{"id":18847,"date":"2026-09-22T10:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T17:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=18847"},"modified":"2026-09-22T10:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T17:15:10","slug":"raspberry-pi-locks-boards-to-factory-ram-capacities-in-firmware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/22\/raspberry-pi-locks-boards-to-factory-ram-capacities-in-firmware\/","title":{"rendered":"Raspberry Pi Locks Boards to Factory RAM Capacities in Firmware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is about making sure they can move their Pi’s that have more memory instead of others being able to upgrade them. You’d have to wonder if the board members knew about the AI memory hikes that were in the works? Many board members have the OCGFC hookup and are on multiple company boards where they can network and coordinate with what is planned industry wide. Frankly, Raspberry Pi’s are no longer all that compelling a platform now that they’ve gotten so expensive and you need accessories, cases… And the Raspberry Pi 5’s though more powerful, also consume more energy. You’re better off buying mini PCs. In this region, the Colorado State university sells their old PCs<\/a> at really reasonable prices if you need project computers, and there are always deals on refurbished mini PCs on Ebay<\/a> and Amazon<\/a>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.tomshardware.com\/raspberry-pi\/raspberry-pi-locks-boards-to-factory-ram-capacities-in-firmware-engineer-tells-diy-modders-dont-waste-your-time-trying-repairs-or-upgrades-company-cites-shady-reseller-scams<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Raspberry Pi locks boards to factory RAM capacities in firmware \u2014 engineer tells DIY modders ‘don’t waste your time’ trying repairs or upgrades, company cites shady reseller scams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Mark Tyson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SBC supremo blames firms buying cheaper Pis then swapping RAM with ICs \u2018of dubious origin\u2019 for this change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Raspberry
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Raspberry Pi<\/a> users are effectively being blocked from swapping the RAM chips on their SBCs for repairs or upgrades. In a reply on the firm\u2019s forums, Raspberry Pi Engineer & Forum Moderator PhilE told users<\/a> that the company has been \u201clocking devices to their original RAM size\u201d for some time. This decision was made for the sake of device reliability, says the rep. However, the move seems to go against the grain for a company so involved in the maker, DIY, and tinkerer side of computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PhilE explains the problem that faced Raspberry Pi and some users, airing the company\u2019s side of the argument. \u201cIf labor is cheap enough then there may be a minor financial gain in buying a part with say a 2GB part, swapping it for an 8GB part of dubious origin, and reselling it as an 8GB device,\u201d says the forum mod. \u201cHowever, this brings an element of risk to the user – the board hasn’t been tested by us – and is a potential support burden for us, with customers complaining of unreliable devices. We therefore remove the commercial incentive by locking devices to their original RAM size.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the Pi\u2019s firmware currently \u201cprogram in some other device attributes, meaning that switching parts of the same size may not work,\u201d says PhilE. This isn\u2019t great for genuine users who might want to tinker with or upgrade the RAM chips<\/a> or have to replace an IC for repair<\/a>. The forum mod underlines the effective block by telling would-be RAM MacGyvers to \u201cdon’t waste your time trying – it won’t work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some readers might feel sympathetic towards Raspberry Pi\u2019s RAM tinkering blockade, given PhilE\u2019s reasoned explanation. One surprising aspect of the decision, though, is that the firmware locks of RAM IC swaps<\/a> began to roll out in updates from late 2024 onwards. So, this change was made well before the crazy RAM chip pricing<\/a> upswing precipitated by the AI data center boom. Also, it means that if you want to sidestep this RAM tinkering block, you would need to grab and flash a pretty old firmware to your Pi model (if available).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, the Pi community isn\u2019t celebrating this RAM upgrade\/repair block. Some high-profile Pi advocates like Jeff Geerling suggest<\/a> that implementing a \u2018warranty bit\u2019 (similar to older models), or a one-time firmware flag to void support for modified boards, would have been a more agreeable path for Raspberry Pi to take. Here\u2019s a lookup table<\/a> that you can use to check your Pi\u2019s factory RAM configuration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is about making sure they can move their Pi’s that have more memory instead of others being able to upgrade them. You’d have to wonder if the board members knew about the AI memory hikes that were in the works? Many board members have the OCGFC hookup and are on multiple company boards where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18848,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18847\/revisions\/18848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}