Raspberry Pi Model 4 a bit slow at 4K

So I’ve got my Raspberry Pi model four running and I thought I’d try it driving a 4K monitor. Promotions of the device have made much of the fact that this new version has not one, but two video outputs and they can run 4K video.

I don’t want two 4K displays, but a single one that works correctly would be nice. Unfortunately the performance is not great. It might be me, but it seems that although the desktop looks splendid it does seem to lag a bit. Moving the mouse around turns into a game of skill, where you have to stop moving the mouse before it arrives at the desired destination. This might be a great idea for a video game, but it isn’t much fun when you are trying to use the device.

I’m hoping that this is caused by early versions of the operating system not being optimised for the new hardware, but if you’re thinking of getting a model 4 I’d advise you to get your hands on a device and have a play before you splash any cash.