Mini PC Stick 64GB AWOW Computer Stick 4GB DDR3 Windows 10 Intel Atom Z8350,4K HD,2.4G/5G Dual Band WiFi,Bluetooth,USB 3.0 TX2

I have owned, customized, and built a lot of computers over the past 30 years, and one trend is clear: consumers are increasingly desiring more portable machines today (like laptops, tablets, or hybrids like Microsoft's Surface) than desktop PCs. In addition, today's computers all handle work and casual consumption very well and come in all sorts of forms and functions. Where power is still needed are hardcore gaming and professional work, such as photography, videography, and architectural drawings. When Microsoft built Windows 10 with the intent to allow it to run on low-powered, portable tablets and computers, smaller devices started flooding the market. Intel eventually introduced their Mini PC Stick specification: a computer the size of two fingers that can run on any HDMI-enabled television. The early versions were limited in capability, and although I liked them, they never met my needs. I decided to give this one from Awow a try after a coworker recommended an older model to me. I wanted a fully-capable computer to take with me on travels to do some work on large-screen TVs and also do some play, such as watching movies and browsing the web.SUMMARY: this Awow TX2 PC stick with 4GB of memory, 64GB of eMMC storage, and 4K TV support is quite capable for a computer of this size. Couple this with the ability to install your own version of Windows 10 (and possibly other operating systems like Linux), and the use cases expand exponentially.PROS- Above-average computing performance for the price range, fully capable of browsing the internet, use Microsoft Office, watch movies, do some light photo editing, and play some games downloaded from the Microsoft (App) Store- Great price for a portable computer stick- Compact and portable: 0.16 oz with a size of 4.5" x 1.5" x 0.5"- Can be connected to any HDMI device, such as a TV or projector. If the TV does not support HDMI but has VGA, you could purchase a HDMI-to-VGA cable and still use this PC stick- Fairly quiet operation (you can hear the fan at peak performance, however)- Two USB ports: a USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (for faster speed). This allows you to connect USB devices, such as printers, a 2nd display (through USB 3.0), keyboard, scanner, external hard drive, etc.- A GENUINE copy of Windows 10 Home x64 is pre-installed. See TIPS section for more info- Not locked down: you can install an operating system of your choice, such as Windows 10 Pro or even Linux (ie. Arch Linux)- Expandable storage: there is a slot to insert a microSD card for additional storage space (up to 128 GB). I strongly recommend Sandisk or Kingston cards- Manufacturer has a recovery image available in case you mess up your Windows 10 installation- Manufacturer was responsive in my inquiries/questions about the product while I tried to install Windows 10 Pro (see TIPS section for more)- An HDMI extension cable is included for TVs where the HDMI port may be too tight/crammed- Build quality seems good- Netflix, YouTube, Google Chrome web browsing all ran at the same time and performed flawlesslyCONS- Initially, I could not see anything happening on my older TV. I am not sure if it was the problem with the TV or the PC stick. However, when I plugged the stick to my 2013 Samsung TV, everything displayed fine- Storage is only eMMC, which is considerably slower then SSD. However, for a device in this price range, this is to be expected- Does not support all forms of wireless keyboards/mice right out of the box, and this is normal for any new Windows 10 configuration, whether it's a laptop, tablet, desktop PC, or in this case: a PC stick. See TIPS section for more info- Windows 10 Home. See the TIPS section for more info- Both USB ports are not easily identifiable between which one is USB 2.0 or USB 3.0- Fan can be too loud for some at peak performanceSPECS- CPU/Processor (the "brain" of the computer): Intel Atom x5-Z8350 at 1.44 GHz (up to 1.92 GHz), which is built for low-powered devices. Note: Amazon lists the Xeon Platinum 8164 CPU for this product, which is incorrect)- Memory (how many things you can run at the same time): 4 GB, which is plenty for casual computer use and some light photo editing. Usable memory: 3.80 GB (other parts are used by the Intel HD graphics card, BIOS, etc)- Storage (how many things you can store, such as movies and programs, while the power is off): 64 GB eMMC, which is generous, but slow compared to SSD drives- WiFi: can operate on the slower, more compabible, and longer-distance 2.4 GHz frequency or on the faster (but more limited in distance) 5 GHz radio. Supports 802.11 ac and the older 802.11 b/g/n. Uses Realtek 8821CU chip- Bluetooth 4.0 to connect your Bluetooth devices, such as keyboards, mice, headphones- 4K video: it handled 4K video well at 30 fps, but could not play those at 60 fps- Native screen resolution: 1920 x 1080. Ran perfectly well and sharply on my Samsung 55" LED 4K TV. However, at the TV's native resolution of 3840 x 2160, I started noticing audio/video sync issues with YouTube videos played from within the Edge browser- Chipset: uses the standard Intel chipset, which Windows 10 supports right out of the box. See TIPS section for more info- BIOS: Aptio setup utility by AMI- Audio: there are 2 audio devices. I'm not sure why. One is Intel SST (WDM) and the other Everest ES8316. Only the former was required for sound to work. See TIPS section for more info- Power: requires DC 5V (3A) supplemental power via microUSB (cable and charging adapter are included)- Battery: a lithium polymer battery is required and already installed. Presumably, to keep BIOS data alive like all computersTIPS- A small, red LED indicates whether the PC stick is on or off- The PC stick does not support all forms of wireless keyboards/mice right out of the box, and this is normal for any new Windows 10 configuration. However, if you have a Logitech or Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse, Windows may already know how to talk to them. Simply plug in the USB dongle and see if both work. Otherwise, you'll have to do what I did: plug in a wired mouse and keyboard to complete the Windows installation and THEN add a Bluetooth or USB wireless keyboard/mouse through the Settings app- The Bluetooth keyboard I like using with this PC stick is the Seenda Mini Bluetooth Keyboard with TouchPad (which also works with Android). It is very portableTIPS: WINDOWS 10Windows 10 Home (64-bit) is pre-installed with a genuine license. However, as a computer professional with more demanding needs, there are several issues I have with this edition of Windows. So, I looked into replacing it with Windows 10 Pro. How did it go? First, why don't I like Windows 10 Home?- Not capable of hard drive encryption. So, if you lose your PC stick, your data could potentially be compromised, especialy with a device this small and easily stolen. You'll have to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro or higher for Bitlocker encryption- Cannot be controlled remotely with Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol. However, you can still control this PC stick with third party software, such as the free TeamViewer or VNC- Configuration requires a Microsoft account to finish setup. There was no way to skip that like in the past (where you could create a Local Account first), but Windows does state that you could delete the Microsoft account from the computer after everything has been set up. It's an additional step I did not want to be forced to take as a computer professional. See photo with the blue screen, titled "Signing in with a Microsoft account"- With recent cybersecurity attacks being a concern, I wanted to wipe out the existing Windows installation and put on a fresh copy configured the way I wantedOverall, this Awow PC stick impressed me. It is quite capable, and its implementation of the Intel Mini PC Stick specification is good. It works just like any other Windows computer, and the manufacturer's responsiveness to my feedback and inquiries was unexpectedly great. For business or casual use, this PC stick is more than adequate and is can run office applications, some games, and entertainment apps. I now have a portable PC available to take with me on travels to be stuck into hotel TV ports and do whatever I want with it on a larger screen than a laptop.If you found this review helpful, please click the "Helpful" button below to encourage me to write more. Thank you!

The media could not be loaded.  Once upon a time computers took up entire rooms - and now they fit in the palm of your hand! This would be especially handy if you do a lot of traveling but don't want to lug along a heavy computer - or just to turn your old TV into a Smart TV.This little PC stick comes with a full-fledged Windows 10 operating system. Simply plug it into your existing monitor or TV, and you're good to go. Browse the web, run your streaming services, access your Google or Windows documents, check your email, anything you'd use any other computer for. It has 64G internal storage, so for big files, you'll want to plug in an external hard drive. The PC stick has two USB connections so you can plug in the hard drive and also a wireless keyboard with touchpad. I really like that it has a built-in cooling fan - small but powerful as the description says - so that you don't have to worry about it overheating.I have included a short video and a couple pictures just to show the size and that it works just like any other computer.

Got this stick to use as secondary system to use as media device or for web surfing.Pros :-1) Set up was breeze.2) 46 GB free after first installation with out any other apps installed.3) Two port will allow connect wireless device and other devices at time without need of USB hub.4) it has Fan, which helps the system not get too hot, one of my friend had similar device with out fan which had heat issues.5) regular micro USB power port.6) AC WiFiOverall very good device for secondary purpose.

The media could not be loaded.  I bought this as a replacement for a 4 year old Lenovo Stick 300 (CPU Z3735F, 2GB, 32GB storage). This AWOW version CPU may be 5 generations newer, CPU Z8350, but it is only 0.11 Ghz faster. Even with the 4GB I feel like it is much the same as I already had. Chrome with the main Google search home page still takes 10 seconds to open. Even reduced the resolution from 4K to 1920x1080. And then changed the power from "Balanced" to High Performance that made a little difference. And the fan is audible enough that I would not really use this to watch streaming movies, etc. (See attached 15 second video, standing 3 feet from the device.) The stick PC does get quite warm with use. If you don't expect much from the device, it will be OK. But don't expect a general use computer alternative.Update. System can't support its own Windows updates. Keeps crashing...crush dump failed and system rebooted without cleanly shutting down. Weird thing is the factory images shows a crash back in June...BEFORE THE DEVICE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN THE WRAPPED BOX.

This thing is amazing! It was literally plug and play. I did not have an issue with the black screen others report, it loaded right up. My sole purpose for this is to remote in to a server at work, and work from home. I didn’t need a lot of memory other things you typically want in a PC. This little PC stick fits my needs perfectly. I’m glad I didn’t spend hundreds on a desktop and monitor’s, my old 32” tv works great.

Got this for my mom. The ideal was to make the old dump TV into a smart One. The main purpose is to watch Netflix/Prime. I set it up for her, and had a quick run to see how it runs. It has windows 10 with all features expected. 64GB is better, no problems with windows updates. I changed the power plan to the high performance mode, streaming video with no lag. It's great for her.

crapped out after 3mos/ approx 15hrs of use. Won't start, won't light up. Dead. Too late to return now, Another cheap Amazon product just ate my my money. Shoulda' known better.