Intel Atom Category - Page 41 of 60 - CNX Software

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Asus VivoStick PC is a Cherry Trail HDMI TV Stick Running Windows 10

We’ve had many Bay Trail-T HDMI TV stick in the past year, but recently some Cherry Trail low power mini PCs such as Tronsmart Ara X5 and MeegoPad T04 have started to hit the virtual shelves, and now Asus is the first company to announce a Cherry Trail HDMI TV Stick, and it’s pretty good looking, although its shaper reminds me of fluorescent markers… Asus VivoStick PC specifications: SoC – Unamed Intel Cherry Trail processor Memory & Storage – Single eMCP chip with 2GB DDRL3 and 32GB eMMC (no micro SD slot) Video Output – HDMI Audio Output – HDMI, 3.5mm audio jack Connectivity – WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x micro USB port (for power) Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port Dimensions – 138 x 15 x 14 mm Weight – 70 grams The stick will […]

August 28, 2015August 28, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Asus Zenphone 2 Deluxe Edition Smartphone Comes with 256 GB Storage, 4GB RAM

As far as I’m concerned the talk about a “Post-PC” area is just that: talk. As long as the hardware specifications of smartphones don’t match the ones of entry-level computers, and mobile operating systems don’t support a desktop mode, desktop PCs will still be popular, and I can see it everyday as 60 to 70% of visits of this very blog are made with Windows, Linux and Mac OS computers. However, that’s not to say mobile and desktop converge is not getting closer, as on the software side, Canonical is working on bring Ubuntu to different form factors and support desktop mode for mobile desktop, and Microsoft is also working on Continuum, and on the hardware side, Asus announced a smartphone with 256 GB storage and 4GB RAM, which is pretty close to the specifications of an entry-level computer these days. Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Edition specifications: SoC – Intel […]

August 28, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Ubuntu 14.04 / 15.04 Tested in Tronsmart Ara X5 Cherry Trail Mini PC

After reviewing Tronsmart Ara X5 with Windows 10, I decided to give a try at Ubuntu. Initially I downloaded Ubuntu 15.04 Desktop 64-bit ISO image, and prepare a bootable USB drive with UNetbootin in my computer running Ubuntu 14.04. But after inserting the USB flash drive into Ara X5, and pressing F7, there was no options to select the drive, so I went to UEFI settings, and the drive was clearly detected, but not available as a bootable device. Finally, having heard one company booted Ubuntu on MeegoPad T04 using Rufus, and Tronsmart confirming Ubuntu 14.04 could boot on Ara X5 using Pendrive Linux USB installer, I decided to try again with Windows tools, and prepared an Ubuntu 15.04 image with Rufus. Great! Pressing F7 would show the USB flash drive, and I could boot Ubuntu 15.04. But unfortunately audio output is not working (only Dummy output), nor is WiFi […]

August 24, 2015June 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 42 Comments

Review of Tronsmart Ara X5 Windows 10 mini PC with Intel Atom X5 Processor

Tronsmart Ara X5 is one of the first mini PC featuring a Cherry Trail processor, more exactly Atom x5-Z8300 quad core processor manufactured with 14nm process. Price and max TDP are similar to Atom Z3735F Bay Trail-T processor found in many mini PCs designed in China, so it will interesting to compare the two platforms. Yesterday, I took some photos of the device, and found out the design was comprised of a baseboard and system-on-module, but today, I’ll focus on testing the device in Windows 10, checking everything works as it should, as well as running some benchmarks, verifying the Windows license status, test H.265 video playback in Kodi, and more. Tronsmart Ara X5 Setup I had not much to do the first time I booted the device, as it was already configured to use English, and the system logged in with user “User” without password. I still double checked […]

August 23, 2015March 13, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 26 Comments

Intel Atom Z3735F vs Atom x5-Z8300 Benchmarks Comparison

I’m in the process of reviewing Tronsmart Ara X5 mini PC with Intel Atom x5-Z8300 “Cherry Trail” processor, and while testing is not complete yet, I’ve already run PCMark8 benchmarks in the Windows 10 device, so I’ve decided to compare the results I got with MeLE PCG03 mini PC running Windows 10 based on an older Z3735F Bay Trail-T processor that’s about the same price, and with the same 2W TDP. This post can be considered a work in progress, as I may update it latter to add more benchmarks results in Windows or/and Linux (Phoronix). Th exact test I ran was “PCMark 8 Home 3.0 Conventional 3.0”. Both system resolutions were set to 1920×1080, however one noticeable difference is that MeLE PCG03 ran Windows 10 Home 32-bit, while Tronsmart Ara X5 ran Windows 10 Home 64-bit. Benchmark MeLE PCG03 Intel Atom Z3735F Bay-Trail @ 1.33 GHz / 1.83 GHz […]

August 22, 2015January 20, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 24 Comments

Tronsmart Ara X5 Cherry Trail mini PC Unboxing and Teardown

Tronsmart Ara X5 is one of the first Intel Atom X5 mini PCs available on the market, and should provide a decent update to the many Intel Atom Z3735F based devices with its Atom x5-Z8300 quad core processor. GeekBuying sent me one sample for review, and today I’ll take a few pictures, and take it apart to find out more about the components used and its thermal design, before doing a review in the next few days. Tronsmart Ara X5 Unboxing I received the fanless computer by DHL in the following package together with a EU to US plug adapter. Ara X5 ships with a 5V/3A power adapter, an HDMI cable, and a user’s manual in English. The front panel has two USB 2.0 host ports, a 3.5mm headset jack, and the power button, while the rear panel features the power jack, a Fast Ethernet RJ45 port, HDMI output, a […]

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

MinnowBoard Turbot SBC Gets an Intel Atom E3826 Dual Core Processor, FCC & CE Certification

MinnowBoard MAX launched las year as a low cost board based on Intel Bay Trail-I single or dual core processor, and was mostly targeting developers of embedded systems and hobbyists, but could not be used by OEMs as it lacked FCC & CE certifications. ADI Engineering designed a MinnowBoard compatible board named MinnowBoard Turbot with a faster Intel Atom E3826 dual core processor, FCC & CE certifications, and various other hardware modifications bringing improved HDMI, a better voltage regulator, and populating several connectors. MinnowBoard Turbot specifications: SoC – Intel Atom E3826 dual-core processor @ 1.46 GHz (7W TDP) System Memory – 2GB DDR3L 1333 MT/s (Soldered) – Options: 1GB, or 4GB DDR3L Storage – 1x Micro SD card slot, 1x SATA2 3Gb/sec, 8 MB SPI Flash for firmware (Tianocore UEFI, Coreboot / SeaBIOS) Video & Audio Output – micro HDMI connector Connectivity – 10/100/1000M Ethernet RJ-45 connector USB – 1x […]

August 19, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Eglobal K8 Z3735F mini PC Includes Up to 2 Ethernet Ports, a COM Port and an IR Receiver (As options)

Most mini PCs based on Intel Atom Z3735F have very similar specifications, but at least one company – Eglobal Technology – is providing some extra options with their mini PC as they offer dual Ethernet (which they call “Router”), a COM port and an IR receiver as options. Eglobal K8 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom Z3735F “Bay Trail” quad core processor @ 1.33 GHz (Bust freq: 1.83 GHz) with Intel HD graphics System Memory – 2 GB DDR3L Storage – 32 GB eMMC + micro SD card slot (up to 128GB) Video Output – HDMI Audio I/F – HDMI, 3.5mm earphone jack, 3.5mm microphone jack Connectivity Standard – 1x 10/100M Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 Option – One extra 10/100M Ethernet port USB – 4x USB 2.0 host Misc – Power Button, optional IR receiver, optional COM port (DB9) Power Supply – 5V/2A Dimensions – 107 x 107 […]