A new version of the groundbreaking Raspberry Pi computer has just gone on sale, called the Pi Zero, and you certainly won’t have to break the bank to get one – it costs just $5 (£4).

The awesome single-board computer, which is smaller than a credit card, is significantly cheaper than the already affordable original Raspberry Pi, which is priced at $25 (£16).

“Of all the things we do at Raspberry Pi, driving down the cost of computer hardware remains one of the most important,” said Raspberry Pi Founder Eben Upton in a blog post yesterday. “Even in the developed world, a programmable computer is a luxury item for a lot of people, and every extra dollar that we ask someone to spend decreases the chance that they’ll choose to get involved.”

The impressive little Pi Zero machine is a fully fledged Linux-running Raspberry Pi computer, and it is 40 percent faster than the original Raspberry Pi launched in 2012. It also boasts 512MB RAM, a MiniHDMI port, and two micro USB ports. Not bad. 

“We’ve built several tens of thousands of units so far, and are building more, but we expect demand to outstrip supply for the next little while,” added Upton.

But wait, there’s more. To celebrate the launch yesterday, the company also revealed it would be giving away a free Pi Zero with each copy of the December issue of The MagPi – which promptly sold out yesterday, although more copies will hopefully be printed.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on Raspberry Pi, there’s really no better time than now. You can pick one up from The Pi Hut and Pimoroni in the U.K., and Adafruit or the Micro Center in the U.S.

Check out the video below for more information on the Pi Zero.

^{Image in text: Issue 40 of The MagPi. Raspberry Pi Foundation}