The Dewd Robo-Tank build thread

[JFReyes]

So I've decided to get a new Pi for this build - mostly to be able to set it up and run it while the old system is still running.

I know there are guys out there that run a full Reef-Pi system on a Pi zero.  I've always used a 3B because I had one available when I first set up a Reef-Pi.  I l know the Reef-pi software is not that resource - hungry.

I pretty much subscribe to the "Buy once, cry once" mindset - within reason, so here's my question :  Will I see any *Appreciable* difference in performance / user experience by upgrading to a Pi4 8GB unit?

Or should I just stick with another 3B+ unit.  The Pi4 8GB is roughly 2 to 2.5 times the price of a 3B+, so if I'm likely to see a 10% improvement (or nothing at all) I might just go for a Pi4 2GB.

What's the feeling out there?  Or am I overthinking this?

Des:

My initial reef-pi/Robo-Tank installation a few months ago used an RPi 3B I purchased back in 2016 and I haven't had any problems. Then I purchased a second RT to do software development so I got an RPi 3B+ and the speed upgrade is negligible. Next I purchased an RPi 4/4GB for software development as well and the speed increase is a bit noticeable but not great *with the current reef-pi version*.

The point is that reef-pi will keep growing in size and resource consumption, and projects such as Rob's application (which uses standardized software such as Apache, MySQL and PHP) will require even more RAM than reef-pi. From there the sky's the limit. Therefore my suggestion is to go with a RPi 4 and the most RAM you feel comfortable paying for because 1) you can't upgrade it later if you need it, and 2) you will need it as the software becomes more sophisticated in the future.