The best low-power SFF lineup you've never heard of: Intel's Z3735F Atom system

[Kaido]

Interesting that a lot of manufacturers are jumping on the Mini PC bandwagon now, and not necessarily just the Atom Baytrail-T SoC's. MSI is in the $150+ barebones game now (no 8.1 with Bing) with the next step up chips:

http://liliputing.com/2015/03/msi-cubi-mini-desktops-available-for-pre-order-for-150-and-up.html

The big note here is that they're all using the newer 14nm Broadwell chips (Celeron, Pentium, and i3). There are several advantages to this - for starters, you can run:

1. Windows 7
2. Windows 8.1

You will need to supply your own:

1. Operating system
2. Memory
3. Storage

They include:

1. CPU
2. 802.11ac + Gigabit + Bluetooth 4.0
3. mSATA port (currently up to 1TB SSD) + 2.5" bay (currently up to 1TB SSD or HDD)
4. (2) SODIMM ports (max 8GB RAM)
5. HDMI + Mini DisplayPort
6. (4) USB 3.0 ports

Pricing is excellent: (available in black or white case)

1. 1.5ghz Celeron for $150 (dual-core)
2. 1.9ghz Pentium for $200 (dual-core)
3. 2ghz i3 for $280 (hyperthreading)

People love these little guys, so I'll have to snag a few. At 15 watts a pop, hard to argue with the power savings & low heat too! Plus they're tiny (4.5" x 4.4" x 1.7" H). I'd imagine Linux would go on these pretty easily as well. Note that the costs do add up:

1. Base cost ($150 to $280)
2. OS cost ($100 to $140 for either Win7/8 home or Win7/8 Pro)
3. mSATA (or 2.5") drive ($70 to $450 for an SSD)
4. Memory ($55 for 8 gigs)

Still, not bad for a low-cost system: $375 for the Celeron with Windows 7 or 8 home edition, a 120gb SSD, and 8 gigs of RAM. Not quite the deal of a sub-$200 Baytrail-T, but more ports + more expandability is nice. Nice to see some other vendors competing with the HP Stream Mini as well!

 

[Face2Face]

What are you using for temp monitoring under Win8? I'll throw it on the Lemel. The MINIX & PCG03 don't get hot; MINIX gets warm & I haven't tested the PCG03 long enough yet, but I doubt it'll even get warm due to the huge(ish) size. Also, here's some pics - first one on top of the Pico for size reference:

http://i.imgur.com/7Nrs4aU.jpg

In the hand:

http://i.imgur.com/f8Mxors.jpg

Side profile:

http://i.imgur.com/ganp6ul.jpg

I'm using MSI Afterburner (RTTS OSD) to monitor the CPU temps in game. I also leave Hardware monitor running in the background to monitor max temps for both the CPU and GPU.

Interesting that a lot of manufacturers are jumping on the Mini PC bandwagon now, and not necessarily just the Atom Baytrail-T SoC's. MSI is in the $150+ barebones game now (no 8.1 with Bing) with the next step up chips:

http://liliputing.com/2015/03/msi-cubi-mini-desktops-available-for-pre-order-for-150-and-up.html

Hmm... I'm liking these.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm glad to see MSI entering this "nano / cube - PC" space. More competition is always good.
Also good to see that they still support Windows 7. That's definitely positive.

 

[you2]

Well you can save on the OS if you run linux; also these look a lot like msi branded nuc. I still prefer the chromebox with fullsize hdmi/dp and sd slot. Er naturally the i3 will run faster. price wise they are in the same ballpark.

Interesting that a lot of manufacturers are jumping on the Mini PC bandwagon now, and not necessarily just the Atom Baytrail-T SoC's. MSI is in the $150+ barebones game now (no 8.1 with Bing) with the next step up chips:

http://liliputing.com/2015/03/msi-cubi-mini-desktops-available-for-pre-order-for-150-and-up.html

The big note here is that they're all using the newer 14nm Broadwell chips (Celeron, Pentium, and i3). There are several advantages to this - for starters, you can run:

1. Windows 7
2. Windows 8.1

You will need to supply your own:

1. Operating system
2. Memory
3. Storage

They include:

1. CPU
2. 802.11ac + Gigabit + Bluetooth 4.0
3. mSATA port (currently up to 1TB SSD) + 2.5" bay (currently up to 1TB SSD or HDD)
4. (2) SODIMM ports (max 8GB RAM)
5. HDMI + Mini DisplayPort
6. (4) USB 3.0 ports

Pricing is excellent: (available in black or white case)

1. 1.5ghz Celeron for $150 (dual-core)
2. 1.9ghz Pentium for $200 (dual-core)
3. 2ghz i3 for $280 (hyperthreading)

People love these little guys, so I'll have to snag a few. At 15 watts a pop, hard to argue with the power savings & low heat too! Plus they're tiny (4.5" x 4.4" x 1.7" H). I'd imagine Linux would go on these pretty easily as well. Note that the costs do add up:

1. Base cost ($150 to $280)
2. OS cost ($100 to $140 for either Win7/8 home or Win7/8 Pro)
3. mSATA (or 2.5") drive ($70 to $450 for an SSD)
4. Memory ($55 for 8 gigs)

Still, not bad for a low-cost system: $375 for the Celeron with Windows 7 or 8 home edition, a 120gb SSD, and 8 gigs of RAM. Not quite the deal of a sub-$200 Baytrail-T, but more ports + more expandability is nice. Nice to see some other vendors competing with the HP Stream Mini as well!

 

[Kaido]

I'm glad to see MSI entering this "nano / cube - PC" space. More competition is always good.
Also good to see that they still support Windows 7. That's definitely positive.

Yeah. The 32-bit UEFI blunder seems to be limited to the Atom-based Baytrail-T chips, which limits an entire generation of devices. The manufacturers could choose to fix that but have not, which tells me they probably won't. But they can't keep doing this forever because eventually 4GB+ will be the new standard in the sub-$250 market, so we're going to be stuck with this weird speedbump product historically.

On the plus side, for specific applications such as a thin client, basic PC, HTPC, arcade box, etc. it fits the bill for under $199. But with pressure coming from the 14nm Celeron/Pentium segment, it's going to get fun fast :awe: Even those prices are excellent: $375 for a Celeron, Windows 7 Home or 8 Standard, 120gb SSD, and 8GB RAM. And like you said, Windows 7 is a big big plus, because you can get the HP Stream Mini for $179, which includes 8.1, upgradable RAM, and an upgradable SSD, so that's an enticing feature to be able to run a, ah, better operating system for a little extra money

 

[Kaido]

So far, the MeLE is the coolest-running of them all (due to the size). The bottom does get fairly warm (the heatsink is under the breakout board on the bottom), but the top stays pretty cool. The only weird thing is that it makes a really weird digital sound when running the CPU up (which you can hear if you get within a foot or so of it), sounds like a hard drive almost but squeaky. I had it running on a torture test on Prime95 & it got kinda noisy, which was weird.

The case is only about 1/3 used inside, there's a lot of dead air. They could have easily cut the space in half, not quite sure why they did that since the heatsink is on the bottom anyway. It uses a clip-in Wasson core board, I believe the WS1 - has the same kind of clips as laptop memory, just a larger board that plugs into a breakout board with VGA & LAN and all that:

http://wasson.com.hk/eproducts/64.html

The board itself looks pretty versatile & is available in up to 64gb configurations. It also has MIPI for cameras & eDP for embedded stuff, so this board is probably used in laptop applications too:

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/09/edp-lead.jpg

Still tinkering with the Lemel. Apparently the Turbo on these chips make a big difference because the Lemel is capped at 1.33ghz max, whereas the MeLE PCG03 hits up to 1.58ghz or so (usually around 1.5ghz). Interestingly enough, with a torture test on the CPU, the Lemel didn't get toasty...apparently the GPU portion is what turns the heat up on the chip. The upcoming 14nm CherryTrail-T chips will be super interesting for HDMI stick applications:

http://linuxgizmos.com/intel-unveils-atom-x3-x5-and-x7-mobile-socs/

They're obviously trying really hard to compete with the ARM-based Android gadgets by bringing the price, heat, and size down:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/intel-begins-shipping-14nm-cherry-trail-chips-for-tablets/

Aside from 14nm, Cherry Trail brings two big updates to the table: first, the Airmont CPU architecture is a refinement of the Silvermont architecture in the Bay Trail chips. Second, Cherry Trail improves the GPU, jumping from a cut-down Ivy Bridge-class GPU to a cut-down Broadwell-class GPU. Cherry Trail uses the same GPU architecture as Broadwell, just with fewer of Intel's "execution units" (EUs)—it should feature the same level of API support along with its increased performance. Current rumors say the Cherry Trail GPU will have 16 EUs compared to 24 EUs in the Intel HD 5500 and 48 EUs in the Intel HD 6000.

Looks like they'll be shipping soon:

Consumer products with Cherry Trail chips in them should begin to appear in the first half of 2015.

But there's an interesting twist:

Some Bay Trail variants (Bay Trail M and D) were also branded as Celerons and Pentiums, and these were used in low-end laptops like the HP Stream 11 we reviewed recently. Cherry Trail isn't going to replace those; they will be supplanted by a product called "Braswell" (in case you don't have enough codenames to keep track of). Braswell should use CPU and GPU configurations similar to Cherry Trail with different I/O capabilities and other small tweaks that make them better-suited for low-cost PCs rather than tablets. Those chips should begin shipping later in the year.

So our little Mini PC boxes looks like they'll have a branch called Braswell, more info here:

http://www.fudzilla.com/news/notebooks/37043-braswell-14nm-atom-graphics-supports-directx-12

The platform supports DDR3L 1600 MHz in SODIMM form factor and is capable of handling a maximum of 8GB, which we believe is fine for this market segment. The Braswell platform has 4x 1PCIe 2.0, 2 SATA 3.0. eMMC 4.51 and SD Card 3.01 support. It supports SDIO, UAART and 8 I2C connectors. It comes with total of five USB ports, where four are USB 3.0 and one is USB 2.0. The platform supports HD audio and the integrated graphics of choice is based on Intel's "Low power Gen 8 graphics" with up to 16 EUs. The graphics part supports DirectX 12, as long as you use Windows 10 and Open GL 4.2.

You can use up to three displays and they support maximum of 4K x 2K resolution. Internally the platform supports eDP 1.4 with up to 2560x1440 resolution, while for external displays you can use both HDMI or Display Port. The maximum resolution is once again 4K x 2K.

I'm guessing the quad will be the 14nm Atom, then the dual-cores will be the Celeron/Pentium/i3. The nice thing is, these compete with the MSI Cubi, which already start at $150, so maybe we'll get something like a $99 barebones Atom that (1) runs super cool, (2) takes standard laptop memory chips, and (3) has dual digital display outputs with 4K support. There's also this great bit of news:

Braswell supports Chrome, Linux, Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 only in 64 bit mode.

So it looks like the 32-bit UEFI garbage on the current crop of Baytrail-T models will be the redheaded stepchild of the lineup and we'll get all kinds of fun 64-bit support - new Chromeboxes, Linux & Windows computers, and 64-bit Android:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/0...en_braswell_atom_64bit_android_kitkat_kernel/

Sidenote, it looks like 2-in-1 Chromebooks will be the next hot new thing out:

http://www.androidheadlines.com/201...mebook-manufacturers-new-2-1s-later-year.html

They'll be calling the desktop SoC Braswell-D, apparently:

http://www.fudzilla.com/34966-braswell-atom-comes-in-early-2015

I'll be curious to see if they use the eDP port as a third monitor or not, and also to see if they make any laptops with dual monitor output, just for fun. But anyway, to recap:

* 14nm chips coming out Q3 2015 (later this year)
* Supports 64-bit
* Supports 4K
* Supports dual display (technically triple with internal eDP, whether it can be used remains to be seen)
* Supports 8GB (BYO SO-DIMMs)
* Supports a variety of operating systems:

- Chrome
- Android 64-bit
- Linux 64-bit
- Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 (64-bit)

Soooooo many options! THIS is what the platform should be! Plus in theory, 14nm should run cooler (still 10 watts tho), so we'll see a lot of awesome tablets, laptops (and netbooks and 2-in-1's), desktop units, HDMI sticks, etc. I would like to see the prices drop on Chromeboxes as well, especially since they're already selling those 7" HP tablets on sale for like $79 all the time. I think this will usher in a new era of cheap, small devices.

 

[Face2Face]

I'm actually liking the naming scheme of the new Cherry Trail Atom SOC's. Pretty much like Core i3, i5, and i7, but with an X, instead of i.

It also looks like the X3 models will have Dual-Core and Quad-Core options, but with MALI GPUs... Odd.

 

[Kaido]

I'm actually liking the naming scheme of the new Cherry Trail Atom SOC's. Pretty much like Core i3, i5, and i7, but with an X, instead of i.

It also looks like the X3 models will have Dual-Core and Quad-Core options, but with MALI GPUs... Odd.

Yeah, with the performance increasing & the power requirement lowering, it makes sense to break them out like that, especially since most people roll their eyes anytime they see "Atom" on the sticker :biggrin: Also, the MALI GPU is a short-term stint for their smartphone platform, since apparently they don't really have anything low-power enough graphics-wise right now for the smartphone segment:

http://techreport.com/news/27878/atom-x3-chips-target-cheap-phones-and-tablets-feature-arm-graphics

Also note that the X3 line is 28nm, whereas the X5 & X7 use the newer 14nm fab:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9026/...rated-lte-atom-renaming-and-14nm-cherry-trail

Price on the graphics says $119 to $499. Should be a nice performance boost for the Asus T100!

 

[you2]

So when do X5 products hit the market ? Wonder who will supply the first link to one

 

[Kaido]

So when do X5 products hit the market ? Wonder who will supply the first link to one

Devices are supposed to be rolling out Q3 of 2015, so later this year. Chip specs are up already:

http://ark.intel.com/products/85474/Intel-Atom-x5-Z8500-Processor-2M-Cache-up-to-2_24-GHz

Looks great:

* 14nm
* 2 watts
* 4 cores
* 1.44ghz base
* 2.24ghz Turbo

My only concern is the HD graphics: 200mhz base, 600mhz Turbo, 12 execution units. The current crop of Z3735F devices have 311mhz base with 646mhz Turbo, but only 4 EU's. Since graphics are supposed to be improved, I'd imagine having more EU's translates into better performance despite the somewhat lesser clock speeds. The X7 is similar:

http://ark.intel.com/products/85475/Intel-Atom-x7-Z8700-Processor-2M-Cache-up-to-2_40-GHz

* 1.6ghz base
* 2.4ghz Turbo
* 16 EU's

I'm VERY interested to see the graphics performance on these. Video support has already been labeled at 1080p60, which will be cool, not sure what 4K support is but it'll probably be 4K@30 based on what I've read.

 

[Kaido]

Lots of good deals going on, wonder if they're flushing the inventory ahead of a new products release:

Used 10" Windows 8 tablet for $70 shipped

New Asus T100 2-1 on eBay from Adorama for $200 shipped (these are great, have set several up IRL)

 

[Face2Face]

Devices are supposed to be rolling out Q3 of 2015, so later this year. Chip specs are up already:

http://ark.intel.com/products/85474/Intel-Atom-x5-Z8500-Processor-2M-Cache-up-to-2_24-GHz

Looks great:

* 14nm
* 2 watts
* 4 cores
* 1.44ghz base
* 2.24ghz Turbo

My only concern is the HD graphics: 200mhz base, 600mhz Turbo, 12 execution units. The current crop of Z3735F devices have 311mhz base with 646mhz Turbo, but only 4 EU's. Since graphics are supposed to be improved, I'd imagine having more EU's translates into better performance despite the somewhat lesser clock speeds. The X7 is similar:

http://ark.intel.com/products/85475/Intel-Atom-x7-Z8700-Processor-2M-Cache-up-to-2_40-GHz

* 1.6ghz base
* 2.4ghz Turbo
* 16 EU's

I'm VERY interested to see the graphics performance on these. Video support has already been labeled at 1080p60, which will be cool, not sure what 4K support is but it'll probably be 4K@30 based on what I've read.

I am very interested as well. They are essentially skipping over the Haswell based 7.5 Gen graphics and going straight to Broadwell's Gen 8. Performance per clock is much improved, so we should see a very nice boost, even with slightly lower clock speeds. A twelve or sixteen EU Gen 8 part should be pretty strong, especially comparing it against the Baytrail GPU. I love to have a X7 part in a high res Windows 8.1 tablet.

 

[Kaido]

I am very interested as well. They are essentially skipping over the Haswell based 7.5 Gen graphics and going straight to Broadwell's Gen 8. Performance per clock is much improved, so we should see a very nice boost, even with slightly lower clock speeds. A twelve or sixteen EU Gen 8 part should be pretty strong, especially comparing it against the Baytrail GPU. I love to have a X7 part in a high res Windows 8.1 tablet.

Yeah that's the thing, it'd be great to have a full-power machine, but I use a Chromebook & Mac as my main rigs, and I don't really want to (1) invest in an Nvidia Titan card, and (2) leave it running 24/7 in an HTPC. I'm really looking forward to my Egreat i6 as a super lightweight gaming rig that I can leave on all the time...10w max & 5w idle sounds awesome!

 

[Kaido]

Quick review summary:

1. Lemel HDMI stick: Ships in Chinese switched to English, glitches out to Chinese characters for a split-second sometimes. Gets really really hot. Honestly I don't trust it enough to put it into production due to the heat. Also, no Turbo = stutters even with the mouse sometimes. I would skip the Baytrail-T generation & wait for Cherrytrail's 14nm version (assuming they have an X5 or X7 in stick format). One USB port.

2. Zotac Pico: I really like the design of these: nice colors, nice shape, very compact, very cool blue ring lights up with the logo under the black tinted plastic on top, includes a mounting bracket - nice touch. No external antenna, but I haven't had any problems with wireless so far. Price fluctuates between $180 to $200. Three USB ports. Does get pretty warm though...not hot, but borderline hot as in "very warm". I would be nervous about using this in a production environment too; it would probably be better for home use where you only use it for gaming or watching videos. I think this would be great with some emulators & Bluetooth gaming controllers like these ones to keep the whole setup very compact:

http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Wireless-Controller-Bluetooth-Tablets/dp/B009AOFNU4/

3. MeLE PCG03: Very large. External antenna for improved Wifi reception. VGA for hooking into older displays; also has HDMI for dual monitor usage, if desired. Base gets pretty toasty (heatsink on bottom). Three USB ports. Has what appears to be VESA mounting holes (no mounting hardware included, however - BYO screws etc.). Lots of dead space inside, case could have been dramatically reduced in height (50% easily) - not sure why they did that since the heatsink is on the bottom. Also has vent holes, so if you're putting it in a dirty environment, that's something to consider (even though there's no fans).

4. MINIX Z64: My favorite to date. Small, sealed, looks like an AppleTV, external antenna for better Wifi reception. Gets lukewarm, but never close to hot. $175 price. Only has two USB ports; I wish it had three - probably my only complaint. This is my current first pick for a Z3735 rig. I kind of wish the antenna was removable (I typically hardwire all of my desktop installations), but it rotates down to the side if you need to keep it flat.

The HP Stream Mini computers (blue ones for $179) finally came back in stock on Amazon, so I have one coming next week to compare. My Egreat i6 will be here from Geek Buying in a few weeks (yay slow boat from China) - wish it didn't have vent ports, but it was only $139 & has VGA, which I wanted to for testing with an older projector & also for checking out dual monitors, plus I liked the design (very HTPC/receiver-ish). Beelink has some interesting models out now as well, including a Stick, a very slim desktop, and a NUC-like desktop:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2879974/beelinks-pocket-and-mini-pcs-take-a-cue-from-intel.html

The Stick is on sale for $105 on Geekbuying, and the slim desktop is $115. My only concern about the slim desktop version is the heat dissipation. However, it has a reasonably large footprint, so maybe it would work fine. Here's an unboxing video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_d31JuZ6WI

Also, here's an unboxing video of the Pipo X7s, which is a large dual-boot Windows/Android TV box for $130: (uses the faster Baytrail-T chip with a Turbo up to 2.16ghz, also non-Android versions available in Black or Silver for $10 less)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3B1-syWPTw

Downside to the dual-boot ones with the 32gb SSD is that you only get about 4 gigs of usable space, so you really need to get a memory card or USB storage device. Pretty cool though. Apparently Intel HD graphics compare to the Tegra 4 pretty well for gaming: (actually the previous-gen non-T Baytrail)

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-Bay-Trail.103037.0.html

 

[Kaido]

Interesting - Asus released an update to the T100 called the T100 Chi:

http://liliputing.com/2015/03/asus-transformer-book-t100-chi-now-available-for-399-and-up.html

32gb model for $399, 64gb model for $449. Big two features it adds is a 1080p display (well, 1920x1200) & an Atom Z3775 CPU (also an optional 256-level Active Stylus pen):

http://ark.intel.com/products/80268/Intel-Atom-Processor-Z3775-2M-Cache-up-to-2_39-GHz

Same concept as the Z3735, but with a 1.46ghz base & 2.39ghz turbo. Slight boost to 311/778mhz Intel HD graphics (still with 4 EU's). Looks like it's comparable to the Qualcomm Adreno 320 (as found in the Snapdragon 600):

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Atom-Z3775-Tablet-SoC.115894.0.html

So it's not an M chip, just a faster Z3735. The interesting thing is that the Z3735 gear is starting to have pricedrops already; the 11.6" Asus X205TA is already down to $189 shipped: (lowest it's ever been was $175)

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-X205TA-HATM0103-11-6-inch-Notebook/dp/B00TQGVWZ6/

The T100 was on eBay from Adorama iirc for $199 the other day, so there are some good deals to be had if you don't mind getting a 22nm Baytrail-T chip. I'm pretty excited about the 14nm X5 & X7 line though, so I think I'll hold off getting any other gear until those arrive later this year.

 

[Kaido]

Microsoft just announced the Surface 3, discussion thread here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2426540

It features the X7 Cherrytrail chip: (oooOOoooOOoooh!)

http://ark.intel.com/products/85475/Intel-Atom-x7-Z8700-Processor-2M-Cache-up-to-2_40-GHz

They obviously have first dibs on the chips (since it's a Q1 annoucement, not Q3). It's coming out on May 5th, starting at $499. You can add a keyboard, pen, and dock (adds 4 USB ports, Ethernet jack, and extra MiniDP port), and also upgrade to 128gb with 4 gigs of RAM (base is 64gb with 2 gigs of RAM). Comes with Win8.1, free upgrade to 10. LTE edition will be $599.

Interesting that they don't have an 8GB option, but obviously they don't want to tread on their Surface Pro territory, plus they'll need an "upgrade" to sell 6 or 12 months down the road. Definitely interested to see how the performance is...specs sound awesome!

 

[Kaido]

Intel Compute Stick now available for pre-order:

http://liliputing.com/2015/04/intel-compute-stick-mini-pc-now-available-for-pre-order.html

$150 for Windows (2GB RAM + 32gb SSD), $110 for Linux (1GB RAM + 8gb SSD). In stock May 5th. There's also a new stick player in town from Mouse Computer: ($175)

http://liliputing.com/2015/04/mouse-computer-launches-windows-pc-stick-with-built-in-fan.html

The differentiating feature is that it has a built-in cooling fan. I'm curious if this makes Turbo mode possible. One commentor said:

Even with some of the bigger boxes using these processors (Pipo X7) - thermal throttling causes problems just playing video in certain codec's. You can google "Pipo X7 thermal throttling" for more info I believe. The smaller stick PC's should have even worse issues, which is why I haven't seriously considered getting one. I'm happy about the fan, but it looks like they're going to charge a premium.

My concern with the Lemel stick is the excessive amount of heat it puts out, particularly when taxing the GPU. Also, the Lemel stutters, even with the mouse, so there's definitely some throttling going on. Not a production-ready solution at the present time imo.

 

[Kaido]

In addition to Lilliputing, here's another good website for mini PC news:

http://cngadget.info/

 

[Kaido]

MeLE posted a FAQ on the PCG03:

http://cngadget.info/2015/02/15/mele-pcg03-faq/

Read here:

http://www.docdroid.net/wlbg/mele-minipc-faq.pdf.html

Download here: (PDF)

https://www.copy.com/s/za9A4ypy9ld9thaw

They have a note about updating "Widevine Cdm", a Chrome component for playing Netflix back correctly:

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/14759

Also of note: "11.How to reinstall Windows8.1 from USB flash disk?"

a. Prepare a USB flash diskwith FAT32 file system,and change the volume label to WINPE.
b. Prepare the install files in root the direction of yourUSB flash disk
c. Plug the USB flash disk into Mini PC, and connect a keyboard.
d. Press the power button and press F7 or Delete continuously to enter into boot menu. Select your USB flash disk to reinstall Windows8.1. There is no need to install drive separately with the install img provided by us.
e. Mini PC will shutdown while the install process finished. Plug out the USB flash disk, then press power button to power on your Mini PC.

More info available on their forums:

http://forum.mele.cn/showthread.php?tid=17

Youtube walkthrough here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7IiCQiYe0k

The download link is here: (4.95GB RAR)

https://mega.co.nz/#!M08QhJ5C!u3lJzZ9yp1pmQY82hzAtEn9Xfb_v_LmTzxKpWKWqI-c

The drivers are here: (143.2MB RAR)

https://mega.co.nz/#!lxMmkZTK!FIORdi3kgXTpmfG0fAXDeh1e7cdqEMiNLtn7gk-jLDY

Also, they have an activation tutorial on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDFVQzPpstA

They said you could verify that it is legitimate by using a Checkup Key app & comparing it to the ID sticker on the bottom under the NIC. Took a bit of digging, but I found it on the ONDA forum: (it's in Chinese, just let Google Translate it if you're using Chrome)

http://www.ondabbs.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=3257

Uploaded a copy here:

http://www.speedyshare.com/98aUf/CheckupKey-v1.2.exe

The first post says: (apparently it's the ONDA Activation Detection Tool)

If you can not be activated manually, please provide the following information:

1. Download Onda activation detection tool: CheckupKey_v1.2.exe (209 KB, Downloads: 186)

On flat run, if the test fails, please take pictures or screenshots, if detection is successful, the desktop will automatically generate mykey.xml file, rename the file to your tablet SN code on the back of a flatbed desktop

2. "This Computer "properties interface, photo or screenshot above 2:00, please send to: mp3@onda.com.cn, someone responsible for the matter.

Note: 1. If equipped with a 360-related protection software on your tablet, turn off, or can not run the attachment tool will misstatement virus

Anxious to play with this stuff next week on my PCG03! In the HP Stream Mini thread, we have some discussion about re-installing 8.1 with Bing, and apparently there are different versions available even within the Bing-version family. The MeLE does have a legitimate copy of Windows (Windows 8.1 Single Language), which came in English & activated upon connecting to the Internet. I do see an en-us folder in the screenshots of the re-installer on the MeLE forum, so I'll test out the master image they provided to see how it fares (they also include a separate copy of the drivers). I'm not too worried about borking the install since I've already upgraded the machine to 8.1 Pro (via Pro Pack), so it shouldn't be too hard to reinstall to Pro if needed using the official MCT tool from Microsoft (in theory...at least I have the official drivers for the MeLE as well!).

 

[Kaido]

Really excellent interview with Intel here on Anandtech:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9131/...ent-of-intels-communication-and-devices-group

Sounds like 14nm X3's are slated for next year. Side note, I'm curious as to why we keep shrinking laptops...give me a 1" thick Atom laptop with a 30-hour battery life instead of a wafer-thin laptop with a lesser battery life, you know?

 

[you2]

They just don't get it right. They should offer the linux version with 2GB and 32GB ssd. Instead they handicap the system with space/memory.

Intel Compute Stick now available for pre-order:

http://liliputing.com/2015/04/intel-compute-stick-mini-pc-now-available-for-pre-order.html

$150 for Windows (2GB RAM + 32gb SSD), $110 for Linux (1GB RAM + 8gb SSD). In stock May 5th. There's also a new stick player in town from Mouse Computer: ($175)

http://liliputing.com/2015/04/mouse-computer-launches-windows-pc-stick-with-built-in-fan.html

The differentiating feature is that it has a built-in cooling fan. I'm curious if this makes Turbo mode possible. One commentor said:



My concern with the Lemel stick is the excessive amount of heat it puts out, particularly when taxing the GPU. Also, the Lemel stutters, even with the mouse, so there's definitely some throttling going on. Not a production-ready solution at the present time imo.

 

[Kaido]

They just don't get it right. They should offer the linux version with 2GB and 32GB ssd. Instead they handicap the system with space/memory.

On the flip side, we'll have to see if we can swipe the included Linux install for other devices (unless Intel went ahead & patched the UEFI to 64-bit, which would be amazing).

 

[Kaido]

Braswell chips now shipping:

http://liliputing.com/2015/04/intels-low-power-braswell-chips-are-now-shipping.html

In a nutshell:

These chips replace the Bay Trail-M chips that have been popular in low-cost Chromebooks and Windows laptops for the past year or two. Braswell chips could be used in other notebooks, 2-in-1 devices, and small, low-power desktops.

The new chips are all 14nm, 64-bit processors that support up to 8GB of RAM and feature Intel HD graphics.

The Intel Celeron N3000 is a 4 watt, dual-core processor, while the Celeron N3050 is a slightly more powerful 6 watt, dual-core chip.

The Celeron N3150 and Pentium N3700 are 6 watt, quad-core processors that should offer all-around better performance.

...

Intel says all of these chips should offer up to twice the graphics performance of the Bay Trail processors they replace. That should help them handle high-definition video playback as well as some modest gaming.

If you don't want to wait for the Cherrytrail line of Atom SoC's, these look like a great alternative! 64-bit, twice the GPU performance, and up to 8 gigs of RAM. I'll be curious to see what mini computers, if any, they whip up. The current Z3735 gear is 2.2 watts; the Braswell is 4 to 6 watts, which is nearly double to triple, so I'm not sure what the cooling situation will be. MSI already has passively-cooled Mini-ITX boards announced:

http://www.msi.com/news/2033.html

Details still coming out, but Anandtech has a bit more info:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9147/braswell-msi-launches-three-miniitx-eco-motherboards

All the boards are reported to support H.265 (HEVC) hardware decoding, and support for 4K via HDMI 1.4b, via the Gen 8 graphics on the Cherry Trail based 14nm SoC.

As one commentor said, it looks like these may be more oriented towards POS/display purposes since they have PS/2, Serial, and VGA ports, plus it's 4K @ 30fps. Even so, these would be nice for a low-powered HTPC or replacement for a momputer since you could stick a DVD or Bluray player in it. Still curious to see what Microsoft's gameplan for Windows 10 is too...if it's free for new builds as well, that's awfully compelling for building cheap little computers like this.

 

[Kaido]

Got my Egreat i6 from Geek Buying yesterday (ordered March 19th, arrived April 14th...nearly a month to ship, just to save forty bucks...). Some pics:

The cheapest international A/C adapter plug I've ever seen

So ghetto. Not sure how much I trust this plug LOL

Fresh out of the box

Pretty compact unit

Cheap sticker glue noooooo (protip: get out your hairdryer for this one)

Fits in the palm of my hand

Don't forget about the front chrome protector (hard to see)

QC passed

Another Passed sticker

Notes:

1. Booted up with HDMI, all I got was a blank blue screen with a mouse cursor. Figured it was acting in dual-monitor mode, so I also plugged in VGA, voila.

2. VGA is showing up as "Digital Flat Panel (1024x768 60Hz). Can't change the resolution (it's a 1080p screen).

3. Version is "Windows 8.1 with Bing" & is activated.

4. Desktop was already setup with a default account of "admin" (no password) and a computer name of "egreat". Date & time was off (started getting security certificate errors when browsing). Updates were not run (installing first batch now...800+ megs). Curiously only comes with 17 gigs free instead of the usual 20 or so.

5. The top gets a little warm, the bottom gets super warm, but it has four rubbery feet to stand off from the desk, which at least gives it some airflow. Both sides have vent holes. To date, the MINIX has been the best unit for staying cool.

6. Unit looks really nice. If you care about aesthetics, this is the best-looking one I've come across - kind of a black brushed aluminum top & chrome front. Looks classy. I also like the Zotac PICO (especially with the glowing blue ring under the top tinted plastic), which has a nice silver-black glossiness, but the Egreat takes the cake. I'd like it more without the Egreat logo on top (might be able to heat-gun it off) but no biggie.

I have it running updates now to see if it helps solve the VGA resolution issue, then I'll do a system reset to see what it does from scratch. I was planning on sticking this in my home theater as a Plex & Maximus Arcade box (and also to run a Lightpack LED system), but my grandma's computer just died (a 10-year-old Celeron) & this would be a perfect replacement for her ASAP, so I'll only have it for a couple days for testing & setup.

I was thinking about going with a VOYO again, but there are more reviews now & they say that heat is an issue, which appears to affect performance due to thermal throttling. Sounds like the Lemel stick all over again, no thanks! I like the MINIX a lot because it runs very cool (plus doesn't take a month to ship in), although I'd prefer just one extra USB port for 3 total. I may end up just using a hub because I want to connect:

1. Logitech K400 keyboard (USB Unity receiver)
2. X-Arcade Tankstick arcade joystick controller (USB cable)
3. Pair of wireless Xbox 360 gaming controllers (USB Receiver for Windows)
4. Lightpack control box (Philips Ambilight clone...this may require up to 4 USB ports depending on how many I need for the projector screen)

So that could require up to 7 USB ports total, which would require a hub anyway. Oh well. I'll test Plex streaming & emulation gaming on the i6 this week to make sure everything plays nice, then figure out what I want to do from there.

 

[Face2Face]

SNIP

Wow, that's a pretty sweet little box for the price. I'm constantly impressed with the performance of Baytrail in these tiny SFF PC's. I'm really looking forward a to 4GB Cherry Trail SFF box as well.

My ONDA V975W tablet struggles a bit @ 2048 x 1536, the Z3735D just can't keep up at that resolution when multitasking.

I did make a YouTube video showing the performance on my Zotac Pico with Indie gaming @ 1080p - I have the box mounted to the back of my TV with velcro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGAjP_h-PMk