Use a standard power supply, put it in a case and maybe develop on it. and pci-express opens up possibilities the pi (not compute) doesn't really have access to.
I have many pis that I love, but you have to admit, there are a few compromises made for a lower bom cost. That is not a requirement for a $600+ board.
I struggled with a power supply for the pi all the way up to the pi 4 - always getting the low power indicator.
I struggled with the pi SD card - extremely slow and always the possibility of corruption.
I struggled with pi graphics - none of my projects every had accelerated graphics, not even blits.
I struggled with pi USB - at first it was power and speed, now it might be in better shape but not all the way there. The pi is still limited to ~ 15w.
When you get to the pc ecosystem, and it's really just a bit more expensive, you get a step up in capabilities. You get all the voltages. You can get a 300w or a 1500w power supply.
You can add a graphics card.
You can put it in a case that has room for more than just the board. Say, I/O?
I wish the pi had a nice metal case that had a 2x the width allowing for an enclosed breadboard or the like. Or a case with all the connectors on one side.
> Pi 4 has pci-express, no?
really? where is the slot? (I said not compute) ;)
btw, I'm not anti-pi, the opposite in fact.
Maybe I could say it in another way -- what if you could have an itx form-factor pi? I think that would be very exciting.
Not the pi, but the vaguely-similar (better, IMHO) https://www.pine64.org/rockpro64/ has a 4x pcie. Works great for a sata/raid controller, but still has plenty of "embedded" limitations - you can't just plug a graphics card into it.
Hmm I always assumed that there were missing/unsolved pieces of the driver that would need to be fixed first, based on the way that support for these devices seems to need to be solved one by one [0] but it looks like at least someone has made progress on a different board [1]
I have many pis that I love, but you have to admit, there are a few compromises made for a lower bom cost. That is not a requirement for a $600+ board.