Intel compute stick stk1aw32sc windows 10

Posted at October 9, 2023 by PCI-DB Team

Install Driver Automatically

Device Name	Intel STK1AW32SC Compute Stick Graphics Driver 20.19.15.4364 for Windows 10
Category	Graphics Board
Manufacturer	INTEL
File Size	99.1 MB
Supported OS	Windows 10

Intel STK1AW32SC Compute Stick Graphics Driver 20.19.15.4364 for Windows 10 Description

This zip archive contains the files needed for installing the Intel HD Graphics driver. If it has been installed, updating (overwrite-installing) may fix problems, add new functions, or expand existing ones. Even though other OSes might be compatible as well, we do not recommend applying this release on platforms other than the ones specified.

Versions:

— Intel Graphics Driver: 20.19.15.4364
— Intel Display Audio Driver: 6.16.00.3191

Supports Intel Iris graphics, Intel Iris Pro graphics and Intel HD graphics on:

— Braswell Processor Family

Microsoft Windows «Setup.exe» Installation:

— Save and unzip the downloadable archive.
— Locate the hard drive directory where the driver files are stored using the browser or the Explore feature of Windows.
— From this directory, double-click the «Setup.exe» file.
— The first dialog of the installation user interface will appear. By default, a checkbox is selected to automatically run WinSAT and enable the Windows Aero desktop theme (if supported). Deselect the checkbox if this support should be turned off.
— Click «Next» to continue.
— Read the License Agreement and, if you agree with the terms, click «Yes» to proceed.
— Review the Readme File information and click «Next» to proceed.
— When the «Setup Progress» is complete, click «Next» to proceed.
— When the «Setup is Complete» screen appears, click «Finish» to complete the installation.

Microsoft Windows «Have Disk» Installation

— Click «Start», right-click «Computer», and click «Properties».
— Click «Device Manager» on the left.
— In the «User Account Control» window, click «Yes».
— Double-click «Video Controller (VGA Compatible)» if present under «Other Devices». (Go to step 6).
— Expand «Display adapters» and double-click the graphics controller.
— In the «Driver» tab, click «Update Driver».
— Click «Browse my computer for driver software».
— Click «Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer».
— Click «Have Disk…» and click «Browse».
— Browse to the directory where you unzipped the file you downloaded, click the «Graphics» folder, and select the «igdlh.INF» file. Click «Open».
— Click «OK» and click «Next». The operating system will install the driver.
— Click «Close» and click «Yes» to reboot. The driver should now be loaded.

Microsoft Windows Manual Installation — HD Graphics

— Click «Start», right-click «Computer», and click «Properties».
— Click «Device Manager» on the left.
— In the «User Account Control» window, click «Yes».
— Double-click «Video Controller (VGA Compatible)» if present under «Other Devices». (Go to step 6)
— Expand «Display adapters» and double-click the graphics controller.
— In the «Driver» tab, click «Update Driver».
— Click «Browse my computer for driver software».
— Click directly «Browse».
— Browse to the directory where you unzipped the file you downloaded and click the «Graphics» folder.
— Click «OK» and click «Next». The operating system will install the driver if it considers this an upgrade.
— Click «Close» and click «Yes» to reboot. The driver should now be loaded.

Microsoft Windows Manual Installation — Display Audio

— Click «Start», right-click «Computer», and click «Properties».
— Click «Device Manager» on the left.
— In the «User Account Control» window, click «Yes».
— Double-click «Sound, video and game controllers».
— If installing from scratch, right-click the «High Definition Audio» controller. If updating the driver, right-click the «Intel Display Audio» controller. Click «Update Driver Software…».
— Click «Browse my computer for driver software».
— Click «Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer».
— Click «Have Disk…» and click «Browse».
— Browse to the directory where you unzipped the file you downloaded, click the «DisplayAudio» folder, and select the «IntcDAud.inf» file. Click «Open» and click «OK».
— Select «Intel Display Audio» and click «Next».
— The operating system will install the driver. Click «Finish» to complete the installation.
— Click «Yes» to reboot. The driver should now be loaded.
— To determine if the driver has been loaded correctly, refer to the Verifying Installation of the Software section below.

About Graphics Drivers:

Related INTEL Drivers

This is a very easy task. Take your usb stick and go to a PC. Not a mac, not linux, but just a PC. Get the windows 10 install setup on your stick as per the instructions here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 Download Windows 10

You want the 32-bit version of windows 10 version 1803. Do not think about 1809.

Do not use any other place or tool to get the windows 10 install media made.

Do not use rufus or any other tool.

Then, go to your compute stick, insert the usb stick, and boot it. This is like installing windows on any pc.

Have a wired keyboard in one usb port, the usb stick in the other. If you want to add a wired mouse, get a four port usb hub and plug it into the compute stick, then plug the mouse and keyboard into the hub.

When doing the install, choose custom, and delete any and all partitions that may exist.

This is a very easy task. You should have NO PROBLEMS.

Doc

В руки попал интересное устройство: мини системный блок Intel Compute Stick BOXSTK1AW32SC. Это полноценный компьютер с Windows 10 размером с маленький телефон или большую флешку. Стоит около 9000 рублей.

Производительности хватает для повседневных задач: интернет, фильмы, документы, фотографии, просмотр FullHD видео.

Вентилятор жужжит, но в офисе его не слышно.

Характеристики

• Процессор
  • Интегрированный Intel Atom x5-Z8330, 1.44 ГГц / 1.84 ГГц (четырехъядерный)
• Память
  • Частота: 1600 МГц
  • Объём: 2 Гб
  • Режим работы: одноканальный
• Графика
  • Интегрированная в процессор Intel HD Graphics
• Диск
  • SSD 32 Гб
  • Встроенный кард-ридер для microSDXC
• Внешние разъёмы
  • 1 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x USB 3.0
  • 1 x HDMI
• Сеть
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth
• Основное
  • Операционная система: Windows 10 Home 32-бит
  • Цвет: чёрный
  • Вес: 60 г
  • Размеры (ШхВхГ): 38 х 12 х 113 мм
  • Страна производитель: Китай

Распаковка

Поставляется в коробке:

Делает компьютер из любого телевизора или монитора с HDMI портом.

Windows в комплекте. Переферийные устройства в комплект не входят.

Основные характеристики указаны сбоку.

Снизу серийный номер, MAC адрес и прочее.

Внутри ещё одна коробка.

Внутри бумажки и книжки.

Сам системный блок:

Блок питания обычный, 5 Вольт. Ненадёжный, так как имеет разные насадки. Крепление насадок хрупкое.

Питается через Micro USB.

Если на мониторе есть разъёмы USB, то можно попробовать запитать системный блок через них.

В комплекте к блоку питания несколько переходников для разных видов розеток. Нам не интересны.

Можно воткнуть системный блок в HDMI напрямую, можно через гибкий короткий удлинитель.

Если на мониторе есть выход под динамики или наушники, то звук можно вывести через него. HDMI передаёт не только видео, но и звук.

С подключенными USB клавиатурой и мышкой.

Включение

Включаем.

Свой BIOS.

Несколько минут уходит на первоначальную настройку Windows.

Загрузился.

Проверка

В процессор интегрирована видеокарта Intel HD Graphics. Смотрим ролики с youtube.

Переключаемся на HD 1080p.

Ролик подёргался, но потом воспроизвёлся.

Сначала показалось, что работает система медленно, оказалось, что процессоры чем-то загружены. 65% ресурсов съёло обновление Windows.

Характеристики системы.

Оставлю обновляться, потом продолжу проверку.

После установки всех обновлений место на диске кончилось. Однако, очистка диска позволила освободить 14 гигабайт.

Не забывайте, что можно использовать microSD карты и флешки.

Повторно запускаю видео HD 1080p.

Видео идёт без проблем, нагрузка на процессор 50%. Графический процессор нагружается при полном экране на 30%.

Кто-то писал про медленный Wi-Fi, измеряем скорость Интернета:

20-30 Mbps, приличная скорость.

BIOS

F2 при загрузке позволяет войти в BIOS. Он простой.

Main

Информация о железе.

Подробная информация.

Версии и прошивка.

Configuration

Можно управлять Bluetooth, логированием, иконками при загрузке.

Можно включить или отключить:

• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• Wi-Fi DRS
• SD Card
• USB port 1
• USB port 2
• Num Lock

ОС может быть:

• Windows 32-бит
• Windows 64-бит
• Android

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Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 now has a special edition for these Windows versions: Windows 7, Windows 7 64 bit, Windows 7 32 bit, Windows 10, Windows 10 64 bit,, Windows 10 32 bit, Windows 8,
Windows 10 S 64bit, Windows 10 Pro 64bit, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (Microsoft Windows NT) 32bit, Windows 10 Team 32bit, Windows XP Starter Edition 64bit, Windows 7 Home Basic 64bit, Windows 10 Home 64bit, Windows 8 Pro 32bit, Windows 7 Enterprise (Microsoft Windows NT) 32bit, Windows 10 Mobile 32bit, Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit, Windows XP Home Edition, for home desktops and laptops 32bit, Windows 8 Enterprise 32bit, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 64bit,

Driver Model	OS	Original Upload Date	Last Modification	Driver File	File Size	Compatible Computer Models	Availabilty To Instalation Manager
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 4041.18	For Windows 7 32 bit	7/9/2015	1/5/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-4041.18.exe	73kb	VIA VT8367-8233/5, Sony VPCZ11A7R, SOTEC WG Series, Lenovo 20B6CTO1WW, HP G5261de, Fujitsu FMVF52CTWG, HP EZ082AA-ABF M7438.FR, Compaq KT310AA-AB4 SR5490CF, Supermicro P8SCT, AMD & ATI ATI RC410MD-SB460, Sony VGN-NS31MT_S, Gateway E4252, AT ALSEN PROFI 41G, IBM 1845BJ1, Acer TravelMate 2460, Sony VGN-CS15GN_B, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 41.1341.1	For Windows 7 64 bit	2/11/2015	4/25/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-41.1341.1.exe	213kb	Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet, Sony VGN-NS11SR_S, Sony VPCEB4E9R, HP PS235AA-ABF m1280.f, HP Pavilion G70-250CA, Haier T68 Series, Panasonic CF-S10AY6DC, MCJ MCJ, HP FL210AA-ABV a6512.me, DataLogic MS-N011, Lenovo ThinkPad X61s, Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio F30/770LS, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 43029	For Windows 7	7/6/2016	2/4/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-43029.exe	114kb	Fujitsu FMVF52CTWG, Dell Inspiron M5110, HP RZ438AA-UUW s3040.sc, NEC PC-GL26ES9LE, HP HP dx2700 MT, Sony VGN-FJ11_W, IBM 184469U, FIC VA250U, IBM IBM System x3500 M3 Server -[7380AC1, NEC PC-VL750AS, HP CQ1150FRm, Panasonic CF-18KH2ZXBC, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 40976	For Windows 10	2/18/2016	4/6/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-40976.exe	172kb	Fujitsu FMVNS3EE, Stone NOTCHA-101, HP NH836AV-ABA m9500z, Lenovo 1049, LG P1-J433R1, Advantech UNO-2178A, Acer Aspire M7200, Gateway 4028GZ, ASUS X200MA, Packard Bell TS44HR, Lenovo ThinkStation S10, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 402.132.1	For Windows 10 64 bit	7/4/2014	6/8/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-402.132.1.exe	112kb	Packard Bell PBIPGX, NEC PC-VY17MRFEAEH1, HP RF772AA-ABF t3611.f, Fujitsu FMVNFA55K, HP H9-1168hk, HP PX662AA-AB9 a1019.pt, IBM 2668G7U, Fujitsu FMVMG75YD5, GETAC P470, Fujitsu FMVNFD75R, Compaq DA255A-ABA 6401RSH NA910, HP PX623AA-ABU m7071.uk, Compaq PN124AA-ABU SR1219UK GB440, Sony VGN-SZ55_B, Toshiba Satellite C870-DMK, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 4021.10	For Windows 7 32 bit	11/20/2015	6/9/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-4021.10.exe	64kb	HP KE485AA-UUZ m9145.ch, IBM 2668W13, HP HP Compaq dc7100 USDT, Sony VGN-TT46LG_R, HP FR546AA-ABE a6653es, HP Presario V6000, Toshiba SATELLITE C855-19N, Systemax Charity PC 2010, Lenovo H520, Fujitsu LifeBook T4310, Lenovo 3000 J200 Desktop, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 4091.18	For Windows 7 64 bit	3/22/2015	8/12/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-4091.18.exe	213kb	Acer Veriton S670, HP GQ538AA-ABD a6214.de, Lenovo ThinkPad T430u, IBM 2530A56, Fujitsu LifeBook A6030, Gateway 510 sku, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 40438	For Windows 7	8/11/2016	2/25/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-40438.exe	120kb	Dell Inspiron 580, AT OFFICEPRO SFF, HP HP Pavilion dv9575EM, Samsung R470/R420, IBM 1871Y16, Fujitsu FMVMGG70WY, Acer TM6595, Toshiba Dynabook Satellite J62 166D/5X, Lenovo 4236TKK, Packard Bell IMEDIA MC 5303, Dell PowerEdge C8220, Sony VGN-S45C_S, LG LS50-A514ZL, PrimeLine Professional-i7, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 4262.12.1	For Windows 10	6/6/2016	3/22/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-4262.12.1.exe	56kb	Sony SVS1311B4E, MSI MS-6508, Sony VGN-NS38M_P, Compaq FR604AA-ABF SR5529FR, Sony VGC-JS51B_P, HP HPE-350es, Dell Inspiron N5040, Sony VGN-P35GK_R, Sony VGN-AR170P, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 41.162.11.1	For Windows 10 64 bit	8/25/2015	4/21/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-41.162.11.1.exe	48kb	HP HP dx2000 MT, HP Rfrb h8-1100z, HP FJ377AA-ABF a6538.f, Notebook W310CZ/CZ-T, Fujitsu FMVXNLHD2A, Toshiba Dynabook T553/37JWB, Acer AS5732Z, IBM 2672CBJ, NEC PC-GV21YTZU6, HP LX909ES#ABZ, ASUS 1015BX, Lenovo ThinkPad T520, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 40421.1	For Windows 8	5/19/2015	2/3/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-40421.1.exe	47kb	Sony VGN-NS31MT_S, Gateway E4252, AT ALSEN PROFI 41G, IBM 1845BJ1, Acer TravelMate 2460, Sony VGN-CS15GN_B, Sony VPCEH18FK, HP PN119AA-ABU m1170.uk, Toshiba SATELLITE,A665, ECS BAT-MINI, NEC PC-MY18XAZ7HM95, HP P6-2201sem, Gigabyte GA-6PXSV3, Lenovo 20AUA02MMB, Panasonic CF-30KTPAX2B, Panasonic CF-W2FWPAXP, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 42790	For Windows 7 32 bit	8/13/2015	10/4/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-42790.exe	184kb	Sony VGNFW590GAB, Sony VGN-FW36GJ, Sony VGC-RB41P, Lenovo 9439Y5B, AnabelleB Soho WN10, National NI PXI-8106 Embedded Controlle, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 401.147	For Windows 7 64 bit	8/17/2014	11/4/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-401.147.exe	60kb	NEC PC-LS150LS1KSG, Sony VGN-UX490N, Toshiba Dynabook TV/64KWHYD, HP 3600, HP HP Compaq nw8240, Olidata H8DA8/H8DAR, Sony VGN-SR25T_P, Lenovo ThinkCentre E51, Lenovo ThinkPad T500, NEC PC-GV30H2ZG3, Toshiba SATELLITE L850-130, Toshiba SATELLITE C855-20M, Sony VGC-RC70S, Toshiba Dynabook Satellite T772/W5TG, HP HP nx9000, HP FR472AA-UUW a6622sc, Sony VGN-FW55LF_B, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 42437	For Windows 7	7/18/2016	3/12/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-42437.exe	98kb	Sony VGN-C140FP, HP GN634AV-ABA a6210, Toshiba Dynabook TX/67J2PKYD, Sony VGC-LT91S, HP AX685AA-ABJ 300-1150jp, ASUS 900, Sony VPCF235FA, HP HP Compaq nw8240, Lenovo 7360W78, HP VS165AA-UUW s5270sc, IBM 23739HG, IBM 81387HG, Packard Bell IMedia D9235, Lenovo 20AUA02MMB, NEC PC-MY30DEZCA, Toshiba SATELLITE C855-2L1, IBM 8184MMY, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 4342.17	For Windows 10	7/7/2016	4/10/2017	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-4342.17.exe	175kb	Gateway M250B, Toshiba SATELLITE PRO C50-A-1HZ, Medion P8612, Sony SVT1311EFYS, LG R490-K.AFE3BZ, Fujitsu FPC03080AL, Epson Endeavor MT8800, HP GL333AA-ABZ m8160.it, Compaq DB266A-AB1 6215KR KO910, , and more.
Intel Stk1aw32sc Compute Stick Bluetooth 19.60.0 For Windows 10 41.1040	For Windows 10 64 bit	3/20/2015	7/11/2016	intel_stk1aw32sc_compute_stick_bluetooth_19.60.0_for_windows_10-41.1040.exe	61kb	NEC PC-VL150GS, HP PY056AA-ABF w5077.f, Sony VPCEH3T9E, Datateknik EXPER, HP Pavilion zx5000, VVIKOO VI P67 PRO, LG P2-TP2007, Fujitsu FMVA77HRG, Pegatron H24L, Compaq Presario 734RSH US 470038-608, HP HP Compaq nx6320, Sony VPCEC2RFX, Lenovo 6475VE6, Toshiba SATELLITE C850-A791, NEC PC-LL750WG1JB, Toshiba SATELLITE C850-A821, , and more.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

VIEW GALLERY — 53 IMAGES

Intel’s second generation of the Compute Stick has arrived, ushering in needed upgrades and enhancements to a unique product. I rarely directly compare two products in a review, as I believe that each product deserves its time on stage, but I think it’s relevant to compare the second generation of Intel’s Compute Stick to the original.

Both sticks have the same amount of storage and RAM, with the second generation bringing in some hardware upgrades under the hood and a second USB port. I should mention that the Compute Stick reviewed here will be one of many Intel is launching this round. Higher-end Compute Sticks with Skylake based Core m3 and m5 and double the storage and RAM will be available soon, but they will cost upwards of double to triple that of the Atom x5 based one in this review.

Specifications

This Compute Stick features a quad-core Atom x5-Z8300 processor which is a Cherry Trail-based SoC, which is the successor to the Bay Trail microarchitecture used in the original. The device still has only 2GB of DDR3L and 32GB of eMMC storage, but the microSD slot is still present. One of the most notable upgrades is the addition of a second USB port. Intel provides one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port, the Core m3/m5 models will have a single USB port but will come with a USB 3.0 hub built into the AD/DC adapter.

As far as power changes go, the second generation Atom based stick comes with a 3A/5V (15W) micro USB power adapter which isn’t very common, so you will need to use the provided adapter as most (including the one with the first generation Compute Stick) only support up to 2A/5V (10W).

Intel has also updated the Wireless N on the first generation to dual-band Wireless-AC using an Intel 7265 controller instead of a Realtek solution. The new stick is also a little bit longer than the original.

Pricing

This new Compute Stick will cost $159.99 and comes with Windows 10 32-bit installed.

Packaging and System

Packaging

Our sample is an engineering sample, given to us earlier last month; the retail packaging looks like the box pictures on Intel’s Compute Stick website. Accessories include a high current USB power adapter and an HDMI extension cable.

The original Compute Stick had a 5V/2A adapter which was capable of 10W theoretical output; the new Compute Stick comes with a more powerful adapter. At 5V/3A, it should theoretically support 15W, which points towards higher power usage perhaps caused by the extra USB port and more powerful hardware.

The new Intel Compute Stick is longer than the original but keeps the same relative width and height. The fan vents are a bit larger on the new Compute Stick, but overall the product looks quite similar. The new Compute Stick isn’t using the glossy surface for the entire case. Instead, Intel went with a matte finish which could help cut down on fingerprints.

I also took some shots of the new Intel Compute Stick on its own for reference.

Intel kept the miniSD card slot for storage expansion and the vents on the side have shrunk a little bit.

The new Intel Compute Stick has an added USB 3.0 port while keeping most everything else the same on the outside.

Intel has also provided an HDMI port cover to protect the HDMI port during shipping.

Teardown of the New Intel Compute Stick

The Teardown

The new Intel Compute Stick looks very similar to the original, but I didn’t expect much of a change because of the form factor, which doesn’t offer significant wiggle room for creativity. There are some differences between the two internally, but the easiest to see is that the heat sink is slightly larger on the new stick. One of the issues with the original Compute Stick was that users would complain about a noisy fan after long streaming sessions like watching Netflix. Intel looked to combat this two ways, by improving both the cooling and shifting compute resources towards graphics.

The new Compute Stick also has an extra antenna for the 2×2 WirelessAC/Bluetooth 4. The heat sink is also held down with multiple screws, and the CMOS battery is at the top of the stick.

An interesting difference is that the new Compute Stick features the same fan, but a different model which adds a third wire for speed monitoring/control. This extra wire allows Intel to employee finer fan control, over a curve which allows the fan to start spin-up earlier and stay quieter for most operation. In the original Compute Stick, the system was setup to start the fan almost near full speed, which was very noticeable. Since the small heat sink would readily become saturated because of the lack of airflow internally, the fan would kick into full speed until the temperatures dropped.

The new system starts up the fan at a very low RPM, so low you won’t hear it, and noise only becomes noticeable when you are doing very intense tasks. Before the heat sink could become saturated and, temperatures would hit close to 60C just watching Netflix, but now temperatures will hover around 50-55C, which means the fan isn’t going to spin fast enough to cause irritating noise.

The back of the new stick has a larger shield compared to the original.

Removing the heat sink reveals that the SoC uses a thermal paste while the power control IC is being cooled by a thermal pad.

There is also a thermal pad on the rear shield which cools the SoC from behind by cooling the PCB directly beneath the SoC.

The Intel Atom x5 Z8300 Cherry Trail-based SoC is the predecessor to the original Compute Stick’s Bay Trail SoC. The new SoC is based on Intel’s latest 14nm lithography and has four processor cores with a base frequency of 1.44GHz and a 400MHz added burst which can take the cores to 1.84GHz, and it has a slightly lower SDP than its predecessor. Intel has upgraded the graphics core of the SoC so that video tasks can be done with more ease and less pain than the original Compute Stick. Intel’s HD graphics has a base frequency of 200MHz with a 500MHz burst and features 12 EUs. Memory has moved from 2GB of 1333MHz Samsung DDR3L to 2GB of 1600MHz Kingston DDR3L. You can also catch a glimpse of a 64Mbit Winbond BIOS ROM. A block diagram of the SoC can be seen on the right. The eMMC remains 32GB, but vendors have changed from Samsung in the Original to a SanDisk drive.

Intel is using the SanDisk SDINADF4-32GB eMMC for storage, and the remainder of RAM is located on the back of the stick. Intel upgraded the low-power Realtek Wi-Fi solution on the original Compute Stick to the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 unit which offers much stronger Wi-Fi performance.

An AXP288C is a power management IC (PMIC) which takes in the USB 5v and provides multiple different low voltage rails for the different devices (SoC, Memory, eMMC, etc.). Those black squares around it are low profile inductors.

The BIOS

BIOS

Intel’s UEFI has not changed from the first to the second generation of the Compute Stick. Intel did provide an update for media about two weeks ago to improve wireless performance. There is an option to choose between a 32 and 64-bit OS in case you want to install a 64-bit OS, make sure to change this and perhaps other settings if you are going to install a fresh OS instead of the included Windows 10 32-bit.

Test Setup and Benchmarks

Test Setup

CPU-Z and CPUID results are shown above. I am not sure if either is correctly logging the core speed because I wasn’t aware that the CPU could run over 2GHz since its maximum burst frequency is 1.84GHz as per Intel’s website. Regardless, the CPU does seem to shift its frequency quickly depending on the load.

CPU, Memory, System, and Graphics Benchmarks

CINEBENCH 11.5

wPrime

AIDA64 AES and HASH

AIDA64 Memory

Graphics Benchmarks

3DMark11

UNIGINE Heaven 4.0

Resident Evil 6

System Benchmarks

PCMark8 Home Test

PCMark8 Work Test

WebXPRT

Testing the second generation Intel Compute Stick reveals Intel has refocused SoC resources from the CPU to the GPU. Just like other chip makers, Intel is bound by power and thermals, so they have a limited scope which requires precision juggling.

The original Compute Stick lacked in graphics performance, so much so, that even streaming Netflix might have made the SoC work quite hard. The new Compute Stick is more optimized towards improving graphics, and it shows in the benchmarks. In many cases performance in 3D benchmarks is double that of the original Compute Stick. This shift in scope coupled with the improved fan control curve results in a much quieter streaming experience.

System IO Benchmarks and Remote Streaming

Storage and Network Performance

CrystalDiskBench-Read:

CrystalDiskBench-Write:

ixChariot Network Throughput:

The shift from Samsung based eMMC to a SanDisk doesn’t result in loss of performance (a tiny drop in writes), if anything, sequential read speeds have been slightly improved. Network performance gets a noticeable boost from the new Intel 2×2 wireless AC controller, which results in smooth streaming.

Remote Streaming

Intel has a keyboard/mouse application for mobile phones to communicate with the Intel Compute Stick. Installation of this application was very simple, and while there is a slight lag between mouse commands on the phone and actual results on the screen, it doesn’t heavily impact the functionality of the system. I would opt to use the application instead of a plugged in keyboard and mouse. Streaming Steam games remotely over your wireless network works better on the new Intel Compute Stick due to the improved internet and shift towards providing more graphics resources.

Temperature and Power Consumption

The new Compute Stick draws slightly more power than its predecessor; this isn’t a surprise considering the provided AC to DC adapter provides 3A versus 2A the original Compute Stick’s adapter could provide.

The increase in power consumption is due to many factors, the extra USB port being one of them.

Thermal Testing

Intel told us during the briefing that the new Compute Sticks temperature wouldn’t exceed 60C (I am assuming 25C ambient), and it didn’t, even when the ambient temperature was hovering around 30C. What is important isn’t much the surface temperature but the noise the fan makes to keep the Compute Stick cool.

I am happy to report that Intel has improved the noise levels of the Compute Stick through multiple mechanisms I will discuss on the next page.

What’s Hot, What’s Not & Final Thoughts

Here are key points about the new Intel Compute Stick (Cherry-Trail Atom x5)

What’s Hot

Cherry Trail with Graphics Shift: The Cherry Trail Atom x5 that replaces the previous Bay Trail based SoC is much better suited for the Intel Compute Stick. While keeping close to the same thermal limits as the original Compute Stick, Intel shifted compute resources to better handle graphics-heavy workloads, and it shows. The new Compute Stick does not immediately shoot up to its maximum temperature while streaming Netflix like the original, and that is because the SoC isn’t being overtaxed.

2×2 Intel Wireless AC: Since the Compute Stick doesn’t have a wired internet connection, wireless bandwidth becomes very important. The shift from a Realtek wireless-N solution to a 2×2 Intel wireless AC solution results in much greater Wi-Fi speeds.

Improved Fan Technology: Here is the deal, the fan on the original Compute Stick would emit a noticeable (if you were close enough) squeal as soon as the temperature of the Compute Stick rose above a certain limit. On the original Compute Stick, this limit was set high (around 50C+), and the fan would blow at full speed until the temperature came down. Intel swapped out the two-wire fan for the three-wire version. The third wire adds monitoring of the fan speed, which has allowed Intel to apply a much more efficient fan curve.

Unlike the original Compute Stick, when the surface temperature of the new one hits around 40-45C the fan turns on, but you cannot tell since it is silent and at a very low speed. The fan speed then gradually increases with temperature, and it only becomes noticeable at above 55C. Otherwise, you literally will have to turn your ear towards the Compute Stick, which has to be less than 1 foot away to hear the fan. Instead of letting the device become saturated with heat, the new Compute Stick allows for active cooling even at small workloads to continuously remove the heat and lower temperatures.

Added USB 3.0 Port: The single USB 2.0 port of the original is complimented by an additional USB 3.0 port on the new Compute Stick. You can now attach a dedicated keyboard and mouse instead of using a combo port. I assume that most users will opt to use the Intel Remote Keyboard application instead of a dedicated keyboard and mouse, so you can now use the ports for extra storage or devices like an Ethernet adapter.

Cost Effective: Instead of 32-bit Windows 8.1, the new Intel Compute Stick comes with 32-bit Windows 10 (it does support 64-bit, but the 32-bit version is preinstalled). The price of the new Intel Compute Stick is only $10 more than the original, and you are getting the OS for free. In my opinion, it is still a great value, and I prefer Windows 10 to Windows 8.1. Booting is also much faster with the Windows 10 based Compute Stick.

What’s Not

Still a Little Sluggish: Even with all the upgrades and the increased length of the new Intel Compute Stick, I felt it still was a bit slow. I would say that the performance improvements for CPU based tasks haven’t improved much compared to the original, but overall it is a usable device. If you want much faster speed, perhaps even desktop class, then you should probably check out the Core m3 and m5 version, but they will cost you much more.

2GB RAM isn’t that much: My qualm with the new device is that Intel still only provides 2GB of RAM. It’s enough to carry out basics tasks, but I would have liked to see more RAM. This downside is addressed in the Core m3 and m5 versions which come with 4GB of RAM. However, if you want an Atom x5 based version with 4GB of RAM, you aren’t totally out of luck. Intel has licensed this designed out to its partners, and they might provide 4GB Atom x5 based sticks.

Final Thoughts

Is there a night and day difference between the new Compute Stick and the original? I would say almost. The new Intel Compute Stick is a different beast on many levels. The new Compute Stick is quieter, faster, and overall improved compared to the original Compute Stick. However, it still is form factor limited. The Intel Compute Stick will not replace a modern desktop, but that isn’t its primary intended use.

The Intel Compute Stick is designed for use cases where the software requirements outweigh the need for intensive processing power. Digital signage is a big area where the Compute Stick can do well, especially the Core m3 and m5 versions, which should be out soon. In my mind, a perfect use for the Intel Compute Stick is with your TV. While many TVs sold today are to an extent «smart», many of them cannot come close to the capabilities of the Intel Compute Stick.

Overall, Intel has made huge strides to improve upon the original Compute Stick. They probably made a list of the top five grievances and addressed all of them, resulting in a well-rounded, affordable Intel branded ultra-tiny-mini PC.