CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit - 2GB RAM

First of all, I'm brand new to Raspberry Pi. I loved the CanaKit Raspberry Pi kit. I had everything I needed to get up and running fast, except for a mouse and keyboard, which is clearly indicated in the description, so I was ready to go when the kit arrived (which it did VERY quickly!).INITAL HARDWARE SETUPThe design of the included case did not even require one single screw. The top and bottom of the case "snap" off from the middle easily and the board drops into place onto the bottom plate. Be sure to attach the three heatsinks on the chips and the wire connectors for the fan before snapping it all back together if you are going to use them (which I strongly recommend). It's much easier to attach them with the full board exposed. Then you snap the top and bottom back on onto the middle and you're done. It would have been a tiny bit faster to assemble than it was but I had to search the internet for the right pins on the board to connect the fan to. The two rows of pins were not numbered on the board nor referenced in the quick guide included. It took like 10 seconds to verify the board pinout and another 10 seconds to find which pins the fan connects to. There were lots of videos and diagrams available to help, including videos specifically for this brand and model. Since the fan has two power/speed options I wanted to be sure I was connecting to the right pins. I chose the higher power/faster speed. Some review comments mention more noise with the higher speed but I found the "noise" to be almost silent, even at the higher level. I can save you a bit of time on the fan pinout bit. The row closest to the outside of the board are the even numbered pins. Since this is a computer (one's and zero's) that row starts with 0, then 2,4,6, etc. The row towards the inside starts with 1,3,5,7. The numbers go higher as you move from the outside edge to the inside along the row. For the higher fan speed, connect the red wire to pin 4. For the lower fan speed, connect the red wire to pin 3. The black wire is ground and always connects to pin 6. Easy peasy once you know! Overall this part took about 10-15 minutes.INITIAL OS SETUPThe pre-loaded NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software) was fast in helping choosing which operating system and what options you wanted. Choosing other options like new password. time zone, wireless and keyboard went fast. After the OS booted up it took a while to check for and install any needed upgrades (perfectly normal and expected for any OS). If you have a 5G wireless wifi, be sure to connect to it (or use an ethernet cable) to save download times for OS and application software upgrades that may be needed. Overall this part took about 30 minutes including downloads, then it rebooted and started working perfectly.CONSThe kit would be perfect if it included pin out instructions for the fan and a little more clarity on installing the heatsinks. That's the only parts that caused me any delay in putting it all together.SUMMARYGreat kit and good price. It's possible that searching for the individual parts might have save a few pennies or dollars, but having almost everything from one manufacturer in one box, assured me that everything would work together and there would be only one place to go if troubles appeared. I would absolutely recommend this kit if you are getting started in the PI world, and even if you're more experienced. This kit is GREAT!

Works well and it's fast for the price. Also it can be easily assembled.

Make sure to watch a video on putting it together if you’re unsure! Works without a hitch if done right! Get ready for lots of reading and coding!Sleek design, not too large and imposing on space. Pretty quiet fan. Power supply works a charm. Maybe a little pricey for me but it’s a mini computer!

What you get is a desktop computer that isn't a desktop computer. It has a fully functional (Claws) e-mail client, a fully functional (Chromium) browser and a fully functionally desktop Libre Suite that uses about 15 watts. It's under four inches long by two and a half inches wide and one inch high. I'm guessing it would be great for a 20 foot shipping container home with off'-grid solar. It's got lots of developer tools and lost of games included. lots of GUI settings in Preferences. It's got WiFi, Bluetooth, and Gigabit Ethernet (That can all ge turned off or unplugged at will.)Since this is a CanaKit, you also get stick-on heat sinks and a tiny, silent fan, a plastic case, a really nice quick start booklet, a GPIO (that 40 or so pin IO connector in there) reference sheet, and a 32 gig memory card that's got a Raspbian OS image on it. You come up with a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse (optional if you REALLY know whatyou're doing), you put it together (no tools), plug everything in, and you're off to the races. Install starts the first time you turn it on and it's flawless and largely unattended. Plug in everything you plan to have | can think of. The more you have plugged in the first time, the less headaches later, trying to set it up manually. Murphy's Law Disclaimer: I don't know what happens if you have a power outage as it's installing because I didn't have one - and I have some off-grid solar anyway....

This kit is very complete and has everything you will need to get up and running (aside from a keyboard and mouse). I had it put together and running in less than half an hour.The one negative I found - I am not happy at all with this case. There are no openings for the power and drive LED's so you can't tell if the unit is on or accessing the SD card. This is the first Pi case that I have ever bought (and I've bought several) that did not have openings for these LED's. This is a major fault in design IMO. I'm going to have to buy a new case for this one because I can't deal with not being to see the LED's.Other than that, it's a good package for the money.