Raspberry Pi vs Mini PC for Self-Hosting

Quick Verdict

Get a mini PC. For $20-30 more than a fully equipped Raspberry Pi 5, an Intel N100 mini PC gives you 2x the RAM, faster storage, Intel Quick Sync for video transcoding, 100% Docker image compatibility, and better single-threaded performance. The Pi only wins on power draw (3-5W vs 6-8W idle) and GPIO — neither of which matters for most self-hosting setups.

The one exception: if you specifically need GPIO (Home Assistant with Zigbee/Z-Wave, hardware projects, sensor monitoring), the Pi is the right tool. For everything else, the mini PC is the better self-hosting platform.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB)	Intel N100 Mini PC
CPU	4x Cortex-A76, 2.4 GHz (ARM64)	4x Alder Lake-N E-core, 3.4 GHz (x86_64)
Architecture	ARM64 (aarch64)	x86_64 (amd64)
RAM	8 GB LPDDR4X (soldered)	16 GB DDR4/DDR5 (some upgradeable)
Storage	NVMe via HAT + microSD	NVMe built-in, some with 2.5” bay
Networking	1x 1 GbE	1-2x 1-2.5 GbE
HW Video Transcoding	None	Intel Quick Sync (AV1 decode, HEVC encode/decode)
USB	2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0	2-4x USB 3.2, 1-2x USB 2.0
Video Out	2x micro-HDMI	1-2x HDMI, sometimes DisplayPort
GPIO	40-pin header	None
WiFi	WiFi 5 (802.11ac)	WiFi 5/6 (varies)
Bluetooth	5.0	5.2 (varies)
Power (idle)	3-5W	6-8W
Power (load)	8-12W	12-18W
Price (ready to run)	$120-150 (board + case + PSU + SSD)	$150-170 (complete unit)
Form factor	Credit card PCB + case	Small box (compact PC)

Performance

CPU Benchmarks

The Intel N100 outperforms the Pi 5’s Cortex-A76 cores in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads:

Benchmark	Pi 5 (BCM2712)	N100	N100 Advantage
Geekbench 6 Single-Core	~700	~1,100	+57%
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core	~1,800	~2,800	+55%
7-Zip Compress (MIPS)	~8,000	~11,500	+44%
Sysbench CPU (events/s)	~3,200	~4,800	+50%

For self-hosting, this means:

Docker container startup is faster on the N100
PHP-based apps (Nextcloud, BookStack) respond faster
Database queries complete sooner
File operations are snappier

The Pi 5 is no slouch — it’s a massive improvement over the Pi 4. But the N100’s x86 efficiency cores consistently outperform ARM64 Cortex-A76 cores at similar TDP.

Memory

	Pi 5	N100 Mini PC
Available RAM	8 GB (16 GB on premium model)	16 GB standard
Type	LPDDR4X-4267	DDR4-3200 or DDR5-4800
Bandwidth	~34 GB/s	~25-38 GB/s
Upgradeable	No (soldered)	Some models (SO-DIMM)

8 GB is workable for self-hosting, but 16 GB gives you headroom for database caches, in-memory search indexes, and running 15+ containers comfortably. The Pi’s LPDDR4X has slightly higher bandwidth, but the N100’s 2x capacity advantage matters more in practice.

Storage I/O

Interface	Pi 5	N100 Mini PC
NVMe	PCIe 2.0 x1 (~800 MB/s seq)	PCIe 3.0 x2-x4 (~1,500-3,500 MB/s seq)
Internal SSD	Via M.2 HAT (adds $15-20)	Built-in M.2 slot
Random IOPS	~50,000 (PCIe 2.0 limited)	~100,000-200,000

The N100’s built-in PCIe 3.0 NVMe slot is 2-4x faster for sequential reads and significantly faster for random I/O. This matters for Docker overlay filesystems, database writes, and concurrent container operations.

Docker Compatibility

This is the biggest practical difference.

x86_64 (Mini PC): 100% Compatibility

Every Docker image works. The vast majority of Docker images are published for linux/amd64. You’ll never encounter a “no matching manifest for linux/arm64” error.

ARM64 (Raspberry Pi): ~85-90% Compatibility

Most popular self-hosted apps publish ARM64 images, but not all:

Works on ARM64:

Pi-hole, AdGuard Home
Nextcloud, Seafile
Jellyfin, Plex (no transcoding)
Vaultwarden, Authelia
Home Assistant
Uptime Kuma, Grafana
Gitea, Forgejo
Traefik, Caddy, Nginx Proxy Manager
PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Redis
Most LinuxServer.io images

Limited or broken on ARM64:

Some niche apps only publish x86 images
Certain app-specific tools (Immich ML, some CI runners)
Some build tools assume x86

You can run x86 images on ARM using QEMU emulation, but performance drops 5-10x — not viable for production services.

Video Transcoding

Mini PC wins decisively here. The Intel N100 includes Quick Sync with support for:

H.264 decode/encode
HEVC (H.265) decode/encode
AV1 decode
VP9 decode

This means Plex or Jellyfin can hardware-transcode 4K → 1080p streams at 6W total system power. One N100 handles 3-4 simultaneous 1080p transcodes effortlessly.

The Raspberry Pi has no usable hardware transcoding for self-hosted media servers. The VideoCore VII GPU doesn’t integrate with Plex or Jellyfin. All transcoding falls back to software (CPU), where 4 ARM cores can barely handle a single 1080p transcode.

If you run Plex or Jellyfin with remote users or mixed clients: get a mini PC.

Power Consumption

The Pi’s one clear advantage:

Scenario	Pi 5	N100 Mini PC
Idle (headless)	3-4W	6-8W
Light containers (5-10)	4-6W	7-10W
Moderate load	6-9W	10-14W
Full load	10-12W	15-18W

Annual electricity cost at $0.12/kWh:

Load Profile	Pi 5	N100	Difference
Typical server	$5.26 (5W avg)	$8.41 (8W avg)	$3.15/year
Heavy use	$7.89 (7.5W avg)	$12.61 (12W avg)	$4.73/year

The Pi saves $3-5/year in electricity. Over 5 years, that’s $15-25 — not enough to justify choosing the Pi for power reasons alone.

Total Cost of Ownership

Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB) — Ready to Run

Component	Cost
Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB)	$80
Official 27W PSU	$12
NVMe HAT + 256 GB SSD	$35
Case with active cooler	$20
Total	~$147

Intel N100 Mini PC (Beelink S12 Pro equivalent)

Component	Cost
Complete unit (16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD, PSU, case)	$155
Total	~$155

The mini PC costs $8 more and includes double the RAM, double the storage, Intel Quick Sync, and no assembly required.

3-Year TCO (including electricity at $0.12/kWh)

	Pi 5	N100 Mini PC
Hardware	$147	$155
Electricity (3 years, typical load)	$16	$25
Total	$163	$180

The Pi saves $17 over 3 years. The N100 gives you significantly more performance, 2x the RAM, hardware transcoding, and 100% Docker compatibility for that $17.

When to Choose a Raspberry Pi

You already own one. Don’t buy a mini PC if a Pi 5 is sitting in your drawer. Put it to work.
You need GPIO. Home Assistant with Zigbee coordinator, sensor projects, or hardware tinkering. Mini PCs don’t have GPIO headers.
Dedicated single-purpose server. Pi-hole box, WireGuard VPN endpoint, Home Assistant hub. The Pi is perfect for these.
Learning platform. The Pi has the best educational ecosystem — tutorials, community, beginner resources. Learning Linux on a Pi is a great start.
Ultra-low power requirements. If every watt matters (solar-powered, battery backup), the Pi’s 3-5W idle edge matters.

When to Choose a Mini PC

General self-hosting. Running 10+ Docker containers, Nextcloud, media servers, databases.
Plex or Jellyfin with transcoding. Intel Quick Sync is non-negotiable for remote users.
Starting from scratch. The mini PC is the better value when buying everything new.
Future-proofing. 16 GB RAM and full x86 compatibility mean you won’t hit walls as your homelab grows.
Running VMs. Proxmox on a Pi is possible but severely limited. On an N100, it’s comfortable for 1-2 VMs.

FAQ

Can a Raspberry Pi replace a mini PC?

For lightweight workloads (Pi-hole, VPN, Home Assistant), yes. For general self-hosting with 10+ containers and media serving, no. The Pi 5 is about 50-60% the performance of an N100 at a similar price point.

Is the Raspberry Pi 5 faster than a mini PC?

No. The Intel N100 is roughly 50% faster in both single-thread and multi-thread benchmarks, has Intel Quick Sync for hardware transcoding, and starts with 16 GB RAM vs 8 GB.

Can I run Proxmox on a Raspberry Pi?

Not officially. Proxmox VE doesn’t support ARM64. You can run VMs via QEMU/KVM manually on Raspberry Pi OS, but it’s not a practical virtualization platform. Use an N100 or N305 mini PC for Proxmox.

Should I get a Pi 4 or Pi 5 for a server?

Pi 5. It’s 2-3x faster, supports NVMe, and costs only $25 more. The Pi 4 is only worth buying at a significant discount.