The Intel Compute Stick (Core m3-6Y30) Review
by Ganesh T S on June 27, 2016 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
- Intel
- Core M
- Skylake
- HDMI Stick
- Compute Stick
Networking and Storage Performance
Networking and storage are two major aspects which influence our experience with any computing system. This section presents results from our evaluation of these aspects in the Intel Core m3-6Y30 Compute Stick. Despite the absence of a bonafide SSD, we had no trouble in runnng the PCMark 8 storage bench where certain common workloads such as loading games and document processing are replayed on the target drive. Results are presented in two forms, one being a benchmark number and the other, a bandwidth figure. We ran the PCMark 8 storage bench on selected PCs and the results are presented below.
The eMMC is obviously not going to be better than the bonafide SSDs in the other PCs, but, given the form factor and the price, it is good that Intel at least put in a good-quality eMMC module in the system. CrystalDiskMark provides some numbers to give further insight into the performance of the storage subsystem.
On the networking side, we restricted ourselves to the evaluation of the WLAN component. Our standard test router is the Netgear R7000 Nighthawk configured with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The router is placed approximately 20 ft. away, separated by a drywall (as in a typical US building). A wired client (Zotac ID89-Plus) is connected to the R7000 and serves as one endpoint for iperf evaluation. The PC under test is made to connect to either the 5 GHz (preferred) or 2.4 GHz SSID and iperf tests are conducted for both TCP and UDP transfers. It is ensured that the PC under test is the only wireless client for the Netgear R7000. We evaluate total throughput for up to 32 simultaneous TCP connections using iperf and present the highest number in the graph below.
In the UDP case, we try to transfer data at the highest rate possible for which we get less than 1% packet loss.
The Intel AC8260 solution is a premium 802.11ac client solution, and it is apt that the Core M Compute Stick adopts it. The WLAN subsystem (including antenna placement) design enables the Core m3-6Y30 Compute Stick to top our Wi-Fi performance charts when compared against systems with a similar platform / form-factor.
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damianrobertjones - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
A combination of a very slow SSD and 2Gb is never a good thing no matter what CPU.Arbie - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
I use Process Lasso on low-end machines like this and it helps a lot. Even a 2010 netbook became reasonably useable with Office etc. Try the free version.mkozakewich - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
2 GB was generally enough. Even when there was plenty of free RAM, though, the Atom processor was barely able to load heavy web pages. Chrome in particular seemed to run sluggish (especially on infinitely scrolling pages, like Tumblr).BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Chrome is burdened more than other web browsers because the system is not only busy logging and reporting user activity to Microsoft, but also doing the same with browser activity to Google plus the site you're surfing is usually keeping an eye on your usage too. The double/triple data mining penalty is pretty hard on a low-power chip like the Atom. Firefox with a noscript (as long as you don't mind breaking a lot of website functionality and then having to pick through individual blocked script sources to find the right ones to restore those functions) usually will vastly improve web performance on an Atom CPU.silverblue - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
We're using a few of the Cherry Trail sticks (STK1AW32SC) for simple slideshow-style screens at work; their footprint is miniscule compared to the laptops we used to have, meaning we can hide them away. The m3 would be overkill in this case, plus I can get three of the Atom models for the same price which work just fine.Pissedoffyouth - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
How is the Linux support for these sticks?nfriedly - Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - link
Excellent in my experience. Ubuntu 16.04 works perfectly out of the box, and 14.04 mostly works (no wifi drivers, though).Intel sells a m5 version with no OS, although it's more expensive honestly not much faster than the m3 version with windows.
Pissedoffyouth - Wednesday, June 29, 2016 - link
CheersCaedenV - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
I am pretty excited that these are getting better... but who are these supposed to be marketed to exactly? The specs aren't quite there for an office or school machine (but close! just ditch the fan and give a bit more onboard storage). For the HTPC market (is that really a market outside of a few video enthusiasts?) it is just about right on specs, but for the price there are far better options if you don't mind a slightly larger form factor.If intel wants to sell gobs and gobs of computers then they really need to do the following:
Quad Core CPU (or dual with HT), m series is actuially fine, but an i3 would be better
8GB of RAM
128GB solid state storage (SSD or even eMMC)
GPU (and ports) capable of 2 1080p displays, and hardware acceleration for newest video codecs (HEVC and VP9/AV1)
Fanless
Headphone jack (seriously, have a bunch of NUCs without a jack... such a pain!)
Secure-able (so they don't walk off when plugged into the back of a monitor)
Win10 Pro preloaded
Compute Stick or NUC form factor
3 year warranty
$400 or less
Schools and businesses would buy these up in droves! NUCs are almost there, but they tend to have fans, and system builders typically exceed the $400 price point once configured with RAM and SSD; business could build it themselves for less, but they are in the business of doing business instead of building their own custom PCs. Maybe another year or two and we will see this happen?
tipoo - Monday, June 27, 2016 - link
In Core Ms ~5W power envelope, I suspect most people would be better on a dual, even if they think they want a quad.In such low power spaces a quad just means each core is running at a significantly reduced clock over a dual. It's the same reason why there was that 28W quad which no manufacturer picked, as the dual cores were faster 90% of the time. Especially for, you know, most people getting a 28W CPU, let alone those getting a 5W one.