Cheap, functional, upgradeable: HP’s Stream and Pavilion Mini desktops reviewed

These inexpensive Windows desktops have a surprising amount to offer.

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[csand]

Just don't mistake it for a tupperware container and try to cram your lunch in it

 

[nedscott]

A lot of people don't understand the point of miniPCs. Andrew, you get it. Articles like this are why I still read Arstechnica. Thanks for the great and neutral review!

 

[tjones2]

Any idea if the Stream Mini (the $180 model) makes a decent HTPC? Or is its CPU and RAM too limited?

 

[grommit!]

The Pavilion could make a decent replacement for my WDTV Live, with the added bonus of some light gaming. Any comment on noise levels - especially under load?

 

[CppThis]

The Pavilion Mini is the real winner here, for sure. The Celeron system isn't terrible, but it is a little underpowered for general use and the rest of the specs don't do a great job of selling it. I actually like these more than I do the NUC, as I find NUC models to be either too weak or too expensive. Pentium is exactly the class of chip that mini PCs should be using--get a dual core that's fast enough to do stuff but without a lot of fluffy features that drive the price way up.

Both of them should make fantastic secondary Windows boxes, for that stuff you need to keep running but don't want on your main PC or an expensive power-chugging antique machine. Shove it in a corner or crawlspace and away you go.

 

[Zak]

csand[/url]":2pcttle0]Just don't mistake it for a tupperware container and try to cram your lunch in it

Awful visual design.

 

[koreandude]

I don't need it.

But for some reason I want it.

 

[CppThis]

Oh, speaking of design one thing these have going for them is they don't use that cheap, smudgy glossy plastic like most minis. The NUC design frustrates me, because the sides are fantastic but the top looks like crap. Hopefully the replaceable top will address this.

 

[trenzterra]

Doesn't the stream 11 come with a n2830 and not a 2955u?

 

[bthylafh]

The cheaper of the two would never have existed were it not for Microsoft needing a competitor for Chrome OS.

 

[CppThis]

trenzterra[/url]":18modv1e]Doesn't the stream 11 come with a n2830 and not a 2955u?

The Stream 11 does in fact carry a N2840, which is Bay Trail based and not quite up to the task of fluid Windows use. The Stream Mini packs a much improved 2957U.

 

[NeoMorpheus]

Lovely device.
Need a drive wipe and install Linux and Kodi or just OpenELEC.

 

[segphault]

These look like a fairly compelling option for replacing the ancient Mac Mini that I have on one of my TVs, but the lack of IR is kind of a deal-breaker for me. I've got a Logitech universal remote that I use in that room. Anybody have experience with USB IR receivers on Windows? If I could plug in an IR receiver and make it work with XBMC/Kodi, I'd be set.

(Edit: looks like something like this would probably do what I want...)

 

[akro]

The stream mini like the 11 is using wimboot...

It's using the recovery partition to boot from...hence you can't delete the recovery partition but is hardly wasted space...

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 94399.aspx

 

[TheFLP]

csand[/url]":1hb2xco9]Just don't mistake it for a tupperware container and try to cram your lunch in it

I'd have to remind myself not to put the white one in the fridge because it looks so much like our CorningWare dishes.

 

[msclrhd]

Any idea on what the power consumption is on the device (e.g. when using an external battery) and the heat profile?

 

[JButler]

CppThis[/url]":1872zo98]

trenzterra[/url]":1872zo98]Doesn't the stream 11 come with a n2830 and not a 2955u?

The Stream 11 does in fact carry a N2840, which is Bay Trail based and not quite up to the task of fluid Windows use. The Stream Mini packs a much improved 2957U.

Most users of cheap Bay Trail CPUs (N2840, Atom Z3735, Z3745, etc., they all have similar CPU benchmarks) are actually pleasantly surprised by responsiveness of the CPU. Web surfing, task switching, video streaming are quite snappy in fact. Where it can get slow is when you have a disk intensive workload (e.g. a big Windows Update) because these systems usually have an eMMC storage. At least that's my experience with Dell Venue 8 Pro. Stream 11 with a real SSD should perform much better, I would think.

 

[Boskone]

I keep trying to get work to buy me one to eval, but they won't. :|

"Why would we buy one of these when we have 10-year-old PCs you can use?"

 

[Griffinhart]

tjones2[/url]":3jt3z87d]Any idea if the Stream Mini (the $180 model) makes a decent HTPC? Or is its CPU and RAM too limited?

I have the $180 model and I added a 4GB stick of RAM. It's a surprisingly good HTPC.

I have a HDHomerun Prime w/cable card and I am using the Stream Mini with Media Center and and a 4tb USB 3 Seagate HD. It is recording 2 HD TV shows, playing a 3rd HD channel and streaming to a Xbox 360 extender with no problems.

It's a pretty impressive box for the money.

I have also put it on a meter to check power draw. while recording multiple channels and powering the USB 3 drive It is only burning about 17 Watts.

The only problem I have run into is that the installed version of 8.1 with bing doesn't allow the Media Center Pack upgrade. I had to buy the 8.1 Pro pack upgrade. it included media center, but that was an extra $90 I spent.

 

[Hamilcar]

I very much appreciate the review of these units, particularly the stream mini. The use of a Haswell celeron versus the atom/Bay Trail CPUs is much appreciated, and will give these machines a longer useful lifespan.

Did anyone get the opportunity to look into the "HP connected music application" for the Pavilion Mini?

It appears to be touted as a Meridian-designed application that allows consolidation of music from a multiple sources, and might be an interesting sales point for the higher-end models (the stream doesn't appear to qualify for it) as a TV-based music application.

An RMAA test of the analog audio output would be welcome, since these look like such prime HTPC candidates.

Personally, I prefer manufacturers to ship inexpensive machines with only one RAM channel filled, as replacing 2x1GB sticks versus simply adding another 1x2GB stick has always felt rather wasteful.

I look forward to future updates when the proprietary hard drive cable becomes available.

 

[spztoid]

They use lower-end processors and have lower specs all around, but they include a Windows license and even a keyboard and a mouse.

To a lot of people, this is more like a required 'tax' than a feature. To me, Ubuntu and/or Kodi, not to mention a wealth of servers to run in a home closet are more important than having an 'included' Windows License and its fee.

 

[Invid]

NeoMorpheus[/url]":2ucvk28b]Lovely device.
Need a drive wipe and install Linux and Kodi or just OpenELEC.

Why bother? I've got a quad core z3736 Atom box with just 2GB of ram and Kodi is snappy on it running on top of Windows. Seems like a lot of trouble for no gain on a dedicated box.

Hide the taskbar during the second you see the desktop, boot directly into Kodi, and you'll never even know what's underneath. The Windows overhead is unnoticeable...this isn't a Raspberry Pi.

I'm going to get one of these for my Mom.

 

[JEDIDIAH]

tjones2[/url]":14ky36kz]Any idea if the Stream Mini (the $180 model) makes a decent HTPC? Or is its CPU and RAM too limited?

The likely sticking point for HTPC use would be the GPU. The video chipset should be doing all of the heavy lifting. The CPU and RAM should be a lot less relevant. These can both be pretty meagre in an HTPC with a good GPU.

 

[NeoMorpheus]

Invid[/url]":1cvram43]

NeoMorpheus[/url]":1cvram43]Lovely device.
Need a drive wipe and install Linux and Kodi or just OpenELEC.

Why bother? I've got a quad core z3736 Atom box with just 2GB of ram and Kodi is snappy on it running on top of Windows. Seems like a lot of trouble for no gain on a dedicated box.

Hide the taskbar during the second you see the desktop, boot directly into Kodi, and you'll never even know what's underneath. The Windows overhead is unnoticeable...this isn't a Raspberry Pi.

I'm going to get one of these for my Mom.

Perhaps I don't care for windows, plus the required antivirus.

And since I prefer linux, I'll have as many installs as possible.

 

[JEDIDIAH]

Invid[/url]":334i3qy5]

NeoMorpheus[/url]":334i3qy5]Lovely device.
Need a drive wipe and install Linux and Kodi or just OpenELEC.

Why bother? I've got a quad core z3736 Atom box with just 2GB of ram and Kodi is snappy on it running on top of Windows. Seems like a lot of trouble for no gain on a dedicated box.

Hide the taskbar during the second you see the desktop, boot directly into Kodi, and you'll never even know what's underneath. The Windows overhead is unnoticeable...this isn't a Raspberry Pi.

I'm going to get one of these for my Mom.

The other side of that is that Windows brings little to the table here. At best it's invisible and at worst it's a headache to maintain due to Microsoft's never ending trail of security problems. It's Windows that's a lot of trouble for this kind of application, not Linux.

 

[alxx]

Hows the linux support ?

 

[l27]

segphault[/url]":1tglqfsa]These look like a fairly compelling option for replacing the ancient Mac Mini that I have on one of my TVs, but the lack of IR is kind of a deal-breaker for me. I've got a Logitech universal remote that I use in that room. Anybody have experience with USB IR receivers on Windows? If I could plug in an IR receiver and make it work with XBMC/Kodi, I'd be set.

(Edit: looks like something like this would probably do what I want...)

I have one of these on the top of my TV in the living room.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/2811443217 ... =82&chn=ps
It works really well, you don't really have to aim the remote because it will pick it up. It looks a little funny mounted on the top of the TV but not to bad. Function over form.

Edit: I use it on a PC that I built with my HTC M8. I used to have a logitech harmony that worked with it as well. I just wish the windows 8 netflix app worked with the media center remote.

 

[JButler]

JEDIDIAH[/url]":yj97gbuv]

Invid[/url]":yj97gbuv]

NeoMorpheus[/url]":yj97gbuv]Lovely device.
Need a drive wipe and install Linux and Kodi or just OpenELEC.

Why bother? I've got a quad core z3736 Atom box with just 2GB of ram and Kodi is snappy on it running on top of Windows. Seems like a lot of trouble for no gain on a dedicated box.

Hide the taskbar during the second you see the desktop, boot directly into Kodi, and you'll never even know what's underneath. The Windows overhead is unnoticeable...this isn't a Raspberry Pi.

I'm going to get one of these for my Mom.

The other side of that is that Windows brings little to the table here. At best it's invisible and at worst it's a headache to maintain due to Microsoft's never ending trail of security problems. It's Windows that's a lot of trouble for this kind of application, not Linux.

What maintenance? It's not that hard to enable the auto-update in Windows. Also, it's not like Linux frees you from security bugs and updates (unless you don't care about security). As someone who have been using Linux for 20+ years for work, I can tell you I've had way more headache with Linux than Windows, most often with driver issues with new hardwares.

 

[PhilGil]

alxx[/url]":2ooo8n42]Hows the linux support ?

I'm curious about this, too. A lot of the Bay Trail Atom devices are gimped with 32 bit UEFI, making Linux installs a PITA. Is that the case with these boxes, too?

I wouldn't mind having a Stream as a Linux machine, but I still have a hard time believing that a Windows install would be viabale long-term on a 32GB SSD. What happens to the size of the Windows directory after a couple of years of updates?

 

[sunflower]

Wanting an inexpensive mini PC with dual gigabit ethernet ports to build a pfsense firewall. Can't seem to find one?

 

[tipoo]

The processor in that 179 Stream Mini has a tray price (what manufacturers pay - not what we pay) of 107.00...That's kind of funny in a way. The entire rest of the machine has to fit in 72 bucks, and eke a profit out of there somewhere.

HPs race to the bottom is both turning up some exciting products, and a bit worrying. Like, can they really make any money on the $99 Stream 7?

 

[countcracula]

I know there may be no definitive answer until Windows 10, but would there be any stumbling blocks to getting Xbox One game streaming working on the Mini?

Someone said before that getting Windows 10 on one of those HDMI stick would take a custom image by the manufacturer and even then the game streaming may not even work because reasons.

Really though, the Mini would be running nom-gimped windows 10, I presume, and not neutered windows.

I am dying to extend my XB1 screen into my office for when my kids are using my big TV

 

[Griffinhart]

sunflower[/url]":3041ih25]Wanting an inexpensive mini PC with dual gigabit ethernet ports to build a pfsense firewall. Can't seem to find one?

Why not use a USB gigabit Ethernet adapter for the second NIC?

 

[Xiao-zhi]

Still looks like a margarine tub.

 

[Xiao-zhi]

Still looks like a margarine tub.

 

[buddhalite]

I bought the Stream Mini as soon as it was released. It's being used to supplement a Roku and allows me to use the free version of Hulu and all the network station streams. The only minor gripe is that I constantly get low memory warnings which I've never received on a Venue 8 Pro.

 

[Simonb42]

Any comment on fan noise or lack thereof?

It's the most integrated and probably cheapest Hackintosh solution right now so I might very well bite and replace the ITX i3 system I've been using in the living room. It's just too bad that there's no way to fit a desktop i3 (Intel labels some inferior laptop chips i7) into something much smaller than ITX.

 

[NeoMorpheus]

buddhalite[/url]":1k7pa59i]I bought the Stream Mini as soon as it was released. It's being used to supplement a Roku and allows me to use the free version of Hulu and all the network station streams. The only minor gripe is that I constantly get low memory warnings which I've never received on a Venue 8 Pro.

Try Lubuntu, Xubuntu or OpenELEC.

The best part is that you can try those without installing it.

 

[MyForwuk]

How is the Linux support for these stream brand pcs?

Linux doesn't seem to have had Wi-Fi for all my past HPs.

Oh and what about protected boot?