Intel Compute Stick -- HTPC worthy?

R

rhouck

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Anyone have any details as to whether this will be workable as an HTPC?

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html
http://www.cnet.com/products/intel-compute-stick/

The Compute Stick comes in two flavors: an $89 Linux version, and the $149 model that's running Windows 8.1 with Bing.

There isn't all that much to the Compute Stick. It's very light and not too much bigger than a Google Chromecast. The Stick plugs into a display by way of its HDMI 1.4a port, which will handle streaming duties. Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity lets you pair peripherals like a mouse and keyboard, while 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi gets you onto the Web. The Compute Stick can't draw power from its HDMI port, so you'll need to plug in a Micro-USB cable to keep it powered up. That Micro-USB slot sits on the left side, flanked by a full-size USB port and a power button.

Inside the Stick you'll find a quad-core Atom Z3735F processor, a Bay Trail CPU typically found in Intel-powered Android tablets. The Windows 8.1 version offers 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM -- if you need more room, I was told that the microSD card slot on the right side can support cards of up to 128GB. The Linux version has 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage.
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I'm guessing we will have to wait for it to be released in order to know. I'm sure we will see reviews as soon as it is.
 
I don't see why it wouldn't. My baytrail powered Windows 8.1 tablet does just fine playing back media on it.
 
That would be my thought. But there have been so many different chipsets and I have not kept up with them at all. I wasn't sure if perhaps this one doesn't do something (e.g., bitstream audio) that the average person (e.g., me) would not be aware of just by reading the specs.

It sounds pretty awesome to load XBMC on and plug in, assuming it works as described. Although I'm not a big fan of wireless for media players, so I would have to look into ethernet over USB.
 
I got really excited when I first saw it but that quickly wore off. I think this thing is a few years too late to the htpc market. It doesn't really offer much over the ubiquitous and cheaper streaming boxes available today (firetv/android tv/etc) that are specific to media consumption. I'm sure it will work great for the ones who uses it as an htpc but I think those are getting to be fewer and farther between.
 
jwhazel said:
I'm sure it will work great for the ones who uses it as an htpc but I think those are getting to be fewer and farther between.
Click to expand...

I think you are right on its limited appeal, though, for me, all of the standalone boxes have left me disappointed. I would love something that just runs windows, since it lets me have full freedom of software without having to build new HTPCs for every room.

I do firmly agree that I am in the minority though, and that most people are happier with Roku/FireTV/etc.
 
defaultluser said:
I was interested in the Intel stick until this caught my eye:


$180 is only a few dollars more

Real Haswell Celeron 1.4 GHz, which means twice the single-threaded performance of Bay Trail, and twice the GPU performance.

Oh, and it's supposed to have upgradable ram and internal storage too!

http://gizmodo.com/hp-stream-mini-a-cute-cheap-windows-desktop-for-just-1677146011
Click to expand...

Cool! Thanks for this. And gigabit ethernet. Great to see more of these options popping up.
 
defaultluser said:
I was interested in the Intel stick until this caught my eye:


$180 is only a few dollars more

Real Haswell Celeron 1.4 GHz, which means twice the single-threaded performance of Bay Trail, and twice the GPU performance.

Oh, and it's supposed to have upgradable ram and internal storage too!

http://gizmodo.com/hp-stream-mini-a-cute-cheap-windows-desktop-for-just-1677146011
Click to expand...
Looks like they took their chrome box and installed windows. Should be pretty popular seeing as the Chromebox has issues with drivers running windows.
 
I have had the non-intel-sanctioned version since November
It plays 1080p@50mbps just fine and can even play tf2 at around 50fps using steam streaming
I only paid $100 for mine and it came with windows 8.1 "licensed"
 
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