Back at CES this year, Intel announced Compute Stick. This entire system on a stick plugs into a display via HDMI and runs either Windows or Ubuntu. It was designed as an inexpensive x86 alternative to ARM-based Android-on-a-stick PCs.
While the Compute Stick is only suitable for lightweight computing tasks, but having a full PC in such a small form factor for such a low price ($150) is still impressive. However, its 22nm Bay Trail Atom Z3735F was underpowered, especially on the graphics front, and it ran hot enough to require the Stick to have active cooling with a fan. Also, its 32 GB of storage was very limiting for a device running a full version of Windows.
At IFA, Asus announced that it is getting into this market, too, and is releasing its version of this tiny form-factor, the VivoStick PC. Asus’s offering improves in a number of ways over Intel’s model by using a newer Cherry Trail SoC, and it also runs Windows 10. However, it still does have a few of the compromises that affected the Intel Stick.
Specifications
| Product | Asus VivoStick |
|---|---|
| SoC | Intel Cherry Trail x5-Z8300 (?) |
| CPU | 1.44 GHz (1.84 GHz burst) quad-core (?) |
| GPU | Intel HD Graphics (Gen 8, 200 – 500 MHz, 12 execution units) |
| Memory | 2 GB eMCP |
| Storage | 32 GB eMCP |
| Connectivity | 802.11 b/g/n, BlueTooth 4.0 |
| IO | 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HD Audio Jack (Mic/Headphone combo), 1 x micro USB |
| Dimensions & Weight | 138 x 34 x 15 mm, 70g |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
The Cherry Trail SoC is certainly a big step up from the Compute Stick’s Bay Trail SoC. It is a 14nm chip, so the VivoStick probably has no need for active cooling. Also, the Intel HD GPU of Cherry Trail should be significantly faster, up to 50 percent, which will make a big difference in a number of applications.
Asus did not make it clear, though, as to which specific Cherry Trail chip it will be using. It is likely to be the base model, the x5-Z8300, for power and heat reasons, though it could possibly use the more powerful x5-Z8500 found in the AsusTransformer Book T100, which has a higher burst clock speed and higher-clocked GPU.
The VivoStick also has two USB ports, one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0, versus the single USB 2.0 port of the Intel stick. Bluetooth is on board to wirelessly connect to a mouse and keyboard. It comes with Windows 10 instead of Windows 8.1 with Bing, which is installed on the Intel unit. Lastly, the VivoStick is a little more attractive – it comes in different colors and has a cap to protect its HDMI connector.
The VivoStick will be selling for $130, but no information on availability was released.
