Intel Compute Stick Review
At CES 2015, Intel quietly announced its upcoming Bay Trail-based Compute Stick. Last week we got to check out a sample unit up close and personal.
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Usage
One of the first things we wanted to check out about the Compute Stick was how it handles web video. Surprisingly, watching movies and shows on Netflix and Hulu was a great experience and YouTube videos played with no delay. The streaming was smooth and the Compute Stick's built in sound, coming out of the TV, was clear. When video was playing using Netflix it did produce some lag as you moved the mouse across the screen, yet there was no effect on the streaming content as it played. This is usually a problem when the mouse is used further out than 10 feet, which is somewhat expected. However, we were only about eight feet away from our office's 54 inch LCD when this happened.
We also tried to use Remote Desktop on the Compute Stick and tried to connect to a computer over Wi-Fi. Initially, we ran into some delay as the Compute Stick connected and logged into the PC for the first time. We typically don't see such a lag when using Remote Desktop, but taking into account that the Compute Stick's Wi-Fi isn't 802.11ac, and that we're working with an SoC, running a Remote Desktop session may be more than the Compute Stick could initially handle. The load time did improve after the first session and we also saw similar response times using a 802.11ac USB NIC on the Compute Stick.
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elbert I would like to see xbmc performance. I would also like to see if the stick can both run playon server and watch playon on this single device.Reply -
TechyInAZ Thx for the review Tom's Hardware!Reply
No matter how slow that usb "PC" is, it's still amazing that you can run a computer off a single little thumb drive shaped device and doesn't have problems even overheating.
I think this stick is designed more for demo purposes. Demonstrating that technology is advanced enough now that we can pack PC's in form factors unimaginable a few years ago. -
John Philips Probably it could be faster with Enlightenment Desktop.Or one day somebody can put Windows xp or anything else...Reply -
americapat why a fan? Strange that the networking sooo slow, shouldn't be par with Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T? Price a little high too.Reply -
mapesdhs "... single channel DDR3L running at 1333 GHz ..."Reply
Really? Can they put that in next-gen GPUs? ;)
Overall, I don't see the attraction over a normal HTPC, and in time TVs
are going to become more than quick enough to run general apps. Wouldn't
surprise me if the next move with TVs is to integrate a small PC inside
them somehow, assuming TV makers see a market for it.
Ian.
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zodiacfml Pricey. The Linux version price is more logical yet it could have at least have 5Ghz WiFi.Reply
Only small business can appreciate this for signage/display purpose. For home, you're better off with a Windows based tablet with HDMI output.