Pros & Cons
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- A full Windows PC for $150.
- As small and light as a candy bar.
- Plugs directly into an HDMI port in a monitor or HDTV.
- Can add storage via microSD.
- Has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Quiet.
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- Just 19GB of storage available.
- Only one USB port.
- Incompatible with some USB 3.0 hard drives.
- Need a USB mouse to initially set up Bluetooth devices.
- Requires included HDMI extension cable in tight quarters.
Intel Compute Stick Specs
| All-in-One Screen Type | 0 |
| Graphics Card | Intel HD Graphics |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 |
| Optical Drive | external |
| Processor | Intel Atom Z3735F |
| Processor Speed | 1.33 |
| RAM (as Tested) | 2 |
Last year, Intel fulfilled futurists' dreams with the 2015 Intel Compute Stick. While not a powerhouse, the pocket-size, Windows-equipped PC lets you turn a monitor or an HDTV into a large-screen, all-in-one desktop in seconds. The latest iteration, the Intel Compute Stick STK1AW32SC ($159), is an update in a new wrapper, with an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 (Cherry Trail) processor replacing the old Intel Atom Z3735F (Bay Trail) CPU. This Windows 10 PC still looks like a jumbo USB stick, albeit with an HDMI plug, but there are a couple of new features that improve its connectivity. Ultimately, the new Compute Stick is more evolutionary than the radical upgrade it needs to distinguish itself from up-and-coming competitors like the Asus Chromebit.
Design and Features
The Compute Stick is built into a matte-black casing that looks like a large pack of chewing gum, and it measures 0.47 by 1.5 by 4.5 inches (HWD). That's a bit longer than last year's version (0.5 by 1.5 by 4 inches), and a bit more compact than the Asus Chromebit (0.67 by 1.2 by 4.8 inches). Other small-form-factor desktop PCs, like the HP Pavilion mini, the Zotac Zbox CI320 nano Plus Windows 8.1 With Bing, and the Zotac Zbox Pico PI320, are much larger in comparison. Both Compute Sticks and the Asus Chromebit have removable caps to protect the HDMI plug when they're not in use. The matte finish on the new Compute Stick seems like it will be more scratch resistant over time than the older model, but both have a similar design, with relatively large cooling vents and a prominent Intel logo on the top surface.
View All There's now a USB 3.0 port in addition to the USB 2.0 port, so you can connect a keyboard and a mouse simultaneously. Alternately, you can plug in a USB dongle for a wireless keyboard and mouse, and keep the USB 3.0 port free for hard drives. You still need a wired USB mouse to connect a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse, however, since Windows 10 doesn't automatically search for devices. In comparison, the Asus Chromebit looks for Bluetooth devices during its initial setup procedure. For wireless connectivity, the Compute Stick has Bluetooth 4.0 and has upgraded to dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
As with the previous iteration, there's 32GB of integrated eMMC flash storage, with 19.6GB free after accounting for the Windows 10 Home OS and its recovery partition. While not a huge amount, it's certainly better than the 16GB of storage on the Asus Chromebit, and you can add storage via the Compute Stick's microSD card slot (up to 128GB). The 32GB capacity is becoming common on other budget Windows PCs like the Zbox Pico PI320 and the original Intel Compute Stick. Budget systems come with smaller amounts of storage, mostly to reduce the overall price, but it's an acceptable tradeoff because you can supplement the local drive with inexpensive cloud-based storage. For instance, the Asus Chromebit comes with 100GB of Google Drive for free, which is a lot more than the 5GB of OneDrive storage you get with every Windows 10 system, including the Compute Stick.
