CanaKitRaspberry Pi 4 Complete Desktop Starter Kit (8GB RAM)

I purchased this kit a couple of months ago when I was looking into getting a Pi for various coding projects. Anyone into programming should probably have a Pi lying around. They are amazing little machines that can be used for so many purposes.The kit includes everything I needed except for a monitor and internet access. The keyboard and mouse have a very nice feel to them, and the case has a sleek look. As Pi 4's generally run hot, the added heat sinks and fan keep my machine around 50 degrees Celsius, which is perfect.I would say that the main reason you should purchase this is if you do not already have all of the peripherals. If you do have a mouse, keyboard, HDMI cables, micro SD cards, etc., then I recommend that you just by the Pi 4 all by itself.(Note that it will not mount vertically as shown in my photos out-of-the-box. I simply slapped a double-sided Command strip to the back -- this did not hinder the airflow of the case at all!)

If you buy a kit like this from CanaKit, please know that if you run into any issues like I did with a defective mouse, they will promptly replace that component rather than you having to send the entire kit back. Mike at CanaKit was very helpful and I would recommend this kit and vendor for anyone needing the included components. I ran stress tests on the CPU and GPU simultaneously and ran into no issues with heat dissipation. I think the heat sinks are a must although I'm not sure how long the mini fan will hold up. I may do another test without the fan just to see. The case is well ventilated so the fan might be optional. I've seen some serious coolers for the pi4 but as long as you do not overclock, they are not necessary.

I bought it in September 2021, and I would buy it again. It has all the necessary accessories to get started right the way. The included manual is packed with useful information. The fan looks like a toy but performs really well, even at the low speed. The PiSwitch is very useful. Customer service is friendly and well-informed.

It took me approximately 5 minutes to unbox and assemble the Desktop System. Once assembled, I powered it up and logged onto my network using the keyboard and mouse and the OS installation started. As soon as the installation was completed and I was ready to go to the next step, the system became unresponsive to both the keyboard and the mouse. I immediately assumed that I had a bas install of Raspbian OS, so I reformatted the SD card and reinstalled NOOBS. When I tried to log onto my network, the system did not respond to the keyboard or the mouse. I tried moving the keyboard/mouse to another USB port and no change. I then unplugged the mouse from the keyboard and plugged it into a USB port and the mouse worked but the keyboard did not work. I changed the USB cable and the keyboard still did network. I then tried a different USB keyboard and that keyboard did not work. Once I had a keyboard/mouse combo that worked, I got the system up and running. I notified CanaKit immediately (it was Sunday) and I received a response today, Monday about 1:30 pm notifying me the needed my Order Number and they would issue an order to replace the defective keyboard.Yes, I will buy another CanaKit as the product is everything I imagined ir would be, but much easier to get operational than I expected, and I have found CanaKit to be a good vendor.

Amazing item. You get everything you need to get up & running in no time. Even the case for the pi is simple to assemble with no hardware needed (just snap together)I also bought an argon case for my pi but it was doa however with the 3 heat sinks & case fan that come with this kit it is more then adequate for keeping the pi cool. I've even over clocked my pi for using retropie (I don't recommend unless you know what you're doing) and I still haven't run into any issues overheating.So my advice is don't waste money on a case that claims to cool the device better. It may cool it better but the stock case is sufficient enough.

Great little computer. I've spent the last few days testing all the OS's available for it, and it's amazing for the price. I'm trying to think of negatives and I can't for the life of me think of any. I'll edit if I think of anything, but for now I'd say, pick one up. Any tech savvy, or people that are interested in being tech savvy should own one to play with it. I bought one personally just to learn more about linux, but realized there's so much more you can do with this. Just look up raspberry pi 4 projects to do on Google. They have a project for a smart mirror.. a SMART.. MIRROR. How crazy is that? Anyways, I'm getting off subject, but it's definitely a good buy.

I am new to raspberry pi form factor though long time user/programmer of unix in many flavors. I bought this to run as a pi-hole server to sink hole dns queries from trackers (pi-hole is an open source network wide ad and tracker blocker for your home or office). Its perfect for the job - easy to setup, runs cools and runs headless in an equipment closet off a ups. Its perfect for this kind of single purpose set it and forget it applications. I can always ssh or web browse to it to maintain it as needed. Much better solution than a higher maintenance dedicated windows or mac mini box. Its so cost efficient you can afford two for redundancy.

Works great for my 3D printer as an OctoPi! If you plan to only use this for octopi though, i would not get this kit if you already have a keyboard as you will not need it very often, only to set up octopi. I do plan to use this for some coding in the future for small robots and things, so the keyboard will come in handy. And if you have a 3D printer (Which you should if your going to use octoprint) I would suggest printing a case for it. There are tons of models for them on thingiverse that have built in camera holders.