Web3 Pi: Recommended Hardware

SSD Drive

2 TB fast drive is required.

For the Raspberry Pi 5, you have three options for storage:

external USB SSD drive (wide availability)
m.2 NVMe drive with NVMe HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 (max performance)
m.2 NVMe drive with USB m.2 adapter

Raspberry Pi 5 has a PCIe x1 connector on board so with a special adapter m.2 NVMe drive can be used. This option gives the maximum possible performance.

For the Raspberry Pi 4, you have two options for storage:

external USB SSD drive (wide availability)
SSD drive with USB adapter

Note

If you use USB always choose USB 3.0 ports (blue)

Warning

Do NOT use HDD drives!

Recommended SSD Hardware

USB Drive

	Brand/Model	Comment	Link
	Samsung T7 2TB USB 3.2	Recommended for RPi4 users. Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4 and 5	More Info

Tip

Some external disks consume more power than Raspberry Pi can deliver via USB. For Raspberry Pi 5, the max power output of the USB ports is 600mA if you're using a 3A supply, and 1600mA if you're using a 5A supply. You can edit /boot/firmware/config.txt and add usb_max_current_enable=1 to disable the current limit. Please read the documentation: Link

NVMe Drive

These drives need adapters.

Brand/Model	Controller	Comment	Link
Lexar NM790 2TB m.2 2280	Maxiotek MAP1602A	single side design 4TB available	Product page More Info
Goodram PX700 2TB m.2 2280	Maxiotek MAP1602A	single side design 4TB available	Product page
Micron 2400 2TB m.2 2230	Silicon Motion SM2269XT	single side design ~4 W (Max) small 2230 form factor low power consumption low heat	Product page More Info
Samsung 980 Pro 2TB m.2 2280	Samsung Elpis (S4LV003)	single side design 7.2 W (Max)	Product page More Info

Note

Double-sided NVMe m.2 memory modules (with memory chips on both sides of the PCB) may not be fully compatible with every enclosure due to physical dimensions, specifically the height of the m.2 slot in the adapter/enclosure.

NVMe Hat

NVMe HAT for Raspberry Pi 5

Brand	Link
Pimoroni	Product page
Raspberry Pi m.2 Hat	Product page
Pineboards HatDrive: Bottom	Product page
Pineboards HatDrive: Top	Product page
Pineboards HatDrive: Nano	Product page
Waveshare 26583	Product page

We do not recommend the following:

KAmodRPi5 PCIe-M.2
Geekworm X1001

SD Card Reader and Writer

You will use this on your PC for flashing the boot card. Since this operation takes time, we recommend a high-speed device.

MicroSD Card

Flashing a microSD card takes time, but it can be reduced by using a fast device. Additionally, using a fast micro SD card results in a shorter booting time.

You will require at least 32GB capacity.

A few examples:

More Information

Enclosures

Enclosures for Raspberry Pi 5

Brand/Model	Comment	Link
Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe	+good cooling +metal -inconvenient access to the microSD card -m.2 slot not compatible with double side NVMe (easy modification possible with utility knife)	Product page Shop
Argon NEO 5	+easy acces to microSD card +good cooling +metal	Product page Shop
Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe	+good cooling +metal -m.2 slot not compatible with double side NVMe (easy modification possible with utility knife)	Product page Shop
Argon ONE V3	+good cooling +metal	Product page Shop

Enclosures for Raspberry Pi 4B

Brand/Model	Comment	Link
Case justPi	assembly instructions	Product page Shop
Argon One V2	Fan control needs additional configuration as described by the manufacturer manual	Product page Shop
Argon One V2 m.2	Fan control needs additional configuration as described by the manufacturer manual	Product page Shop