The Pi Desktop kit from Premier Farnell – the largest Raspberry Pi manufacturer – includes an add-on board containing: an mSATA interface, a smart power regulator (plus real-time clock and battery), a heat sink, a USB adapter (Micro-Type A), standoffs and screws, all in one box so you have it all.
The company said the kit can help Raspberry Pi fans turn their Pi board into a "fully-equipped Linux computer" in minutes, which can then be connected to a display via HDMI.
Premier Farnell said that when you pair the Raspberry Pi with a £39.99 Pi Desktop you'll get "all the functionality you'd expect from a standard computer", although the Raspberry Pi 3, a solid-state drive and a camera will have to be purchased separately, which of course adds to the price.
According to Premier Farnell, using an SSD makes the system particularly durable. Booting the Raspberry Pi directly from the SSD also enables a faster boot.
To date we have seen many projects that aim to turn the Raspberry Pi into a desktop, including the Pi Top.
But none of them deliver the performance you'd expect from a high-end laptop. It remains to be seen whether the Pi Desktop can actually do that, without requiring the user to make any compromises.
