Raspberry Pi 3B
Planning

Planning for Setup

Specifications

• Project website
• 3B product page. Unstarred specifications below are from this page.
• Wikipedia article about the product family. '*' indicates feature descriptions from this article; unstarred items are from the specifications on the project website
• SoC: Broadcom BCM2837 64bit quad core, 1.2GHz. *ARM Cortex-A53, 512kb L2 cache shared with all cores.
• Graphics: *Broadcom VideoCore IV, 300/400MHz. Video RAM is shared with the CPU; 256Mb, 128Mb, or 16Mb can be assigned. All normal resolutions can be produced from 640x480px VGA up to 1920x1200px WUXGA.
• RAM: 1Gb
• Wireless and Bluetooth (Low Energy BLE): BCM43438, included on board; *802.11n, Bluetooth-4.1. There is an onboard antenna. Shared with both?
• USB-2.0, 4 ports
• Micro SDHC card slot (card not included) (*likely addressing limit: 32Gb)
• HDMI port, full size, with digital audio output
• Four wire 3.5mm jack for stereo output and/or composite video. There is no onboard mic input. *But there are ways to get audio into it.
• Micro USB port for power input, up to 2.5A 5V
• 40 pin extended GPIO
• Expansion port for camera
• Expansion port for touchscreen display
• *There is no realtime clock. An accessory is mentioned, model DS1307 (what manufacturer?)
• Inception: 2016-02-xx.
• ARM architecture: *ARMv8-A
• Booting: *From Micro SD card or USB device
• Typical power: *1.5W idle, 6.7W maxed out (with video, keyboard, mouse and Wi-Fi active).
• Dimensions: *85.6 x 56.5 x 17mm, 45g

Components Needed

• Raspberry Pi motherboard. This should be model 3B. There is no reason to get an older model. B indicates the presence of an Ethernet connector (RJ45).

• Power brick, 5V 2.5A, micro USB connector. We'll need a new one; the one that came with the Pine64 provides 2A, suitable for older Raspberry Pi but not this one.

• Case. A clear case is more cool.

• SD card. Let's get 32Gb; no reason to get smaller. Look for one with a fast speed rating. I don't know how fast the RPi can go, but a slow card can make the rest of the machine disappointing, as with Mica.

• I would like an antenna for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This will take some searching. Reviewer says the onboard antenna works. Presumably it is shared between both services.

• I would also like a realtime clock.

• I should look at the packaged kit, only if they have everything I want.

Amazon Search Results

FBA means sold by the listed vendor, fulfilled by Amazon.

Vilros Raspberry Pi 3 Kit with Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply.
$49.99, sold by Prestige Milano, FBA.
Contents: RPi 3B motherboard, wall wart 2.5A (with inline pins, not best), 2 heat sinks, clear case (antenna on top?) One reviewer mentions for the SD card the Samsung 32Gb 95Mb/s (U1) EVO Select. Several reviewers mention needing to fiddle to get the board to fit into the case. Reviews are generally positive: 89% 5*, 7% 4*, 4% lower.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Motherboard
$36.42, sold by Landzo, FBA.
Just the board. Amazon's Choice. One reviewer reports Wi-Fi is decent on the device but not amazing. You can't expect high throughput from an embedded Wi-Fi chip without an external antenna. Implying that it at least works with the onboard antenna.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Complete Starter Kit - Includes 32 GB Samsung EVO+
$69.99, sold by CanaKit, FBA
In the kit: Black case, 2.5A wall wart, Samsung EVO+ U-1 32Gb SD card (this is the one I wanted to get), itty-bitty card reader freebie, 2 heat sinks, HDMI cable, motherboard (made in UK, not PRC). Reasons for jimc to get a different kit: I prefer the clear case; I don't need a HDMI cable.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Kit with Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply
$49.99, sold by CanaKit, FBA
In the kit: clear case, 2.5A wall wart, 2 heat sinks,motherboard (doesn't say country of origin but their policy is to use UK, not PRC). Reviewer Bobcat warns that the onboard Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna is on the underside of the board and a rib inside the case can press on it and break it if you're not careful during assembly.

Samsung 32GB 95MB/s (U1) MicroSD EVO Select Memory Card with Adapter (MB-ME32GA/AM)
$11.99 SBSF Amazon
Micro SDHC card and full-size adapter. 32Gb. Up to 95Mb/s read, 20Mb/s write, class 10 or UHS-1. Product hype: resists 72 hours in seawater (IPX7), operating temp -25-+85C, radiation resistance 50 R (0.5 Sievert = J/Kg), magnetic field 15T (tesla) (irrelevant), Tidbit: $150 for the 256Gb card.

Amazon Order

• CanaKit RPi 3 with clear case, $49.99
• Samsung SDHC 32Gb EVO Select, $11.99
• Computer Item total, $61.98