Intel Compute Stick, Intel Core m5-6Y57 1.1GHz Dual-Core, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, Operating System Not Included

2015-11-10T11:08:33

I bought the Intel pc stick to augment the pathetic Smart TV feature of my HDTV. Out of the box, it worked perfectly and I was connected to the internet quickly. My primary use is to stream material from Livestream, Nefflix, Hulu and my NAS device. The device works perfectly and achieves a frame rate at 1080p that is comparable to my more expensive PC's. I upgraded the device to Windows 10, which took a while because of the time it took to download the installation files. I could have done this in background, but wanted it done immediately. The actual installation of Win10 was quick and painless. Also, Win 10 seems to run a little faster on the device than Win 8.1. You will need to add at least a 16gb microSD card to install Win 10, but running disk cleanup after the upgrade allows you to free up 16gb across the c: and microSD drives if you decide to forego the option to revert to Win 8.1. (I can't imagine why someone would revert to 8.1, but who knows.) This device runs like a full fledged PC in terms of software. It is a little slow to render webpages, but what do you expect for an Atom processor. As an HTPC device with maximum flexibility, it fits my bill perfectly. I tried one of the less expensive Android sticks running the Rockchip 3188T and, while it worked, the device had an unacceptable frame rate when streaming at 1080p or 720p, so I returned it. Trust me, the additional $50 to buy the Intel device is money well spent. The Intel PC stick is the lowest cost alternative that I've found that plays the streams properly. It has basically replaced my PS3 and Samsung SmartTV app for streaming videos but I still use the PS3 for blu-ray. I wouldn't use this as a gaming device, but for light weight computing, web-surfing, and video streaming, it works fine, has an ultra low power footprint and a great price point.

Doug D.