Several questions regarding RasPi 4B

[ElTurbo]

Hi everyone,

Quite some time ago I always read stuff like "we do not support the Raspberry Pi 4 and we do not know when this will happen".

1. As far as I can see, the Raspi 4 is now supported and now I'm seeing that there already is a Raspi 4 Model B. Is there any issue with that as well or is it compatible to Recalbox already?

2. How much RAM should I buy for the Raspi 4B? The more, the better?

3. N64 emulation wasn't really working on my Raspi 3B. Is that any different now? And what about games for PSP? Even Dreamcast is working now...?!

4. I read that the Pi 4 has a problem with heat... should I buy some active cooling stuff as well?

Thanks in advance for your answers. Much appreciated!

[Scavy]

Hello @elturbo
1/ Recalbox 7.2.2 is totally RPi4 compatible. Just be sure to DL the RPi4 recalbox version
2/ The RPi4 own a 1 Go video RAM (basically). If you buy the 2 Go, 4 Go, 8Go version, you'll still use only 1 Go of VRAM. So, the 2 Go version is enough. And it's the cheapiest
3/ N64 has been quite updated. You should appreciate it. On a RPi4 board, PSP and Dreamcast work perfectly (with the right bios and good roms). You can also use the overclocking option is you want (at your own risk, just think to reduce the RPi4 temperature).
4/ A good fan is hardly recommanded.

Have fun

[ElTurbo]

@scavy thanks for the reply and the information!

Sounds great, that N64, PSP and Dreamcast are working now. Finally Mischief Makers again!

So… More GB RAM really does not make any difference? At all?

By „hardly“ recommended do you mean that it’s not really recommended or that you recommend it real hard? XD

[Zing]

@elturbo

So… More GB RAM really does not make any difference? At all?

For Recalbox you don't need more than 2 Gb of RAM: compatible emulators won't be able to take advantage of more than that, because the Rpi4 is very good, but at some point the processor becomes a limitation, not the RAM memory. Remembering that we are talking exclusively about Recalbox, if you are going to use your Rpi4 for anything else, you need to check what suits you.

A good fan is hardly recommanded.
By „hardly“ recommended do you mean that it’s not really recommended or that you recommend it real hard? XD

It is highly/very/extremely recommended to use a fan: the Rpi works without a fan, but some emulators can use a lot of processing power and cause a heat, and this will cause slowdowns and possible loss of the card's useful life. Also, if you want to overclock, you absolutely need a fan.
In short: it is better to use a fan, than to risk overheating your Rpi.

[ElTurbo]

@zing

Thank you very much for your help!