More power for the Fullnode: moving to the Raspberry Pi 5

About two years ago, we set up our first Bitcoin node based on a Raspberry Pi 4 and the umbrel operating system, which has been running almost continuously without interruption ever since. Over time, the small hobbyist computer took on numerous other tasks. We started our own mining pool for our NerdMiner V2 and later for the much faster Bitaxe Ultra, set up a mempool explorer, installed an Electrum server so that we could also integrate our hardware wallets into the network independently, and ran a Lightning node on the second layer for even faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions. Numerous other tools such as LNDg or Thunderhub were installed for this purpose.

This all costs storage space and performance. Although the Bitcoin blockchain currently only takes up around 765 GB, the numerous tools and programs recently caused the free memory of the 1 TB SSD to shrink to less than 50 GB. In addition, the processor load was rarely below 50%, often in the region of 80%. At times, queries took several seconds. This circumstance and, above all, Amazon Prime Day prompted us to upgrade the hardware extensively.

More power and memory

Fullnode auf dem Raspberry Pi 5

So we moved the entire setup to a new Raspberry Pi 5* with 8 GB RAM. This jumps the SoC three generations further, which improves performance and efficiency by a factor of 2 in some cases. The Broadcom BCM2712 has four Cortex-A76 cores from ARM, which operate at a clock speed of up to 2.4 GHz and have access to a 2 MB L3 cache. For video and 3D acceleration, there is a VideoCore VII GPU, which has a decoder for HEVC for two 4K60s. There is also 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM with 4,267 MT/s, which is more than double the memory speed of the predecessor.

We were expecting a significant increase in performance, especially in terms of mass storage. While we previously relied on a combination of microSD card and external 1 TB SATA SSD, we ordered an adapter with a fast NVMe SSD for the Raspberry Pi 5 solution, which should significantly improve the read and write rates in everyday use.

Specifically, we opted for a Raspberry Pi 5 for just over 90 euros*. We installed it together with a BIWIN Black Opal NV7400* with 2 TB in a GeekPi metal housing. While the SSD cost around 100 euros* on Prime Day, the package consisting of the case, active cooler, power supply and SSD adapter cost around 40 euros*. In total, we paid around 230 euros for the project.

Little time needed

The changeover was quite simple, although it took just over 3.5 hours. We used rsync to copy the blockchain data from the old Bitcoin node to the new hardware, started it and synchronized it to the latest version. The copying process took around 2.5 hours. We then installed the Lightning node and copied the data here too using rsync so that all channels and data could be retained.

We then installed the Electrum server and synchronized it too, which also took a few hours, but was completely unproblematic as the two nodes were back up and running on the network. We then did the same with mempool and the public pool.

The sequence is very important, because if several tools and data are synchronized and indexed at the same time, the Bitcoin node can quickly crash due to the high load.

Bitcoin-HardwareNerdminer V2, Bitaxe Ultra und Bitcoin-Fullnode

If you want to know more about the exact procedure, you can find detailed instructions with all the command line codes for “Django” in the official umbrel support forum. In fact, our initial expectations were not disappointed: the new Bitcoin fullnode purrs like a kitten and is a real pleasure to use! And that with only slightly higher power consumption! In total, we give the Bitcoin network with the entire setup around 30 watts.

Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB Medium*

Quad-Core-ARMA76-Prozessor (64-Bit – 2,4 GHz) °Integrierte VideoCore VII 800 MHz GPU °2- bis 3-mal mehr Leistung als Version 4
Deutlich verbesserte Grafikwiedergabe ° Hochgeschwindigkeits-Micro-SD ° 2x 4K-60 fps gleichzeitig anzeigen
2x USB 3.0 5GBps ° 2x 4-Wege-MIPI-DSI/CSI-Anschlüsse
Neue Eigenschaften : ¤ EIN/AUS-Taste ¤ PCIe 2.0-Anschluss ¤ Integrierter RTC-Anschluss
Ändern : ^ 5V/5A DC-Stromversorgung über USB-C ^ Sehr empfehlenswerter Lüfter für Pi5"

Letzte Aktualisierung am 2026-01-25 at 01:59 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API

GeeekPi Metal Gehäuse für Raspberry Pi 5,mit Official Active Cooler,N04 M.2 NVMe SSD PCIe Peripheral Board und 27W USB C Netzteil für Raspberry Pi 5 8GB 4GB mit 27W Netzteil*

【Compatibility】This kit includes a metal case, a N04 M.2 Key-M NVMe SSD PCIe Peripheral Board,and an official active cooler and a PD 27W Power Adapter; It is compatible with the latest Raspberry Pi 5 4GB/8GB and Supports M.2 NVMe SSD 2230 2242 2260 2280.
【Access to all Ports】GeeekPi Raspberry Pi 5 Case can accurately access most ports of Raspberry Pi board, including usb-c power jack, micro HDMI ports, usb ports, Ethernet jack, sd card slot, power button, and GPIO Slot.
【N04 M.2 NVMe to PCIe Adapter Included】N04 M.2 NVMe to PCIe Adapter is designed for the latest Raspberry Pi 5. It supports the installation of NVMe (M-key) drives in M.2 format sizes 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280. Extra custom CNC SSD mount screw, no soldering required.
【Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler Included】Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler combines an aluminium heatsink with a PWM fan to keep your Raspberry Pi 5 maintain optimal operating temperatures, ensuring reliable performance for various applications.
【Raspberry Pi 5 Power Supply Included】5.1V 5A 27W USB C power Supply is designed for Raspberry Pi 5 board. The power adapter is equipped with Power Delivery technology, allowing for fast and efficient charging of compatible devices. It also offers a variety of output voltage options, including 5.1V at 5A, 9.0V at 3.0A, 12.0V at 2.25A, and 15.0V at 1.8A, providing flexibility for different device requirements.

Letzte Aktualisierung am 2026-01-25 at 13:19 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API

BIWIN Black Opal NV7400 M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD 2TB - Lesegeschwindigkeit bis zu 7450 MB/s - Professionelle Interne Festplatte NVMe 2.0 - Gaming Speicher Kompatibel mit PC, Laptop & PS5 2TB NV7400-Gen4*

🎮【PCIe Gen4×4 für überragende Leistung】NV7400 unterstützt PCIe Gen 4x4 und verwendet den NAND-Flash der neuesten Generation, der eine Übertragungsgeschwindigkeit von bis zu 7400 MB/s und eine zufällige Lese-/Schreibgeschwindigkeit von bis zu 1000K IOPS bietet, die den Anforderungen der meisten Kreativprofis und Gaming-Enthusiasten entsprechen.
🎮 【Hochwertiger NAND-Flash für Große Kapazität】NV7400 SSD verwendet hochwertigen Premium-NAND-Flash, der durch unsere automatische Auswahl ausgewählt wurde. Es sind Kapazitäten von bis zu 4 TB verfügbar, die reichlich Speicherplatz bieten und die Angst vor unzureichendem Speicherplatz beseitigen.
🎮【Außergewöhnliche Temperaturkontrolle für Datensicherheit】Die NV7400 ist mit einem Temperaturkontrollalgorithmus und einem Graphene-Wärmeleitpad ausgestattet, um eine signifikante Wärmeableitung zu gewährleisten und Verlangsamungen und Datenverluste unter hoher Belastung zu verhindern.
🎮 【Verbesserte System Stabilität】Die NV7400 bietet stabile Leistung für anspruchsvolle Anwendungen. Die Host Memory Buffer (HMB)-Technologie sorgt für einen stabilen Betrieb auch bei hoher Arbeitslast. Die Integration von Smart Cache optimiert den Datenabruf, während die Zip-Datenkompression die Speichereffizienz maximiert.
🎮 【5-Jahre Garantie】Biwin NV7400 bietet eine begrenzte 5-Jahre Garantie mit einer MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) von bis zu 1,5 Millionen Stunden, mit dem Ziel, den Benutzern eine zuverlässige Wahl und eine sorgenfreie Benutzererfahrung zu bieten.

Letzte Aktualisierung am 2026-01-25 at 13:19 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API