Tronsmart Ara X5 Intel Windows 10 PC US $124.99 Shipped (~AU $173.22) @ GeekBuying

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Darkscythe on 22/12/2015 - 15:56 geekbuying.com (376 clicks)
Last edited 22/12/2015 - 16:05 by 1 other user

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Hey all,

I've managed to get a US$15 coupon off the Tronsmart Ara X5 - A Windows 10 mini PC featuring the quadcore Intel X5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage (which can be expanded using a micro SD card), dual band WiFi and 10/100 Ethernet.

It performed really well during my testing, including playback of HEVC content, HD Netflix and Steam Home Streaming. Great value given that it's essentially plug and play.

You can read my review over at Home Theatre Life

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  drwau on 22/12/2015 - 18:20

  The Kangaroo would be a better buy than this, just a pity newegg does not yet sell it in oz

  Next cpu version up (x5-z8500), and cheaper a lot cheaper USD99

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  scrimshaw on 22/12/2015 - 18:38

  +2

  They need to make a 4GB version with a more powerful CPU and it'll be perfect for a low-end workstation.

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    Darkscythe on 22/12/2015 - 21:25

    I'm definitely eager to see what the next Intel chip these manufacturers adopt as I'm loving the tiny form factors but you can never have enough power.

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  smurfz on 22/12/2015 - 18:47

  +1

  OP thanks for the post and the review. With cheap shipping (even with DHL), I think this is still a good deal. I will be using it as XBMC box.

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  bargaino on 22/12/2015 - 23:59

  Of the X2 you said "Thanks to its SoC, it’s capable of 4K video output and decoding of 4K H.265/HEVC content" .
  But when I got it, I found the 4k video was rendered at 720p, then upscaled back to 4k output. So in reality, it did not even do 1080p.

  Is this one any different?

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    Darkscythe on 23/12/2015 - 10:33

    Sorry to hear that. That quote is from a news article as I haven't reviewed the X2. The Allwinner H3 in the X2 is capable of 4K output and decoding 4K content according to the specs. The 720p upscale you refer to depends on the app being used. I had the same issue in my Tronsmart Draco H3 review (which uses the same chip). MXPlayer played the video at the correct resolution but Kodi didn't due to the 720p UI lock. I believe a 1080p kernel is required for Kodi. Have a look here for updated firmware for the X2.

    The X5-Z8300 in the Tronsmart Ara X5 can output UHD (aka 4K) at 30Hz whilst 1080p can be output at 60Hz but my tests were done at 1080p as that's what most people use.

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      bargaino on 23/12/2015 - 20:07

      Thanks, I'll check that out.
      I had supposed that if they limited the rendering to 720p it must have been due to hardware limitations somewhere.

      I've just started using the X2, as it's HDMI out did not work with my old TV for some reason.

      A big advantage of the X5 would be the windows version of Netflix (vs Android) - but only one line in the review :-(
      Does dolby 5.1 netflix work?