
Use your measured speed and wall power in a live profitability calculator. Do not rely on promised daily earnings.
The bottom line
Choose the Pi 5 if you want the better of these two boards for a mining experiment. If you already own a Pi 4, upgrading solely for Monero mining is usually hard to justify; neither board is a strong choice for earning meaningful income.
