Mostly size - shuttle is much larger. Also I know 100% I do not need a dedicated GPU. Power should be the same between the two. Shuttle would only be better (I think?) if you needed a dedicated GPU or more ports. Btw why would you need XMBC ?
Why a NUC over a shuttle barebone? They are around $400 for barebone like these, can install XMBC on them as well.
Plus shuttle gives more options, full video card upgrade if you want, quiet CPU operation., NIC upgrade expansion. standard HD size.
Shuttle is bigger but its only showbox size, plus it looks better than these. The power savings is not noticeable vs NUC.
The only reason a NUC is good is if you are mass buying 100s-1000s at a time. But for pure media streamer/server Shuttle seems a lot better.
Mostly size - shuttle is much larger. Also I know 100% I do not need a dedicated GPU. Power should be the same between the two. Shuttle would only be better (I think?) if you needed a dedicated GPU or more ports. Btw why would you need XMBC ?
That is what most get these for, is just install it, put on network, instant streamer for movies on network. The shuttle seems better because now you can encode moves faster with a GPU, great for TV shows at least. I don't see size as a big deal, most have plenty of space around TVs.
That is what most get these for, is just install it, put on network, instant streamer for movies on network. The shuttle seems better because now you can encode moves faster with a GPU, great for TV shows at least. I don't see size as a big deal, most have plenty of space around TVs.
My usage does not utilize a tv or streaming/movies/... I just need a super duper small box for email/web.
that stick looks pretty cool, anyone here tested it out yet?
If you only need email & web, have you considered an Android stick? They're pretty cheap, let you jack into a modern monitor (or TV), and you can use a keyboard & mouse with them:
http://www.amazon.com/MK809III-RK318...dp/B00EE4KKDA/
I have the dual-core one. It's okay. It struggles with true 1080p though (I believe they advertise 1080p, but it's actually just upscaled 720p). The quad-core CPU ones are supposed to be better, but I don't know if that has much of an effect on the 1080p processing (vs. say the HP Slate 21's Tegra 4, which can drive 1080p wonderfully with sharp, readable text & no upscaling).
The cool thing is they're small & cheap. The HDMI connection provides both audio & video, and most televisions & modern computer monitors offer a USB port for power; if not, a simple USB to A/C wall wart does the trick. They typically have wireless built-in; I've also tested USB to Ethernet with good results (they sell Android-compatible adapters on Amazon). Bluetooth can be used for wireless speakers, wireless headphones, wireless keyboards, and wireless mice. I've also used RF wireless keyboards & mice successfully off them (ex. Logitech MK320 with the tiny Unifying receiver).
There's plenty of control systems like SureLock Kiosk & Null Keyboard to handle running it on a non-touchscreen display or locking down apps to make things kid-friendly. The cool thing is, for $50 to $75, you have a nice little TV player that runs apps for Netflix, Google Chrome, and so on. Plus a zillion apps, Droid remote control apps (like from your tablet or smartphone), low power usage, Remote Desktop to your computer, etc.
Plex is available as an app as well (as well as lots of other multimedia streaming programs), so you can even stream movies to it. All depends on what your goals are - the Shuttle is great in specific uses, as is the NUC, as are Android sticks.
Edit: Reading these still can't push true 1080p, so might want to pass for anything text-related like Internet surfing. Hopefully they'll be able to jam a Tegra GPU in one of these eventually...
Good info. Thanks. For my use, 720p video would be just fine. The wireless is a bit of a turn off, but if it can keep up then no biggie.
that looks pretty cool but can it work with a traditional monitor (no hdmi port - think 2005 17inch) ?
Hum. I wish the processor was bit newer - still this looks very interesting; I might pick one up just to play with it.
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Actually wifi range might be an issue. Also most of these devices are getting really poor reviews (very bad wifi) but there is a $200 model that folks seem to like a bit better. I'll have to do a bit more digging into these; $200 is too close to the price of the nuc but for $100 it wouold be great 'cept of course it won't work with the printer. Hum for myself it might be great but the nuc wasn't for me.
What sort of OS do these usb stick have (er I know they are android but how well do they work with kb/mouse ?)
Are they locked (boot loader) or can you upgrade andriod as needed (assuming they do not release updates themselves).
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I kow there is gamestick which is only $1000. Pity these don't run linux - num 2GB is probably enough for linux and X but not sure if that leaves enough for chrome or firefox. Hum.
so if you're struggling to get 1080p, does that mean as a plex media server, 1080p is almost impossible to transcode 3-4 streams?
--Ah, you want a Gumstix then: (Linux-friendly microcomputers)
https://www.gumstix.com
I doubt the Android stick makers will ever really provide consistent update support. I'm sure you could root it if needed. I'm not super into Android at the moment, so you'd have to do some digging into forums to see what the word on the street is about all of that.
Well if they don't lock the bootloader than you can update it yourself (sort of like updating linux). I'm not seeing an actual product with that link (or antying that is suitable). Also anything above $150 - $200 and I might as well just go with the nuc (which should run around $420 with ram/ssd).
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I did find this review:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/can-a-50-mini-pc-replace-your-desktop/
Noob question, is rooting different than having an unlocked bootloader on Android?
Yeah, there's a lot of fiddly little devices out there - Gumstix, Raspberry Pi, Android sticks, Beagleboards, Arduino, the Intel Minnowboard, etc. And then there's a whole slew of stuff if you want to get into the embedded arena. All depends on what your goals are. I like the NUC because it's tiny, easy, and runs all of your Windows (or Linux) apps, so you don't really compromise on anything short of a dedicated graphics card (and the upcoming Iris Pro models should help with that!).
yes unlocked boot loader is very different than rooting. If the boot loader is locked then you need a signed boot image; and cannot boot a random image. Root is just root (supervisor mode after you've booted).
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The leading devices seem to be cubox, utilite and the one you linked. The first two can run linux (or android) but are a bit larger. All three are A9. The maker of the Utilite have been around for a little while CuBox is new and the initial hardware has some issues (port does not line up correctly). I like the one you mentioned but I also like the idea of booting from a fast sd card which the other seem to support. Some links:
http://utilite-computer.com/web/utilite-specifications
http://cubox-i.com/table/
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The utilite is a bit more expensive (approx double the thumb stick you linked earlier). The utilite is interesting ('cept for price) in that it has a dvi-d port and 4 usb ports but physically it is 5x4x0.8 inches; the cube is approx 2x2x2
Neat, thanks for the info! Found what appears to be a NUC unit from the makers of Utilite - the "Intense PC" under their Fit-PC brand:
http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/intense-pc/
It looks like it's first-gen NUC hardware. Interesting. Also has a 2.5" drive hookup & 3.5mm audio, so maybe a tweaked version of the original NUC?
Ahhh! Accidentally killed my Chrome window while I was typing up a long update! Ah well, I'll finish it later.
For now, some whining: Working on an old HP Athlon XP system running an IDE hard drive. Any time I move a file, I can hear the hard drive clunking along haha. It's so horrifically bad working on this it's not even funny I put one of my Celeron (an Ivy Bridge) NUCs into production yesterday and it SCREAMS compared to this horrible tower computer haha.