Intel Goes Core M With Two New Compute Sticks

In addition to the compute stick with Atom X5-Z8300 SKU, Intel announced that there will be two more Compute Sticks with Core M processors inside released later this year.

These new Compute Sticks have a major advantage over their Baytrail predecessors in terms of performance because they are produced using 14 nm transistors. This enabled Intel to cram more powerful hardware into the Compute stick, while keeping power consumption and heat low.

The higher-end Compute Stick will contain an Intel Core M5-6Y57 vPro. It has two CPU cores with hyperthreading enabled, and it is clocked at 1.1 GHz with a turbo boost speed of 2.8 GHz. The CPU also has 4 MB of LLC and a TDP of 4.5 W.

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The lower-end Compute Stick has an Core M3-6Y30, which is similar with the same TDP, cache and number of cores, but it has a lower 900 MHz clock speed and a lower turbo clock of 2.4 GHz. Both chips also use the Intel HD 515 graphics core.

Both models contain 64 GB of eMMC storage and 4 GB of on-board DDR3. Although these compute sticks should be considerably more powerful than their Atom-based counterpart, they are also significantly more expensive, too. The Compute Stick with Atom X5-Z8300 is priced at $159.99, but the Core M3 version starts at $399, and the Core 5 model is $499. The small form factor and portability are helpful,, but at those prices, users could easily build a much more powerful desktop PC, mini-ITX PC or just buy a faster laptop.

They come with a wall wart that offers another couple of USB 3.0 ports that give you some flexibility in adding peripherals and the like.

The new Compute Sticks are expected to begin production by February.

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