The Raspberry Pi 4 board itself is the same basic size and shape as all of its Model B predecessors, though significantly bigger than the Model A and Zero W versions. It's a 2.2-by-3.35-inch rectangle, and its various components stick up about 0.6 inch tall.

An updated Broadcom processor running at 1.5GHz offers peppy performance.

You can get a Raspberry Pi 4 with 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of RAM. This is the first time a Pi has been offered in a choice of memory amounts.

The General Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) header, shown here along the Pi 4's right edge, is a versatile 40-pin connector that can power and communicate with virtually anything you might want to create, from a DIY weather station to a motor for a small robot.

The Pi 4 froze and shut down several times when I tested it in its official case, likely a victim of overheating. The board itself was very hot to the touch when I removed the case lid. Without a case, the Pi came close to, but did not exceed, the maximum operating temperature of 80 degrees C.

On the bottom of the Raspberry Pi 4, you'll find the microSD card slot, which serves as the sole form of non-volatile storage.

The Desktop Kit somewhat simplifies the process of installing the OS, since it includes an official Raspberry Pi SD card with the Raspbian Linux-based operating system pre-installed.