CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Complete Starter Kit - 32 GB Edition

I got this as a Father's Day gift(a day early, yesterday) and my family is already loving it. The motivation for me asking for it was the NES Classic Edition that came out last year. My wife really wanted one of those to relive her childhood and we were not able to get one of them, without paying way above MSRP. So after doing some research, I looked into the Raspberry Pi.This kit comes with everything you need to get started on projects. As I wanted to turn it into a game emulator, I also picked up a couple of inexpensive gamepads and cable extenders. I also had an extra 32GB microSD card at home. So I kept the one the kit includes as is, so I can play around on Raspbian, just by swapping cards. Then I put Retropie on the extra card. It installed perfectly and works like it should on the RPi. Games(ROMs) are easy to install as I can just download them on my home computer and drop them into the Retropie folders over the home network. It just took a few hours for me to get everything set up. Now it can play NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Atari, N64, Game Boy Advanced, etc. games with no problem. My wife and kids spent all day today playing on it. All-in-all, it cost maybe $20 more than the NES Classic Edition with a second controller and cord extenders, and yet it is way more robust and can play multiple platforms and more than 30 games. So thanks to Nintendo for creating artificial hype by under-manufacturing the NES Classic Edition and then discontinuing it. You motivated me to get something better.I'll likely pick up another 1 or 2 of these kits down the road to build a VPN for my home network and also as an inexpensive computer for school work for the kids. The provided OS comes with a browser and Libreoffice, which is a free(open-source) MS Office-type package. All you need for it is an HDMI monitor, and a USB keyboard and mouse. The Raspberry Pi is a very cool little computer and this kit has everything you need to get started as a beginner.

I'm using this Raspberry Pi 3 (RPI3) for HD Video and it is excellent. The maximum resolution is 1080. Don't expect 4K resolution.. Make no mistake 1080 looks great. ZERO lag. Audio and video are great.Here's my setup:I used the software (and excellent instructions provided) to load LibreELEC 7.0.3 (this is the operating system that runs on the RPI3). Following the excellent instructions, the RPI3 booted right up.LibreELEC 7.0.3 is an OS that has one function and that is to run the Kodi (version 16) application. Kodi is an excellent way to watch TV, movies, etc. Kodi supports addons (somewhat like a browser extension in Firefox or Chrome). If any of this sounds complex, don't shy away. Trust me, I was no expert in any of this (I only found out that a Raspberry Pi existed a few weeks ago). YouTube to the rescue. There are so many YouTube videos on the Raspberry Pi, LibreELEC 7.0.3, Kodi and Kodi addons that you are only limited by your patience and your imagination. Take the easy path and follow the instructions and software that the nice folks at CanaKit put together for you. Actually following instructions would have cut considerable time from my setup. I told you I was no expert.Now, here's the backstory as to why I needed to order this RPI3 and run LibreELEC 7.0.3 to get the Kodi application. Just after Thanksgiving (2016), I purchased a Samsung SUHD K-series. Great picture, but I soon realized I couldn't set favorite channels or change channels directly with the Samsung TV. I needed to use the cable box (not a fun experience). I had been using Kodi to watch TV on my computer, but wanted the same experience on my Samsung TV. The RPI3 running LibreELEC 7.0.3 (the operating system) which runs the Kodi application is just perfect, in my opinion.And I almost forgot to mention - the Samsung K-series remote recognizes the Kodi application on the RPI3. I'm still not quite sure how that got setup, but the Samsung remote navigates through the Kodi application perfectly. Another point in favor of this RPI3 kit.One final point on the setup. Those little silver thingys in the box are heat sinks. Peel the adhesive backing off and gently press them in place on the RPI3. You can't make a mistake. The larger heat sink sticks to the larger chip (or square) on the RPI3 and the smaller heat sink sticks to the smaller chip on the RPI3. Trust me, it'll be obvious where to place them. I've had more problems putting on my DMV license tag than putting these two heat sinks in the right places. So I don't scare you off, we'll just call them two little silver thingys you need to peel and stick on the board of the RPI3.I wish I would have started with the RPI3 running OpenELEC and Kodi instead of trying to screen mirror via a few different hardware solutions which don't work as well as the RPI3/Kodi and shall remain nameless. Screen mirroring is a nice idea, but I wanted to use the TV's remote to set/change channels. Screen mirroring is nice if your computer is near your TV and the computer's keyboard/mouse are available to you while you are watching TV. The RPI3/Kodi setup acts like it is a part of the TV since I can change channels in Kodi with the Samsung's remote. I finally have the TV viewing experience I wanted. Thanks CanaKit and RPI3.If you want to use the RPI3/Kodi to watch live TV then the following is important. For completeness, the RPI3 connected to my Samsung TV is talking to the computer in my home office which is running NPVR (open source). NPVR is the backend software that does the recording and provides the channel guide (called Electronic Program Guide). You'll also need a TV tuner. Have no fear, Amazon sells the SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime, which is an awesome product, itself. The SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime connects into my cable modem and connects to my home network. Nothing to worry about. SiliconDust makes setup easy. In my setup, I defined the channel list on the SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime. Over 100 available cable channels and I only let the SiliconDust HD Homerun Prime pass through 27 channels to me for viewing. So nice.Again, don't let any of this information scare you away. I learned all I needed about setting up NPVR from YouTube :(once I actually figured out that NPVR was what I needed). Here's a good test. If you can currently watch TV on your computer, you are well on your way to connecting this RPI3 up to your TV to watch TV and movies. Your TV does need an HDMI connector since that is the video output of the RPI3. The RPI3 is getting the TV/movie signal via the network connection. It has no cable coax connection.If you really want to get inspired, search online under the topics of Kodi and addons. You will be amazed.I really wish someone else had written this review about a month earlier. I probably would have spent more time binge watching and less time struggling with hardware and software during my Christmas week off. I sincerely hope this review helps someone.Have fun!

So let me start of by saying that I love Raspberry pie. Apple pie is my favorite, followed closely by pecan, but Raspberry definitely has its place.. Sometimes, when it's late and I'm all alone, I take the pie and.....*wife whispers in my ear*...*looks confusingly at the address bar*....oh.....OH!.....so I shouldn't? But I've already started....still no? FINE!!!!I am here to review the Raspberry Pi 3 AND NOTHING ELSE. I really enjoy these little machines as they have tons of uses. This is my second Pi. I bought the Pi 2 when it first came out and now I have the Pi 3. I generally want to use a product for some time before I review it, so I actually bought this back in November 2016 and have used it pretty much daily since.I use the Pi 3 as a Plex Media Server (with a separate SSD) and as a Classic Game Console Emulator and it works so well on both fronts! The kit was very easy to set up and even if I did have any questions, the Raspberry Pi community and online support are amazing. This kit itself, has a quick start guide that is super helpful for those non-technical people. I actually built mine with my nephew as he was interested in learning more about technology. I let him put it all together (Age 9) and the only question he asked me was about how to put on the heat sink. I think this would make an AMAZING gift for kids who have an aptitude for technology and coding or even for kids who are looking for a challenge!Once the hardware is set up, what you do with it is seemingly endless. As stated before, I used it as a media server and an emulator. For either option, all it takes is a Google search and you have all you need at your fingertips. Even with those directions, they vary between the tech savvy and the beginner. If you're on the fence or if you're not sure, I would say, go for it! I bet you will surprise yourself. Because the bottom line is that if you mess up something, it takes no time to wipe it and start over.Have any questions, please let me know! I'd be happy to help out!Christian

Genuine product. Good quaity.

Este kit de Raspberry 3 es muy completo para comenzar con proyectos basados en esta plataforma. La capacidad de la memoria micro SD (32 GB), la precarga de NOOBS permite iniciar facilmente la instalación de un sistema operativo, ademas de que el Adaptador de Corriente tiene una salida de voltaje con capacidad de 2.5 AMP, esto permite utilizar los puertos USB con dispositivos sin usar un HUB de USB. El cable HDMI incluido asi como el Case y los disipadores de calor, son de muy buena calidad y sobretodo permite un funcionamiento adecuado del dispositivo.PROS- Capacidad de la memoria micro SD de 32 GB incluida en el kit y precargada con NOOBS.- Excelente Calidad de los componentes del Kit- Adaptador de Corriente con la capacidad de carga de 2.5 AMP- Raspberry 3 Model B incluye Wi-Fi y Bluetooth embebidos- Adaptador USB para micro SD (No es un adaptador SD como en otros kits)CONS- No encontre nada malo con este Kit, muy completo y justo lo necesario para comenzar a trabajar.

Llegó en perfecto estado, funciona fenomenal, el sistema precargado en la tarjeta sd hace que todo sea muy sencillo, la carcasa, cables y demás se ven de buena calidad.

Buen producto para desarrollos de IoT

Buen producto