Let me start out and say that this is not really a Compute Stick, but is more like a mini PC. The Vensmile iPC002 Wintel Mini PC Compute Stick is very small but it will not plug into the back of your TV directly. You will have to use a mini HDMI to HDMI cable to attach it. Luckily that is includ3ed in the box! This device measure in at 9.2mm x 79mm x 148mm.
It has specs that are very similar to the other Compute Sticks that we have seen just in a different form factor. They include:
The Intel Atom BayTrail CRZ3735F Quad-core processor.
2GB of memory
32GB of built in Flash Storeage
Bluetooth 4.0 and Dual Band WiFi
So what I like about the Vensmile iPC002 is that it is a super small mini PC that has 2 USB ports, a micro USB (for Power), a TF card slot (micro SD), and a slot for earphones although it does do audio over HDMI. Lastly it also includes a built in rechargeable battery so you do not have to have it plugged into the wall all of the time.
The biggest advantage is that it includes a full copy of Microsoft Windows 8.1!
Now onto the performance. For a mini PC running a full version of Windows 8.1, this thing rocks, especially for the price. I was easily able to jump onto YouTube to test the video playback and all I can say is WOW. IT plays 1080P video content extremely smooth with no video stuttering or tearing.
Everything I was able to do was super snappy and I could not tell the difference between my work PC and this mini PC. Although it is not technically a Compute Stick, I did want to check it out because we should start to see more Compute Stick form factors with these exact same specs running Windows, Linux and Android.
At the time of writing this the price on these are right around $120, which I believe is a great price considering the operating system alone costs about that much money.
If you are looking for a cheap media center PC to hook up to your big screen TV, getting one of these mini PCs or a Compute Stick is an excellent option. Since this unit has 2 USB slots, you can easily hook up an external hard drive and keep your music and video collection connected and project it onto your big screen tv with ease.
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USB-A ports unstable when PC is is not connected to TV/monitor or TV/monitor is OFF
It keeps disconnecting and reconnecting USB devices on the USB-A ports the moment you turn the monitor off or disconnect the HDMI cable. You can actually see the red LED on the vensmile flicker as the usb connects and disconnects.
So imagine what will happen to your external HDD drive if you left this PC on but turned your TV off. After a thousand connect/disconnects an hour, i’m quite sure the HDD will get damaged or the data corrupt.
maybe you have a faulty USB port. This should not be happening. Have you contacted support?
External drive with power supply of its own, no problem. Cannot read portable drive without power supply of its own. And no, no issue with the drives, my laptop and desktop can read them. I have not tried but I’m sure if I have a powered USB hub, it would be able read my portables.