Raspberry Pi locks down RAM upgrades in Firmware
It's not just because of the RAM pricing situation.
Links mentioned in this video:
- Raspberry Pi EEPROM issue from Oct 2025: https://github.com/raspberrypi/rpi-eeprom/issues/761
- Raspberry Pi Forum Post: https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=399212
- Hacker News discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49786689
- Geekworm guide for determining Factory RAM size: https://geekworm.com/blogs/news/prevent-ram-swapped-raspberry-pi-5-how-to-verify-factory-ram-size
And special thanks to a viewer for pointing this out via email in late April! I never got a satisfactory answer about this from Raspberry Pi, but they have some official responses on the forum now, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geerlingguy
Sponsor me on GitHub: https://github.com/sponsors/geerlingguy
Merch: https://www.redshirtjeff.com
2nd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GeerlingEngineering
3rd Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Level2Jeff
Science & Technology
#raspberry pi
#ram
#lpddr4x
#lpddr
#lpddr4
#memory
#shortage
#pricing
#situation
#scalpers
#resellers
#legal
#illegal
#legality
#right to repair
#ownership
#locked
#firmware
#eeprom
#broadcom
#soc
#linux
#sbc
#single
#board
#computer
#computers
#computing
#resale
#resell
#reseller
#official
#manufacturer
#code
#unlock
#upgrade
#downgrade
#fix
#desolder
#solder
#chip
#chips