Best Hardware Choice

I have a small PC that I would like to use with Octopi.
Do I need to change the operating system on it?
Or am I better off buying the Raspberry Pi 4?

That depends which OS is currently on it :wink:

OctoPrint supports all major OSes (Linux, Windows, MacOS) so most likely it can be installed. You will find it easier to manage a server like OctoPrint from Linux, as it has less annoying features such as automatic updates...

You can always try it, and decide whether you would rather have a Pi - it will take you a while to find one in stock somewhere for a reasonable price at the moment.

One of the main advantages of using a Raspberry Pi is that it uses much less power than a typical PC. And since the computer running OctoPrint is going to be on for long stretches of time (depending on how much you print), that may add up.

The PC that I have is a very small fanless unit. Power consumption is not a concern.
Will I get the same options as if I had Raspberry Pi?

Yeah you got 95% of the Pi features on a Pc.
Of course you can't use things or plugins that depend on the Pis gpio ports.
But everything else works fine.

You have to install OctoPrint yourself tho.
Depending on what the Pc is capable of I would suggest to run it without desktop environment (no GUI).
Personally I'm using Debian.

If you want to go with linux use this guide Setting up OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian or Raspberry Pi OS and use your username instead of pi.

I ordered the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 2019 Quad Core 64 Bit WiFi Bluetooth (4GB)
Hope that one does what Octoprint needs.

1 Like

I had to cancel the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 2019 Quad Core 64 Bit WiFi Bluetooth (4GB)
I ended up with the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 2GB Ram.
Will this work with OctoPi?

Yes, the RPi 4B 2GB model will work.

1 Like

Just fyi - a Pi Zero 2 would also work

2 Likes

I have the Pi 4 B 2GB
Will this connect to a 5G network?

Yes :slight_smile:
The easiest way to ensure that the 5GHz network is used: use a different ssid for 5GHz

I have different network names and passwords for 5G & 2G

That will work just fine.
I was using a Pi4 2GB version connected to my 5gHz network for OctoPrint originally.
I'm now using a Pi Zero 2W for Octoprint with a pi camera.

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.