Raspberry Pi 500+ Enhanced with External GPU for Gaming

Single-board computers are increasingly popular, with the Raspberry Pi being a leading choice. The recent launch of the Raspberry Pi 500+ aims to draw more computing enthusiasts, but one modder's achievement suggests its potential extends far beyond expectations. This article delves into how a software engineer pushed the boundaries of the Pi 500+ by integrating a powerful external graphics card, transforming it into an unexpected gaming machine. This demonstrates the burgeoning capabilities and the vibrant modding community surrounding these compact devices, showcasing innovation in leveraging existing hardware for enhanced functionality.

The Raspberry Pi 500+ represents a substantial upgrade from its predecessor, the Pi 500. Key improvements include a mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting, a doubling of system memory to 16 GB of LPDDR4x, and the addition of an NVMe M.2 slot to the Pi 5's main board. This M.2 slot is particularly significant as it serves as a physical interface for a PCI Express connection. Recognizing this, software engineer and modder Jeff Geerling opted to utilize this connection in an unconventional manner.

Instead of merely adding a small solid-state drive as intended, Geerling realized that the M.2 slot's PCI Express interface could accommodate almost any PCIe device with the right adapter. He ingeniously connected an OCuLink cable to an external GPU dock, which then housed a powerful Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card. Remarkably, this elaborate setup required only 15 lines of additional code to the GPU's Linux drivers to function correctly.

While the RX 7900 XT is more than capable of running demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 on a traditional PC, the rest of the Pi 500+'s hardware, particularly its modest 2.4 GHz quad-core processor and single Gen 3 PCIe lane, creates a bottleneck. Nevertheless, Geerling successfully installed Steam on this beefed-up Raspberry Pi using Box64, an x86 emulator designed for Arm64 architectures. He then managed to run the game 'Horizon Chase Turbo' at an impressive 118 frames per second. This feat, while not pushing the limits of the RX 7900 XT, is remarkable given the Raspberry Pi's inherent limitations and highlights the potential for lightweight gaming on such platforms.

This isn't Geerling's first foray into enhancing Raspberry Pi's gaming capabilities. Last year, he achieved 4K 60 fps gaming on a Raspberry Pi 5 with Doom 3 using a similar external GPU setup. What makes the Pi 500+ project particularly striking is the elegance and minimal code required to integrate such powerful hardware. This simplicity underscores the growing accessibility of advanced modding and the surprising versatility of single-board computers, pushing the boundaries of what these compact devices can accomplish.

The integration of a high-performance external GPU with a Raspberry Pi 500+ showcases the increasing power and flexibility of single-board computers. This innovative approach, requiring minimal code, not only unlocks unexpected gaming potential but also inspires further experimentation within the DIY computing community.