For that an ESP is plenty at even cheaper

I'm running HA on an esxi VM on a gen10 proliant server for the same reasons.

I made the joke because the max spec pi 4 is just reaching breaking point based on testing a recent upgrade on a HA instance I previously had on there.

If the pi 5 copes better that still opens HA up for a generation of new home automators without having to invest a lot of cash or maintain software and hardware for a non-SBC.

I hope this trend doesn't continue with HA though; it's getting very resource heavy. It's my second most resource intensive VM after a windows VM which says a lot....

Awesome! Pi5 replacement incoming then :)

Can't really compare from that long ago, given the current economical situation and inflation.
But it's also better hardware, they still sell older models too, so if you don't need the performance increase then there's cheaper options still available (and different models to further narrow down to what you need it for). I think they are defo worth $60.

Yeah it's weird that they don't have plans for that price point. I mean, given inflation the starting price should be closer to $50 USD, so I'm guessing they're going to continue production of RPi4 to keep that entry level low.