Intel Compute Stick Core M
Pocket-sized computing
The classic version of Trivial Pursuit, is known as the ‘Genus Edition’ (from the Latin for ‘birth’). One way to recognise someone who’s really into Trivial Pursuit is that they actually call it this, while everyone else misreads it as ‘Genius Edition’. Similarly, if you’re a big fan of Intel’s ultra-compact PC, the Compute Stick, you might call it by its correct name, while everyone else misreads it as ‘Computer Stick’. Pedantry aside, it is, in fact, a computer in a stick.
Since we last reviewed the Compute Stick (see Issue 456) it’s become slightly bigger, although it remains pretty small. But it’s also more powerful: the basic version (£134) has an Atom x5-z8300 processor, which is a tad faster than the Z3735F we tested before, and the options now go up to an m5-6y57 chip (£465). We tested it with an m3-6y30 0 (pictured right), not one of Intel’s very latest processors but a popular option in ultra-slim laptops ps a year or so ago. It comes with 4GB of memory and 64GB of flash memory, the e SPECIFICATIONS 0.9GHZ Intel dual-core m3-6y30 processor • Intel HD Graphics • 4GB memory • 64GB flash storage • 3x USB 3.0 • HDMI • 802.11ac Wi-fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • Windows 10 Home • 114x35x11mm (HXWXD) • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/26462 largest amount that can be squeezed in.
At £329, this isn’t super cheap for what is basically a laptop with no screen or keyboard. However, about £85 of this covers the cost of Windows 10 Home, which you can leave out if you already have a copy of Windows or prefer to run Linux or Chrome OS.
The m3 processor felt slow during setup and booting, and unsurprisingly our 4K video tests wouldn’t run, but in general use it was fine, coping well when we had lots of web browser tabs open. A tiny fan – believe it or not – stops the low-power chip overheating. The fact that it plugs straight into a monitor or a TV’S HDMI port makes the Compute Stick a tempting homeentertainment device, but you can forget 3D gaming.
You’ll also be limited in how much you can install, with Windows leaving only abouababout 42GB of storage free. Ththerthere’s a microsd card slot, hohowehowever, so you can double or triple that space if neneedneeded. There’s also a USB 3.0 0 port, which you could ususe to connect an external drivdrive or other peripherals. Wiwisely, the mains power ad adapadadapter, which connects via USB Type-c, incorporates two more USB 3.0 ports. You could use these for a wired mouse and keyboard, but it makes more sense to connect wireless ones via Bluetooth, which is built in, along with Wi-fi.
A computer in a stick to take with you wherever you go