Hello a noob here, what is the best raspberry pi to get started?

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Hello Joss,

as a matter of fact the Pi models does not differ one from the other so that you can consider a newbie will buy the lower model and a supposed expert will buy the model PI2

The previous models has less memory (that is strategical for some performances, as you know) and a slower processor. If you have the needed budget, I strong suggest to buy a model B2 that for few $ more gives you a really more powerful device and the double of ram that in many projects makes the difference. Alternatively if you can invest less money, I suggest anyway to go not lower than the last B+ model.

Enrico

Looking at the Farnell UK pricing for the PI2 vs the B+ a saving of £7.77 can be made. If £7.77 is a concerning amount of money, then by all means look at the B+.

Remember though that the Raspberry Pi is a SOC device on which upgrading RAM etc is not really feasible.

Where the Pi is not being deployed for a specific application I would recommend going for the highest spec you can reasonably afford in order to future-proof the unit and enable you to experiment with some more processor/memory intensive applications (Such as OpenCV) etc. I often take this advice for other devices as well, such as tablets(iPads) and Laptops such as the MacBook Air, where retro-upgrades are not really an option.

The Pi 2 is the best choice for general purpose use, anything that would work on a previous version of the Pi will work on the Pi 2 (some parts may need updating, but it will work) and lots of things work on the Pi 2 that wouldn't work on a previous version of the Pi.

Ubuntu - Pi 2 Only

Win10 IoT - Pi 2 Only (Note: this isn't normal windows, don't look to this as they way to get a windows program working cheaply, there is no GUI (Graphical User Interface) built into this version of Windows).

Good advice, but just a brief point, the 'some parts may need updating' bit does catch people out though.

Some programs/projects/tutorials that were written when the B/B+ were around no longer work or make sense for the Pi 2.

Those with time on their hands to retest have gone back and updated them, but not all have (and many people are unwilling to

state if their project that works on one SoC will work on another unless they first confirm it actually does).

Had the RPI foundation provided some "migration page" with details on what to look out for, (in every popular programming

language) then people could just point to a single location for migration tips for the scenario that people don't have the time to retest and

update their open source projects.

The RPI foundation also could have provided notice in advance, so people didn't waste time on guides that exclusively refer to the B+ when clearly the foundation

had awareness the Pi 2 was imminently about to be released. They frequently refer to the osbourne effect but that is a tired excuse.

"Coming soon" and "roadmaps" are business-as-usual for plenty of firms.

pi 2 for speed and usability or an A+ for compact space saving and embedded projects.  the A+ is adorable.  definitely get some pimoroni pibow cases too!