which model to buy for beginners

Question

i want to buy raspberry pi for my 14 year old son . which model to buy ? what are the accessories to buy?

royleith · Answer

Get him the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. The other models are all worthy, but the Pi 3 is powerful and capable. I found this kit from element14 which I think is very suitable (and, currently, out of stock!) https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-83153?ICID=rpimain-related-prods#contents The official PSU is an absolute essential. The 16GB NOOBS SD Card (including MicroSD card to SD Card Adapter) means he can plug and go without the issue of installing the OS on the card. I use the case, myself, and it protects the Pi, but the transparent lid unclips easily to allow Pi HATs to be plugged in. I drilled a small hole to allow for the SenseHAT push-button to poke through and I can keep the lid on and see the 16 x 16 display working. Unclipping the lid gives fast access to the GPIO pins. Oh, and it looks cool, which may be important to him. The official case also provides an access panel, but it is not transparent (and it's pink!). Check that you cannot get the parts of the kit for less money. Let him explore from this starting point and he will decide for himself if he wants to stream media or control nuclear power stations.