Intel 'Compute Stick' PC-Over-HDMI Dongle Launched, Tested 174
MojoKid writes: Intel has officially announced the availability of their Compute Stick HDMI dongle, and has lifted the embargo on early tests with the device. The Compute Stick is essentially a fully-functional, low-power, Atom-based system with memory, storage, and an OS, crammed into a dongle about 10cm long. There will initially be two compute sticks made available: one running Windows (model STCK1A32WFC) and another running Ubuntu (model STCK1A8LFC). The Windows 8.1 version of the Compute Stick is packing an Intel Atom Z3735F processor, with a single-channel of 2GB of DDR3L-1333 RAM and 32GB of internal storage, though out of the box only 19.2GB is usable. The Ubuntu version of the Compute Stick has as a similar CPU, but is packing only 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. All sticks have USB and MicroSD expansion capability. It doesn't burn through any benchmarks, but for multi-media playback, basic computing tasks, web browsing, HD video, or remote access, the Compute Stick has enough muscle to get the job done, and it's cheap, too: $99 — $149.
Cripple Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why in FSM's name are the Ubuntu version hardware specs lower?
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Maybe some big software firm was involved, threatening to not let them use Windows unless Linux-sticks were crippled??
Re:Cripple Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why in FSM's name are the Ubuntu version hardware specs lower?
I think because they want to sell a cheap, low spec one and MS doesn't like people shipping Windows on underspeced hardware.
Anyway, my old eee has 1G RAM and to be honest it's beginning to get rather spartan even for web browsing.
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"MS doesn't like people shipping Windows on underspecced hardware."
Explain Intel's original Atom netbooks, then?
Re:Cripple Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
Makes me wonder about the economics of producing these things. Apparently something related to the OS choices makes it worth Intel's while to develop separate models and the infrastructure to build each one, rather than just building the higher spec model and slapping either OS onto it.
It's things like this that hearken back to the glory days of the Evil Empire, and why people find it difficult to trust MS now.
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Makes me wonder about the economics of producing these things. Apparently something related to the OS choices makes it worth Intel's while to develop separate models and the infrastructure to build each one, rather than just building the higher spec model and slapping either OS onto it.
It's things like this that hearken back to the glory days of the Evil Empire, and why people find it difficult to trust MS now.
Well, I can't speak for the Ubuntu one, but I have a Yoga 2 10" tablet with Windows 8 with nearly identical specs, only the Z3745 processor instead of this stick's Z3735. The difference in CPU is not significant.
2GB of RAM is not enough for web pages with endless scrolling, such as Tumblr, or bloated pages such as Vice.com. Chrome sucks up the RAM, and when there is none left, things aren't pretty. I use "The Great Suspender" addon which saves unused tabs to disk and frees up memory, but even that is
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--You can turn endless scrolling off in your Preferences. Besides it's one of the stupidest ideas ever, once you scroll past something 99% of the time you'll never want to see it again (and if you do there's the "previous page" link, not to mention a lot of times the *same content* gets reposted by different followers) and it's uselessly taking up resources. 2GB of RAM should be _fine_ for web browsing, if people would only design their webpages a little smarter.
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Apparently something related to the OS choices makes it worth Intel's while to develop separate models.
The answer in one word: Sales.
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Why in FSM's name are the Ubuntu version hardware specs lower?
I'd bet: price. Once you pay the Windows tax, you might as well up the HW a bit at that pricepoint ($149), while the Linux version comes quite a bit cheaper ($89). There's a lot to be said for coming in under $100.
Prices according to the first duckduckgo hit, accepted blindly as true.
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These are the minimal specs that make sense for either OS. Ubuntu is just a _lot_ more efficient.
Re:Cripple Linux? (Score:4, Insightful)
Probably true, and a commentary on the overhead required to run Windows. Even so, it would be nice to run Ubuntu on the other version without having to pay the "Microsoft tax" to get the upgraded hardware. A higher price is fair, but paying for a license you don't use is silly.
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This. I'm waiting on my Pipo X7 [pipo.com] to get here, but it's essentially the same hardware as an ICS plus a slightly faster CPU and 10/100 Ethernet. Literally the only thing I'm concerned about is whether it can play Netflix in the browser as opposed to using the Windows Store App Netflix app, because that's the difference between needing a MSLive account and not.
Oh, and W8.1 w/Bing may be "free", but it still needs a valid license key. The machine I bought supposedly has one.
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" The only problem I had with mine was that it doesn't have any cooling whatsoever. So when it heats up it downclocks"
Cool, now I know what not to buy and what company to avoid at all costs. Gracias!
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Replace Windows with Ubuntu (Score:2)
I guess if you want Ubuntu (or some other distro) on the beefier version of the stick, you can buy the windows one and replace it yourself. Assuming Windows on there is the free 'linux killer' version, you're not losing anything - except your time and effort. Maybe if Intel sees a market for beefier linux sticks it'll start selling them...
Then again, that assumes it's possible to replace the OS on these things. Anybody know?
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Linux can do more with more hardware resources. Your statement doesn't answer question, sensible thing would be for Intel to make 1 device
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No, that's not the way Microsoft wants it, precisely because Linux can do more and faster with the same hardware.
Re:Cripple Linux? (Score:4, Informative)
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That's about 15 machines too many. What a fucking shitty network design you have, here.
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Try get a basic clue on what comprises a network.
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The message found its way to Slashdot over the internet. That almost certainly involved multiple relays; for example, when I did a traceroute from my laptop to hardware.slashdot.org, it showed that my packets went through 15 nodes, divided almost evenly between comcast.net and savvis.net. Everything other than the end points is probably either running Linux or Cisco IOS.
Eventually the packets arrive at slashdot. Slashdot is a database-driven system, so everything you do here is probably being touched by mor
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" typically the database doesn't run on the same system as the web server."
Maybe if you use shit hardware, yes you'd keep them on separate systems. [imgur.com]
Or you can catch up with reality and realize that now days, I could do the entirety of DICE Holding's website portfolio with THAT ONE MACHINE, INCLUDING DATABASES AND WEBSERVERS, oh and for fun one of those nodes could go to just acting as a hardware firewall and router/switch.
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If you're too technically inept to build a system that can do it all [imgur.com] including acting as a managed switch and firewall, you probably should drop out because you've been left behind.
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Oh wait, you're serious? Let me laugh even harder...
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I guess you didn't bother looking at the system I built.
But okay, you go ahead and laugh. You come tell me when you ability to slam 12 PCI-E x16 GPUs into one system.
I know how this works a LOT better than you. I do this globally for a living.
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I'm sure willing to believe that you "know better than me" how to deploy big monolithic number crunchers "globally for a living". Unfortunately for you, this was about networking. (It's a fairly new idea, you might not have heard of it yet).
So I'd suggest you familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of networking, in order to avoid making yourself look like a complete idiot next time
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Wrong, the world's important information (money, insurance, logistics) is NOT hosted on Windows. You are clueless
So over a billion people cluelessly run a bloated and buggy malware and spyware vector, and this makes it legitimate? Get a clue
Re:Cripple Linux? (Score:5, Insightful)
For the last 24 years: LINUX ISN'T STUPID BLOATWARE! IT RUNS GREAT ON ANY HARDWARE!!!
Hardware maker in 2015: OK, you're right. Here ya go.
Fanboys: OMG!! CRIPPLED HARDWARE!!
It's still a valid complaint -- why give the Ubuntu device half the ram and 1/4 the storage? Even if Ubuntu *requires* less resources than Windows, the applications that people want to run may not. Chrome, in particular, seems to grow to consume all of my RAM whether I run it on my old 2GB laptop or my 16GB desktop. And the Windows device has 19GB of usable storage -- more than 3 times the total amount of storage on the Ubuntu stick, Ubuntu users store data too, especially on a device well suited to be a media player.
file system cache? (Score:2)
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" Chrome, in particular, seems to grow to consume all of my RAM whether I run it on my old 2GB laptop or my 16GB desktop."
Maybe if you didn't use a shit piece of software that spawned processes faster than rabbits fuck, you wouldn't have that problem.
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It's also $40 cheaper, which translates into a savings of > 25% of the device price.
You want Ubuntu on the "non-crippled" version? Good news: If you are willing to pay the additional $40, you ought to be able to install Ubuntu because the same hardware (minus some RAM/storage) has already been setup to run Ubuntu.
Is it the same hardware? This implies that it's not identical: The Ubuntu version of the Compute Stick has as a similar CPU -- if the CPU is different, how much of the rest of the chipset is different?
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Don't be ridiculous. The *core* of Linux can run fine on anything, but to actually do something useful, you need more hardware. "Can run" and "can do what I need to do with it after it's booted" are two different things.
The people saying that Linux can run on anything are right. So are the people who are wishing that the Compute Stick would come with at least the same hardware as the Windows version. What if they want to do a little more than just browse the web? Linux definitely has the programs available
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LOL ... Intel inside, bitches.
The article indicates it's got a single USB 2.0, and bluetooth ... from there you can probably get things hooked up.
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Yea, and lemme tell you, with most shit on the backside of a TV, and all that nice shielding in the casing, it's a fucker to get a wireless signal to reach and be received.
Tried one. Already sent it back. If I need an extender cable to make a plug and pray device work, nope, see you, adios.
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But it's just an hdmi dongle right? I assume you can't hook up a keyboard and mouse to it? I'm not sure how this is better than the roku stick for instance...
TFA says there's a USB port for attaching a keyboard/mouse.
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Actually, I thought the same thing initially:
So it's purely for supplying power.
But, it's got Bluetooth, so you can get keyboards and mice easily enough.
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but the USB 2.0 port should work great, no?
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Oh, yes, I'm an idiot apparently.
Somehow the two USB references got mashed up in my head.
Yes, you are 100% correct ... there's a USB port you can use for devices, and one for power.
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Can run x86 binaries and uses Intel HD graphics, so no gfx driver issues. Roku or other ARM sticks can't run x86 binaries and you have to deal with their binary blob gfx drivers that generally don't play well with new kernels. ARM binaries are vary by core vintage and soft vs hard float. Then there is the variety of gpu cores: MALI, Vivante, PowerVR, Broadcom. By contrast Intel has open source options and Intel supplied binaries that get updated, especially because the desktop chips use the same gpu.
I t
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I tried upgrading my laptop, in theory it would have been great - in reality it's a pain in the ass because although the distribution I used was i586, it required PAE support (which is present in the CPU buy the ID bits don't say so) so I had to use a custom kernel, so now I can't upgrade it through the package manager.
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This is standard PC hardware and can run a multitude of standard PC operating systems with no modification. Linux. BSD. Windows, etc. They do now, and will continue to do in to the future.
Arm based android "sticks", in practice, can run the mystery build of android they shipped with and that's it. No upgrades. No documentation.
Intel has taken standard x86-64 hardware and pushed it down in to the power and thermal envelope where only ARM occupied before. Arm is nice, but it's flexibility has led to a lack of
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Its hardware specs are modest, but the Compute Stick does have one item that might be useful -- slap VMWare or a hypervisor on it, and use it for a Web browsing VM, using App-V so that the browser appears seamless.
The advantage of doing things this way a hardware level of isolation. Should the browser (or add-ons) get compromised, the malware has to get out of the VM, and even then... the compromise is limited to a rather small amount of hardware so if there is some attack that is able to fry the CPU or mo
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vmware's overhead is heavy on small devices, 180MB of RAM (and add about 60MB per cpu core above that) and about 10-15% cpu overhead.
that extra load is essentially zero on a normal system by today's standards, but at the very low end it hurts
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I do agree that it does add a non-trivial amount of load, but the purpose of it being there is for isolation (keep the malware away from the bare metal like the actual HDD firmware) and snapshot capabilities -- if the VM gets completely compromised, the entire thing can be rolled back fairly quickly. With 2GB of RAM [1], it can support some low-end OS partitions.
[1]: I've seen some low-end netbooks ship with Windows 8.1 and 2GB RAM, so even though it is a painfully low amount of RAM, I'm guessing someone
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If that is the case, then using tiny VMs might just be a useful tool, as it might come in handy for honeypot research, or just for browsing the Web securely. Since a common (if not the most common) cause of compromise is the Web browser, might as well not just have logical separation (sandbox, VMs), but physical separation, so damage is limited. With multiple devices, it becomes a matter of hacking via remote if malware on one device obtained by general web browsing wanted to attack the compute stick hold
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It has an USB2.0 port. That would do for Keyboard and mouse. Maybe. The thing would need to be able to access Keyboard and Mouse via a hub. That is often a problem. I think this device is basically intended as a streaming endpoint with remote administration. At least for Linux, that is perfectly painless.
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"It has an USB2.0 port. That would do for Keyboard and mouse. Maybe."
If 480Mbit is only good for keyboard and mouse, I don't even want to touch any software or hardware you design, EVER.
Cheap in which universe?! (Score:5, Interesting)
There are a bunch of tablets on Amazon right now with Z3735G (which I assume is about the same if not better as the Z3735F) for less than $100.
They come (of course) with battery, probably charger, screen (of course) and so on. How is this stupid stick "cheap" for $100-$150?
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Z3735G (which I assume is about the same if not better as the Z3735F)
Yep, that's correct, G is a nudge faster than F.
CPUMark: Z3735F [cpubenchmark.net], Z3735G [cpubenchmark.net].
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Weird, the F and G appear the be the same, except the F has twice the memory bandwidth. It should be a little better than the G.
There aren't many samples in those benchmarks though. The CPU does change its frequency based on thermal constraints though. Benchmark results can depend on the ambient temperature and thermal design of the product.
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You are absolutely correct. Check out the MicroCenter Winbook tablets.
For a lot less money, you can buy a tablet with all of this:
IPS LCD Screen 1280 x 800
Capacitive Touch Screen (5-Point Multi-Touch)
Full size USB 2.0
3.5mm Audio
Micro USB
Micro HDMI
Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Front Camera 2 Megapixel
Rear Camera 2 Megapixel
Integrated Mic
Sensors G-Sensor, Light Sensor
USB Power Plug & Charging Cable;
Built-in speakers
Battery Rechargeable Lithium Polymer
AC Adapter
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Yet for all that, it still can't fit into your pocket or plug into any HDMI TV without an adapter or cable. Sometimes having less is more...and paying more for less is better.
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How often do you need to take your "TV-computer" in your pocket?
And why won't a tablet do there?
And why is a cable such an horror?
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People are too fixated on the specs and 'I can get device X that will work perfectly well in the same capac
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The Intel Compute Stick doesn't take power from the HDMI connector. It requires a power point and power adapter and power cable.
Presumably it requires more power than HDMI inputs and dish out.
The tablet only requires a single cable, and can run off its internal battery.
Sometimes having less is more...
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Okay that price is fucking impressive.
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These HDMI sticks are meant for a certain thing, and replacing a tablet isn't one of them. But try taking any one of those cheap tablets and connect it neatly to your TV and let me know how that's working for you. I am betting none of them have HDMI out capability at that price point.
The point of these sticks are to be a media device, or a low power workstation/presentation device and to be relatively simple to integrate into a large display for both uses, which it is.
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Challende accepted:
http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-T... [amazon.com]
First hit, $110 with micro-HDMI.
And as he said with screen "1280x800 IPS", just 1 GB of RAM but on the other hand also two cameras.
Anything more you want me to Google for you?
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So for $110 it comes with a microhdmi cable that also leaves a USB port free, or do you need to also buy a hub and hope that doesn't cause interference with the video signal out? And what does that do for OTG function or are you just entirely SOL on that with the display plugged in? And of course how does one mount that neatly and out of sight to their TV/retail display for free? Duct tape or something a little more elegant?
It's also worth mentioning that this tablet has half the storage and half the mem
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Oops, should have looked at all the pictures before commenting. I see the mini HDMI port on there so that's nice. Still half the RAM and storage though. And I've never heard of this company before so rather than taking a chance on some unknown, I would recommend you get an HP Stream 7" tablet:
http://store.hp.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/us/en/pdp/tablets/hp-stream-7-tablet---5701#!
I have one of these and it does what it says on the tin and it has 32 GB of storage. No HDMI out though.
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http://www.dx.com/p/meegopad-t... [dx.com]
$110, 2GB ram 32GB storage. for $10 less you can choose 16GB, either way its got a MicroSD slot to expand it.
It's pretty much the same thing as the new Intel one. Same CPU, same amount of RAM, same storage, as Bluetooth and wifi, except it was announced back in October last year or thereabouts.
$40 cheaper as well.
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Nice, but the average lifespan of electronics I've purchased in the past from DealExtreme makes me very leery. I'll spend the extra $40 less shipping on getting a part from a vendor with a solid reputation, thanks.
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" But try taking any one of those cheap tablets and connect it neatly to your TV and let me know how that's working for you. I am betting none of them have HDMI out capability at that price point."
Uhhh, yea. Works just fucking fine, cost me $99.
Could you shut the fuck up about things you obviously know nothing of?
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Well, your comrade just posted one at that price point that has half the memory and storage, so maybe a bit. Everyone still isn't getting the memo though. You don't buy a dongle for portablility and you don't buy a tablet to hook it up to a TV. They're two different devices with different use cases.
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it's first gen.
prices will go down.
but realistically, where else are you going to get a $99 general purpose desktop computer that you can put in your pocket and carry around?
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I bought an Android "Google TV" HDMI stick on Amazon for $30. I've been using it for a couple years now, and it works great! If I were to do it again, I'd probably spring for a Roku stick.
I agree, $100-$150 is a bit high for the market.
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Tablets that run full-blown desktop Windows or Linux? At that price point, I'm assuming Android x86 tablets... prove me wrong with a link (please? If the damned things have at least 2gigs of RAM and run full Win8.1 I'll probably buy one right away, because my Win8.1 tablet is stupid huge at 11.6" - people look at me funny when I take it to the bathroom :p).
Also: this stick is ideal for people who don't want a full-blown HTPC in their living room, but also don't want to fuck around with "app-y" shit a la Chr
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When you compare it to my old desktop that hooks up to the TV via HDMI and has it's own keyboard and mouse and does whatever the fuck I want, it's $150 vs $0.
Unless I lived in a shoebox or really wanted more energy efficiency because I get off on it, I would never consider any of these sticks. I already have an actual computer connected.
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" I think you're missing the whole point of the tiny form-factor and what is it best suited for.'
Yea, portable devices. Not attached to a TV port in the back that is effectively blocked with so much fucking shielding that getting any sort of reasonable signal to it to control it is practically impossible...
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And in benchmarks, they perform pretty much identical, despite the bandwith disparity.
Which, if you paid any fucking attention to systems architecture design, means that somewhere else on the CPU is the bottleneck.
"...crammed into a dongle about 10cm long..." (Score:2)
I'm not touching that.
Re:"...crammed into a dongle about 10cm long..." (Score:5, Informative)
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Watch out. Adria Richards may be skulking about.
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I'm not touching that.
That's what she said.
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I'd bet you'd touch it if it was 20cm longer.
Specced too low, weird form factor (Score:3)
It's specced way too low to really be useful as a general computing device, and the form factor is 'weird' to say the least. It's too big to really be called a stick, and too small to be able to pack a decent cpu. There's plenty of space behind the monitor for a somewhat larger device in a better form factor. The stick is a play toy that you will become disappointed with very quickly (think the old 'netbook' concept Intel tried to push a few years ago... that's what the stick feels like).
Honestly, the 'compute stick' makes zero sense for a TV-mounted device. It is far better to just go with a chrome cast stick or an AppleTV for airplay and using a pad or cell in your hand to control it if you want to throw a display up on the TV. Otherwise you will be fumbling around with a horrible remote or you have to throw together a bluetooth keyboard (etc...) and it just won't be a fun or convenient experience.
My recommendation... don't bother with this gadget. Instead, spend a bit more money and get an Intel NUC or Gigabyte BRIX (both based on Broadwell). And get at least the i5 version, the lack of turbo in the i3 version is telling. e.g. i5-5200 based box or better. It will cost significantly more than the stick, but it packs a decent cpu, can take up to 16GB of ram (2x204pin SO-DIMM DDR3), and depending on the model might even have room for a 2.5" SSD or HDD in it. The broadwell i5-5200U makes for quite a reasonable compact workstation and boxes based on it will be almost universally dual-headed. Of course, whatever floats your boat but I would definitely say that the lowest-priced Intel NUC or Gigabyte BRIX that is haswell-based or broadwell-based is still going to be an order of magnitude better than the compute stick.
I have one of the Gigabyte GB-BXi5H-5200's myself ('H' version fits a normal 2.5" SSD or HDD) and packed 16GB of ram into it. It is dual-headed so I can drive two displays with it and the box is small enough to mount on the back of a monitor if you so desire (it even includes a mounting plate and most monitors, such as LG monitors, are ready to take it). And if mounting it on the back of a TV doesn't make sense, mount it on the back of a monitor instead or just let it float behind the monitor. It's a small box, after all, it won't get in the way of anything. 4-thread (2-core), 2.2 GHz turbo to 2.7 GHz. Dual-head. Decent.
-Matt
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This is what you want bro, it is user ugradable and Intel inside.
http://www.amazon.com/HP-Stream-200-010-Mini-Desktop/dp/B00R7R1GWK
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All the older haswell-based boxes have dropped in price significantly. They make decent boxes too as long as you are not compute-heavy. E.G. the 2957U is 2-core, no hypthreading, 1.4 GHz, no-turbo, and no AESNI (so https and other crypto is slow). Whereas even the Broadwell i3-5200U is 2-core/4-thread, 2.2 GHz with Turbo to 2.7 GHz, and has AESNI.
I have an Acer C720P chromebook running DragonFly (BSD) with the 2955U in it, which is very close to the 2957U. I would call it decent for its purpose and it c
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This is the *mobile* i5, not the full blown desktop i5. It's basically the Broadwell successor to the Haswell 29xx series. 15W TDP or less. The BRIX runs 8W idle (not sleeping) and 20W at 100% cpu (all 4 threads full out). Intel is playing fast and loose with their naming schema for Broadwell.
-Matt
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Yep and it's worse for a media center than a Raspberry Pi 2.
More expensive, lower horsepower, goofy and limited. It's a failstick.
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Yep and it's worse for a media center than a Raspberry Pi 2.
1GB RAM equals fail. If you can slap Linux on the 2GB version of this stick then it's good. It's still around $70 to get a R-Pi with a case, power supply, and HDMI cable. That is substantially more expensive though, so if the Pi will serve your needs, so be it.
think client (Score:2)
I could see a company using this as a thin client for employees that remote into centralized VM desktops, especially if their needs are limited.
I know most people in my company do anything of consequence on remote servers/desktops.
Their local machine is mostly just web browsing and email.
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I think one of the main markets for this are store displays, trade shows or similar where it does indeed make sense to plug it into a large display, fire up a local media file and let it loop or run a simple interactive terminal for entering addresses and the like. For those kinds of tasks a Chromecast or Apple TV won't work and a NUC or Brix is both overkill and you also now have a little box that needs mounting whereas this thing just slots into an HDMI port and it's done.
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Honestly, the 'compute stick' makes zero sense for a TV-mounted device. It is far better to just go with a chrome cast stick or an AppleTV for airplay and using a pad or cell in your hand to control it if you want to throw a display up on the TV. Otherwise you will be fumbling around with a horrible remote or you have to throw together a bluetooth keyboard (etc...) and it just won't be a fun or convenient experience.
I have such a stick on my TV, and it works great! It's *not* an ideal general computing device, but it is pretty much ideal for a Smart TV thingie.
As far as input devices, we use either a bluetooth Logitech keyboard/touchpad device, or a "flying mouse" remote. Both work rather well. If you haven't one, you should check out a "flying mouse" remote on Amazon for under $20 [amazon.com] and work by waving your hand. It's really easy and rather intuitive once you get past a 1 minute introduction. Oh, and it contains a full
I would love to see... (Score:2)
I would love to see touch-screen TV's become more prevalent and cheaper. As soon as they do, I pair a touch-screen TV with one of these dongles, and I have a perfect display & presentation tool for business conference rooms and classrooms.
It sucks... (Score:2)
http://gizmodo.com/intel-compu... [gizmodo.com]
Pretty in dept review on why it sucks. For example want to use Bluetooth and Wifi? Don't plan on it as they're both handled by the same controller and the BT lags to shit when Wifi is enabled.
Beware windows bloat intel! (Score:1)
I am running a tech preview of 10 and it blows up to over 30 gig in a very short period of time without even downloading movies and the like. Unless 8.1 has disk space limits on install expect your customers to run out of room on the stick in a hurry. The Ubuntu users with less room most likely will not have these issues as they will be smart enough to use expansion cards for storage and Ubuntu does not blow up like a balloon with gobs of update rescue backups.
What I predict will happen is that typical wind
Not really a 'complete' review (Score:1)
It's not a complete review by any stretch.
All it says for Netflix is that it's 'flawless'. What about some details behind that? does it do HD properly? Does it output 5.1 surround sound?
Also, they didn't go through any really good playback reviews. Like..does it have the power to play blu-ray rips in mkv? Does it output 5.1 surround sound? Can it output DTS-HD/Tru HD?
To me (and probably others) This kind of information is VITAL.
Needs ethernet ports... (Score:2)
Wi-fi is not reliable enough, doubly so in crowded airspace around apartment blocks and the like. This would be much more attractive if it let me go RJ45 -> Stick -> TV.
Re:Heavy? (Score:4, Informative)
It even has a little fan inside that puts out a high-pitched annoying whine after longterm use.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Intel wasn't the first on the "Compute" bandwagon
https://www.raspberrypi.org/ra... [raspberrypi.org]