Intel Compute Stick With Bay Trail On Board Now Available
After recently opening up preorders, Intel is now announcing the general availability of the Intel Compute Stick. The device, which plugs directly into a display's HDMI port, sells for $149.99 with Windows 8.1 with Bing installed. Intel said the Ubuntu-based version will be made available this June with a slightly lower price tag of $110.99.
The Intel Compute Stick is based on the Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core "Bay Trail" processor and sports Intel HD Graphics. Backing this chip is 2 GB of single-channel DDR3L memory clocked at 1333 MHz and 32 GB of internal storage. There's also a microSD card slot for adding more storage, built-in Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a USB 2.0 port and an HDMI 1.4a connector.
The specs for the Ubuntu version aren't quite as robust, as it packs a mere 1 GB of single-channel DDR3L memory clocked at 1333 MHz and 8 GB of internal storage. Otherwise, the specifications are identical to the Windows model, except that it sports the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
Based on these specifications, customers won't be playing graphically-heavy games on this device. Instead, it should be ideal for customers who travel a lot and need an entry-level computing experience on a screen larger than a laptop. Heck, add a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you may not even need to use a laptop in a hotel room.
Moreover, thanks to Microsoft's OneDrive storage service, customers can store their documents in the cloud and open these files on the stick from anywhere. The device is small enough to fit in a pocket, as it measures a mere 103.4 x 37.6 x 12.5 mm. The audio aspect is handled by Intel HD Audio via the HDMI connector.
The Intel Compute Stick is available now at Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. Stay tuned for our review.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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CaedenV Such a tempting device! I don't even have a TV to attach it to and I still want one!Reply
One of these with win10, and a USB Ethernet adapter would make a sweet little HTPC device! Stream movies from the home server and online services. Stream games via Steam. This is just about perfect.
If only it came with win10, and had 4K video support. But then again that would be a whole different class of product. -
Vlad Rose ReplySuch a tempting device! I don't even have a TV to attach it to and I still want one!
One of these with win10, and a USB Ethernet adapter would make a sweet little HTPC device! Stream movies from the home server and online services. Stream games via Steam. This is just about perfect.
If only it came with win10, and had 4K video support. But then again that would be a whole different class of product.
That's the same thought I have as well. Throw Plex Home Theater, Steam, Retroarch and any other 'TV centric' apps on there and you have the perfect little HTPC device. The biggest question is how well it compares to the Android/Raspberry offerings in those regards. -
PaulBags "Avalible now" my bottom, amazon just has knock offs and they can't be ordered from the other two mentioned.Reply -
Brian_R170 Reply"Avalible now" my bottom, amazon just has knock offs and they can't be ordered from the other two mentioned.
Maybe they should say available now if you pre-ordered. The pre-orders from Newegg sold out in a day. -
Brian_R170 Lots of reviews went up today. Conclusions are all over the place, but the big complaint seems to be the WiFi/Bluetooth performance with a couple saying Intel will have a driver fix. People considering this might want to also consider:Reply
USB Hub with a built-in Ethernet port
USB WiFi 802.11ac dongle
Wireless keyboard/mouse that is not Bluetooth -
Shankovich ReplySuch a tempting device! I don't even have a TV to attach it to and I still want one!
One of these with win10, and a USB Ethernet adapter would make a sweet little HTPC device! Stream movies from the home server and online services. Stream games via Steam. This is just about perfect.
If only it came with win10, and had 4K video support. But then again that would be a whole different class of product.
Pretty sure this will run Win 10. Raspberry Pi 2 will after all, no reason this shouldn't. -
Larry Brancato You can get an HP Stream 200 mini with windwos 8.1 2gb ram upgradeable, and a 32GB SSD upgradable with 4 USB plugs,1 hdmi plug, DVI plug, 1 Ethernet port, a mouse, and a keyboard all with a faster processor for $30 more. For what it is, the intel device is about $30 more than it should be.Reply -
amk-aka-Phantom ReplyPretty sure this will run Win 10. Raspberry Pi 2 will after all, no reason this shouldn't.
Will people stop saying RPi 2 will run Win 10? Yes, it will, but who cares about an ARM build of Windows! It's just RT all over!
Sad about the Ubuntu version being crippled. I wouldn't want to buy this with Windows 8.1 but 1 GB of RAM is ludicrous, has anyone at Intel even used a browser on modern Linux? RAM-hungry just like under Windows. 1 GB is nowhere near enough. Then again, Windows 8.1 with Bing is free for OEMs, so maybe the extra $40 are paying for RAM and storage and not the OS.