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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A Raspberry Pi 5 is likely to use less electricity at idle than a typical Intel N100 mini PC, but the available figures do not show which costs less while actually encoding and sending a 24/7 YouTube stream. To compare running costs fairly, measure each complete setup with the same stream running, then apply your local electricity tariff. The stream settings, attached devices and total purchase cost can all change the result.
What the published power figures show—and what they don’t
CNX Software’s 2024 comparison reports idle power of 3.0–3.6 W for a Raspberry Pi 5 and typical idle power of 7.5–10 W for Intel N100 mini PCs. Subtracting the endpoints gives an idle-power difference of 3.9–7.0 W in that comparison. These are idle figures, not measurements of either device continuously encoding a YouTube stream; they cannot establish the streaming winner or a guaranteed electricity saving.
Raspberry Pi Ltd’s hardware documentation lists 800 mA as typical active current consumption for a bare Raspberry Pi 5. That current figure is not a wall-power measurement: converting it to a precise electricity cost would require the relevant voltage and measurement conditions. Raspberry Pi also cautions that its approximate power figures do not include extra USB devices or HATs, which can increase consumption.
Why your actual stream can change the answer
A live stream adds work that idle comparisons do not capture. The load depends in part on resolution, frame rate, codec and bitrate, along with the specific software and hardware configuration. YouTube Help’s current H.264 guidance recommends 10 Mbps for 1080p at 30 fps and 17 Mbps for 1080p at 60 fps. Those are bitrate recommendations, not power measurements or guarantees that either computer will handle a particular stream reliably.
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- Raspberry Pi 5 Mini PC Case: Enhance your Raspberry Pi 5 with the Pironman 5, crafted from durable aluminum with advanced cooling, NVMe M.2 SSD support, OLED display, customizable RGB lighting, dual standard HDMI ports, and a secure power switch. Assembly is simple with a clear, step-by-step guide, ensuring easy setup. Ideal for NAS, Home Assistant, Media, Game Centers and OpenClaw for building your own personal AI agent (Raspberry Pi NOT Included)
- Expandable NVMe M.2 Slot: Boost your Raspberry Pi 5 with an easy-to-install NVMe M.2 slot, supporting sizes 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280. It also supports the Hailo-8L AI accelerator for advanced edge AI applications and faster performance
- Advanced Cooling System: Keep your Raspberry Pi 5 cool and stylish with Pironman 5’s tower cooler and dual RGB fans, equipped with dust filters for durability and easy maintenance. Designed for long-lasting performance, it efficiently dissipates heat under heavy loads, keeps fan noise low, and provides excellent ventilation to cool both the Raspberry Pi 5 and NVMe SSD and Hailo-8L AI accelerator
- OLED Display for Instant Insights: The Pironman 5 includes a 0.96” OLED display, providing immediate updates on CPU and RAM usage, temperature, IP address, and more
- Enhanced Functionality and Safety: The Pironman 5 secures your Raspberry Pi 5 with features like safe shutdown, customizable RGB LEDs, HDMI ports, an IR receiver, and an external GPIO extender, enhancing functionality and connectivity. The manufacturer offers comprehensive technical support, including online courses and video tutorials, ensuring users can easily assemble and use their Pironman 5 with confidence
YouTube advises choosing a quality that will provide a reliable stream over your internet connection. Its guidance also recommends testing before going live and monitoring stream health. Treat the requested stream as part of the comparison: a machine that uses less power but cannot sustain your chosen settings or maintain a reliable broadcast may not suit your purpose.
Compare the complete setups, not just the boards
Measure the power drawn at the wall by each working setup. A Pi build may need a compatible power supply, storage, case and active cooling, depending on its configuration. An N100 mini PC also needs to be evaluated as the actual system you would buy and use, including any peripherals required for streaming. Include any display or capture hardware in both setups if it will be part of normal operation.
Rank #2
- [ULTIMATE RASPBERRY PI 5 CASE & MINI PC] - Unlock the full potential of your Raspberry Pi 5 with the Pironman 5-MAX — the most advanced Raspberry Pi 5 Case for power users. This high-performance Raspberry Pi 5 Cooling Case features dual NVMe M.2 slots with RAID 0/1 support, AI accelerator compatibility ( e.g. Hailo-8l M.2 AI), a PCIe Gen2 switch, a PWM tower cooler + dual RGB fans and a smart OLED display. With its dual transparent panels and optimized cable management (including full-size HDMI), it’s the ideal Raspberry Pi 5 Enclosure for building a high-speed NAS, AI edge computing device, or Home Assistant hub. (Raspberry Pi NOT Included)
- [DUAL NVMe M.2 SLITS & NAS RAID SUPPORT] - Supercharge your storage with the best Raspberry Pi 5 NVMe Case solution. Featuring two expandable NVMe M.2 slots (2230-2280) powered by a built-in PCIe Gen2 switch, this Raspberry Pi 5 NAS Case supports RAID 0/1 for ultra-fast data setups. Whether you're using a high-speed NVMe SSD or a Hailo-8L AI accelerator, Pironman 5-MAX delivers the ultimate performance boost for advanced Raspberry Pi 5 AI applications and edge computing
- [ADVANCED COOLING SYSTEM] - Engineered for high-performance builds, Pironman 5-MAX features a powerful tower cooler, one PWM fan, and dual RGB fans for enhanced airflow. The dual transparent panel design improves ventilation while showcasing vibrant RGB lighting. Ideal for cooling both the Raspberry Pi 5 and dual NVMe SSDs or AI accelerators like Hailo-8L, it ensures stable operation under heavy workloads with low noise and long-term durability
- [SMART OLED DISPLAY WITH VIBRATION WAKE-UP] - Pironman 5-MAX features a 0.96" OLED screen that delivers real-time system insights including CPU usage, memory, temperature, IP address, and disk status. With customizable display options and auto sleep mode, the screen can be instantly reactivated by a light tap thanks to the built-in vibration sensor—offering a smarter and more interactive experience
- [ENHANCED FUNCTIONALITY] - Pironman 5-MAX empowers your Raspberry Pi 5 with advanced features like safe shutdown via a metal power button, customizable RGB lighting, dual full-size HDMI ports, vibration-triggered OLED wake-up, and an external GPIO extender. It also includes RTC battery support for timekeeping and seamless Home Assistant integration. With detailed guides, online tutorials, and full technical support from SunFounder, setup and use are effortless and worry-free
- Stream workload: Use the same resolution, frame rate, codec and bitrate on both systems.
- Peripherals: Keep network equipment, storage, displays and other connected devices consistent, or record differences that cannot be avoided.
- Stability: Note sustained thermal behavior, stream-health warnings, interruptions and any restarts or recovery needed during the test.
- Capability: Consider operating-system, GPIO, camera and software requirements if your project depends on them.
- Purchase cost: Compare the price of each complete usable setup, rather than comparing a bare board with a fully configured computer.
CNX Software’s 2024 comparison reports stronger general-purpose benchmark performance for its tested N100 mini PC than for the Pi 5 in most of the listed tests. That is not a continuous-streaming benchmark. Its example configuration prices are historical, so use current prices for the specific hardware you are considering rather than treating those examples as today’s costs.
Calculate annual electricity use and cost
For a continuous 24/7 schedule, a year contains 8,760 operating hours. Once you have a measured average wall draw in watts, estimate energy and cost as follows:
Rank #3
- Fully assembled for plug-and-play operation
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB RAM
- 256 GB PCIe Pi NVMe SSD (Pre-loaded with Pi 64-Bit OS)
- M.2 HAT+
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Pi 5
- Annual energy: average watts × 8.76 = kWh per year.
- Annual electricity cost: annual kWh × your all-in electricity price per kWh.
Use the tariff that applies to you, including relevant per-kWh charges. For example, if your measured average were 20 W, the estimate would be 175.2 kWh per year (20 × 8.76). Multiply that result by your own all-in rate. This is an illustration of the calculation, not a measured result for either computer or a forecast of any reader’s bill.
You can also estimate the cost of a shorter measurement period by multiplying average watts by operating hours and dividing by 1,000 to get kWh, then multiplying by your tariff. Use average power over the period, not a single momentary reading.
Rank #4
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (8GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
A repeatable test for your own channel
- Prepare both systems: Assemble each as you would actually run it, with the necessary storage, cooling, power supply and peripherals. Use the same network path where practical.
- Match the stream: Configure the same resolution, frame rate, codec and bitrate. Use the stream you intend to broadcast, not idle mode, as the comparison workload.
- Check the broadcast: Test before starting and monitor YouTube’s stream health while each system runs. Record interruptions, warnings, thermal behavior and any recovery or restart required.
- Measure at the wall: Use a plug-in watt meter if you want to compare complete system draw. Let each setup reach steady operation, then record average watts over a representative period. A single reading may miss variation in workload.
- Calculate on the same basis: Convert each average to annual kWh with the same 8.76 multiplier, then use the same local tariff. Compare the complete systems’ purchase costs separately.
The cited sources do not provide a matched, long-duration test of Pi 5 and N100 systems encoding the same YouTube stream, nor do they establish comparative 24/7 reliability. Your measured result answers the electricity question for your hardware, stream settings and conditions; your stream-health observations help determine whether the lower-energy setup is practically suitable.
Or let it run in the cloud
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Quick Recap
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