2026-09-22

Raspberry Pi has pushed a firmware update that locks down RAM configuration on the Pi 5, effectively blocking third-party memory upgrades. Jeff Geerling broke the story with his usual thoroughness.

What's happened

The Pi 5's firmware now validates the onboard RAM against expected configurations. If you (or a brave repair shop) swapped the PoP memory package for a higher-capacity chip, the board will refuse to boot — or at least refuse to recognise the upgrade. This is a deliberate policy choice baked into the bootloader, not a hardware limitation.

Why homelabbers should care

The Pi 5 has become a genuine lightweight server option — running containers, Home Assistant, or small databases. RAM is often the bottleneck, and the 4GB and 8GB SKUs leave some users wanting more. A cottage industry of memory upgrades had started to appear, particularly for the 16GB chip swap. That door is now firmly shut.

This also signals a broader trend. Raspberry Pi is tightening control over its hardware ecosystem, which may affect how comfortable you are building infrastructure around it long-term. If you need more RAM, you'll have to buy the higher-spec model at retail.

Caveats

To be fair, swapping PoP RAM was never officially supported, and it required serious soldering skills. Most homelabbers were never going to attempt it. But the principle matters — especially when you own the hardware. It's also unclear whether this will be enforced on future Pi models or backported further.

What to do

If you're running Pi 5 boards in your homelab, don't update firmware blindly — check the release notes first. If you need more than 8GB on a Pi, buy the 16GB SKU now before pricing shifts. For builds where the Pi connects to external storage, a M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure – USB-C 10Gbps with Magnetic Closure gives you fast USB-C NVMe access to offset limited onboard resources.

And if you're planning a new cluster build, this is worth factoring into your board choice.