As a desktop, one can get a used x86-64 dell ultra small form factor quad core Intel core i5 something, 16GB RAM, something 128 to 256GB SSD on eBay for a hundred bucks... It'll have integrated video capable of driving one 4k at 60Hz as native displayport. And a decent amount of other gigabit Ethernet, usb3, analog in and out audio, etc.
Yeah it'll be 7 years old but it'll still be much faster than a rpi5.
Even a mediocre Intel 120GB sata3 ssd from 8 years ago will run circles around a microsdxc card in disk performance.
These mostly come from corporate lease environments and have very little write wear on the ssd and are very clean.
The raspberry pi is more useful if you need the gpio pins or want something really small and perfectly silent for some embedded application.
From a sata3 ssd in a usb3 enclosure? adds cost and complexity and cabling... I understand there's also a raspberry pi5 sata "hat" which is something like $20 and then figure at least $35 to buy a decent quality small sata3 ssd to add to it.
Yeah it'll be 7 years old but it'll still be much faster than a rpi5.
Even a mediocre Intel 120GB sata3 ssd from 8 years ago will run circles around a microsdxc card in disk performance.
These mostly come from corporate lease environments and have very little write wear on the ssd and are very clean.
The raspberry pi is more useful if you need the gpio pins or want something really small and perfectly silent for some embedded application.