Intel compute stick CS325 review – can you see Netflix?

Intel compute stick CS325 is equipped Intel Compute Stick fulfills all the requirements you’d want for a PC that does real work—in other words, it’s capable of doing more than simple Web browsing and media playback. With more memory and a faster processor, it’s a better choice than Atom-equipped stick PCs in case you need to rebuild a PowerPoint presentation from scratch in your hotel room the night before a big sales call, for example. And you can use it anywhere there’s a display with a free HDMI port. As such, it’s our new Editors’ Choice for stick PCs, replacing the inaugural version of the Compute Stick. We also recommend the Asus Chromebit as an alternative if you need to save money, and really just want to run a Chrome browser on your TV. Discover more in Intel compute stick CS325 review.

Pros & Cons – Intel compute stick CS325 review

PROS

• Solid Wireless network radio – was able to latch onto and keep my 5GHz signal across the house
• Was able to do steam in-home streaming, Xbox game streaming, and PS4 streaming without major issue
• The M3 is an incredible chip considering its low TDP – apps and office programs opened as quick as my quad core skylake desktop
• HD515 iGPU works for some older games @ low. I played Civilization (20-30fps @ 1080P)
• 4MB of RAM is much better than 2 in other Compute stick products for multi-tasking
• 3 USB ports is solid for a device this tiny, plus the micro-SD card slot for storage expansion
• Flawless 4K video playback in YouTube (in Chrome no less!)
• TINY – portable highly useful device that doesn’t feel compromised in power

CONS

• USB-C cable is clunky, thick, and unwieldy, they could have at least packaged it better
• Fan usually runs most of the time – it’s only audible when it sits within a couple feet though
• 64GB of storage still feels cramped; at this price 128GB would have been amazing
• The 64GB Storage runs fairly slow – I checked 150MB R/W and around 20MB R/W for 4K – this is slightly better than a 7200 RPM spinning disk, but nowhere close to SSD speeds
• I did have one BSOD in use, and some issues with the device going to sleep and resuming forcing a windows reset – likely some immaturity in drivers/BIOS

Intel compute stick CS325 specs

Intel compute stick CS325 review

Design

At first glance, the Core m3–equipped Compute Stick looks almost identical to the version with the Atom processor: a black slab shaped like a pack of chewing gum, measuring an identical 0.5 by 1.5 by 4.5 inches (HWD). It looks like a chunky USB memory stick, but the HDMI connector sticks out where the USB plug would be. Most stick PCs share dimensions within a few fractions of an inch, but this Compute Stick is a bit more compact than the Asus Chromebit or VivoStick,

Storage & memory

This Compute Stick has 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC flash storage. That’s double the amount of both compared with the Atom-equipped models. You also get 64-bit Windows 10, which allows the Core m3 model to run 64-bit programs, like some of our multimedia benchmark tests. Most of the stick PCs we’ve seen lately use 32-bit Windows, which has waning support from developers. The extra memory helps when multitasking: I was able to open multiple browser tabs and run several programs simultaneously without any noticeable slowdowns. The extra storage comes in handy when running programs like Adobe Photoshop, for both project files and the program itself. We even had enough space to load multi-gigabyte video files to local storage, something we couldn’t do on the Atom-based Compute Sticks and the other systems based on it, like the Ideacentre Stick 300. 

Ports & connectors

When you first plug it in. It connects directly into your TV or large-screen display using HDMI, but there’s a USB-C port instead of a micro USB jack (the power connector for the Atom-equipped Compute Sticks). In addition, there’s an added pair of USB 3.0 ports embedded in the much larger power adapter. The included USB-C cable carries both power and the signals from the USB 3.0 ports to the Compute Stick. On the system itself, you’ll find another USB 3.0 port and a microSD card reader. It would have been nice to have an additional USB-C port on the stick for newer solid-state drives (SSDs) and the like, since the Compute Stick can’t run without power. That said, it’s incredible having three USB 3.0 ports, since it means you can connect a mouse and a keyboard, and still have a port free for an external drive.

Connectivity

Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi handle wireless communications. As on previous versions, you can use Intel’s Remote Keyboard app on Android or iOS devices to control the Compute Stick. You will need a USB mouse and keyboard to set up wireless devices like a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or Remote Keyboard, but from then on you can control things wirelessly. The Azulle Quantum Access LAN Windows 10 Fanless Mini PC Stick is notable because it’s the only stick PC that includes an Ethernet port, but most users should do fine with (mostly) wireless connectivity.

Intel compute stick CS325 performance review

The advantage of a micro desktop like this is that it doesn’t require any real desk space. The HDMI plug at one end connects directly with a monitor or TV (a simple HDMI extender cable can help if it’s a tough fit), and the PC can live right behind the screen. For anyone traveling to meetings and delivering presentations, it’s easy to just stick this in your pocket, then plug into a TV or monitor in a conference room or hotel, and have your full PC up and running in minutes — no need to download cloud-based files or try to connect to a remote PC. Physically carrying your entire PC around in your pocket also has some real security benefits.

While the first- and second-gen Compute Stick PCs worked fine for basic web surfing and video viewing, they could definitely chug, even under moderate workloads. In the case of the more powerful Core m3 version, it was easy to forget we had a simple stick-based PC hooked up. Performance was far better than that of the Atom Compute Stick we tested just six months ago, and on par with the handful of more expensive Core M-series systems we’ve seen (note that most of the Core M-series PCs we’ve tested use the even faster m5 and m7 CPUs).

There’s also not a ton of storage space for installing apps, such as Photoshop or Microsoft Office — just 64GB, plus a microSD card slot for possible expansion. So you may end up relying on cloud-based tools, such as Pixlr for photo editing, Netflix and other streaming services for video, or Google Docs and Office 365 for productivity. When we tried them out, the Core m3 Compute Stick ran each of those smoothly, as expected.

Compare Intel compute stick vs HP Stream

Editor’s recommendations

• Does Intel NUC Hades Canyon NUC8i7HNK support AAA gaming?
• Intel NUC Canyon comparison, specs and price in 2020
• What is the Intel NUC price in May 2020?
• Intel NUC models comparison 2020
• Intel NUC i9 price, specs and tear down