![V-Kits Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (B Plus) Retro Arcade Gaming Kit with 2 Classic USB Gamepads [Latest Model 2018]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91-ULZ%2B2kEL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
Really good starter kit. However, if you want the best performance from your Raspberry Pi 3, buy the components individually.
The included Kingston memory card is decent, but not great. For the top microSD performance, grab a Samsung EVO+, or Samsung Pro+, or Sandisk Extreme card. The 32GB capacity is a sweet spot for performance and cost. If you want to run Raspbian, Ubuntu Mate, Retropie, or any distro with a desktop, you'll need at least 3.5GB; making an 8GB card usable but not comfortable. A 16GB card would be perfect, but you'll get better read / write performance out of a 32GB card, and the cost is a couple dollars more. There is an $8 difference between the EVO+ vs. the Pro+ or Extreme, for a < 10% performance increase. To see a performance comparison, search for "Pi Dramble microSD Card Benchmarks"
I threw away the included microSD card reader. It wouldn't even fit the microSD card correctly. It's better to get a microSD to SD card adapter, and use an existing SD card reader you already have on your laptop or desktop. However, the builtin SD card readers don't have the best performance. To speed that up, grab a "Sandisk Extreme PRO Card Reader", which uses USB 3.0. My Asus UX305CA ultrabook laptop went from 15 MB/sec write transfer to 25 MB/sec.
The case looks nice, and is sturdy, but doesn't give the best cooling. If you overclock the CPU, SDRAM, and GPU, you'll spike the system temperature up to 75 C / 167 F. The firmware is set to throttle the CPU when it hits 80 C / 176 F. To overcome this, get a case with a fan. I suggest the "Makerfire Raspberry Pi B+ Case Protective Case Enclosure Box with Mini Cooling Fan Heatsink Kit" (plastic, can easily remove microSD), or from EleDuino (aluminum, cannot easily remove microSD). The Canakit case, without a fan, was hitting 75 C / 167 F running FF7 on PSX in Retropie. The Makerfire case, fan running, was getting 52 C / 126 F running FF7 on PSX in Retropie. I was really surprised, and re-ran the test, playing the game for 30 min each time to let it stabilize, and got the same results. Ambient temperature was 22 C / 71 F in Boston.
If you are going to overclock the system, you'll want a slightly higher powered adapter. The one included in the kit is 5V 2.5A. You can get a 5V 3A w/ micro USB power adapter from NorthPada. 3A output is the maximum supported by the USB 2.0 standard. The included power adapter is fine if you won't be overclocking. Be careful with power settings, you can "overclock the USB", to go from 600mAh to 1200mAh, which will help with supporting higher powered USB devices. However, it's not reliable when used with power hungry devices like external harddrives. If you do want to attach harddrives, power them through a USB hub, and attach the hub to the Raspberry Pi.
The downside to running any Raspberry Pi is getting all of the USB dongles to fit. Check out the 6" USB cables from StarTech and Tripp Lite. You can get USB 3.0, USB 2.0, micro USB, mini USB, and USB extension cables. I use 4x USB 6" extension cables, and can comfortably fit USB memory sticks and larger RTL-SDR software defined radio dongles.
There's no keyboard and mouse included. It's effectively required to have one, for configuration. I have an inexpensive one from Jelly Comb, the "Jelly Comb 2.4G Ultra Slim Portable Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo", using a single USB receiver. If you want to run Retropie / EmulationStation, and play PSX, N64, SNES, NES, and older system games, grab a couple of "Vmargera USB Double Shock Controller GamePad" controllers; they use one USB connection per controller.
If you want to use the RPi3 to run as an HTPC settop media player box, check out OSMC, and grab a remote w/ USB receiver. I have one from X-Strong. There is a variety of them, mostly intended for Android devices. The downside is that Debian and Ubuntu will not natively run Netflix, they just don't have enough GPU to process Silverlight through the browser. However, you can install Android Marshmallow, and use the Android Netflix app.
Wifi is decent on the device, but not amazing. You can't expect high throughput from an embedded wifi chip without an external antenna. If you do want faster speeds with low latency, look into a wifi AC 600Mbps USB dongle. I got the "Edimax EW-7811UAC 11AC" dongle coming soon, and reviews say it is compatible.
Overall, I really like the kit. It's the first one I've bought, and learned a lot with it. If you want a quick and simple kit, get this. If you want to overclock and get the best performance, grab the components I listed above.
- Save 20% on Buffalo Retro Gamepad when you purchase 1 or more CanaKit Raspberry Pi Kits offered by CanaKit. Here's how (restrictions apply)
