Skip to main content

What’s smaller, the MacBook’s logic board, or the Raspberry Pi? The answer will surprise you

The MacBook's logic board is smaller than the Raspberry Pi
nito/Shutterstock
We’ve been diving deep into the new MacBook today, seeking every last morsel of information. In this search we discovered an interesting factoid; the logic board of the MacBook is actually smaller than the famous Raspberry Pi.

How’d we reach this conclusion? Well, we know the size of the system according to Apple, and we have photos of the logic board provided by Apple. By comparing the size of the chassis in pixels to the known specifications, comparing the logic board in the same way, and using some math, we’re able to approximate the size. By our calculations, the logic board is 4.6 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep, rounding to the nearest tenth, and not counting a tiny sliver of circuit board that protrudes on one side.

Multiply those figures and you come up with a surface area of about seven inches, given or take a tenth depending on how precisely the pixels are measured.

Meanwhile, the Raspberry Pi measures about 3.4 inches by 2.2 inches (rounding to the nearest tenth). That works out to 7.48 square inches, a full quarter of a square inch larger than the MacBook’s logic board. The Pi is also about eight-tenths of an inch thick, which works out to around 20 millimeters, seven more than the 13.1 millimeter MacBook.

Obviously, the logic board of the MacBook and the Raspberry Pi are not comparable from a marketing standpoint, and are meant to fill different roles, but it’s impressive that Apple has managed to fit so much in so little space.

Editors' Recommendations

Matthew S. Smith
Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives…
Here’s why people are raising concerns about the M3 Pro MacBook Pro
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Max chip seen from behind.

I published my review of the M3 Max MacBook Pro earlier this week, and suffice it to say, I was pretty impressed. I'm fond of the Space Black color, and the GPU performance in particular blew me away.

But one configuration of the new MacBook Pro went a bit more under the radar -- the M3 Pro model. Apple wasn't keen on sending this exact unit out to reviewers, instead leading with its much stronger foot, the M3 Max. And while the M3 Max and Pro were a bit closer in performance in the M2 generation, this time around, it seems as if there's more of a disparity.

Read more
Here’s more proof that Apple is wrong about MacBook memory
The keyboard and trackpad of the MacBook Pro.

Apple has made some big claims about its unified memory over the past few years. That was made explicit this week when an Apple representative was asked why it has begun to sell an 8GB starting configuration of its new M3 Pro MacBook Pro, a laptop that's already been under scrutiny recently. The interviewee responded by saying that 8GB on a MacBook was equivalent to 16GB on a comparable system. But is that really true? It's been hard to test so far, but a recent video posted by Max Tech suggests that in practice, at least, it's not so simple.

M3 MacBook Pro 8GB vs 16GB RAM - How BAD is base model?

Read more
The MacBook Pro M3 doesn’t have a memory problem — it has a pricing problem
The MacBook Pro open on a table in front of a couch.

Apple just upset everyone, claiming that the 8GB of Unified Memory available in the base MacBook Pro M3 is "probably analogous to 16GB on other systems."

The MacBook Pro M3 has already come under fire for only including 8GB of Unified Memory in its base configuration, which runs $1,600. MacWorld recently ran a story criticizing the 8GB of memory in the MacBook Pro M3, saying, "If 8GB will be a bottleneck for many today, imagine the performance of that non-upgradeable laptop in a few years’ time."

Read more