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Thinking of buying an Android mini PC

  • 01-05-2013 11:40am
    #1
    Rock Paper Scissors
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭


    Hey guys,

    Im considering buying an Andriod mini PC and have some questions for you guys who are up to date on these devices.

    I'm currently looking at the MK808, MK808b, MK809II, MK809III

    This is my first purchase of an Android mini PC so I dont really want to spend over €50

    I have some questions and am hoping for some replies from someone who has experience with these devices:

    1) Which of the 3 devices above would be the best in terms of value for money and performance in your opinion? Or do you know of a different device which is better than the 3 I listed and under €50?

    2) I've read online that wifi performance from these device can be horrific, have the wifi issues be addressed via firmware updates?

    3) Will any of the 3 devices above successfully run XBMC?

    4) Is it possible to install icefilms, 1channel, and other media streaming plugins on these devices? I'd also like to have 3 player RTE player etc.

    5) where is the cheapest place to buy these mini PC's?

    6) Are these devices easy to update?

    7) Is it possible to use these devices on a non HD TV via some sort of HDMI to scart adapter (Would be nice to take it on holidays when I go away)

    8) Do any of these devices have ethernet an ethernet connection or are they all just wifi enabled?

    Sorry about all the questions guys

    Hope you guys can shed some light

    Thanks in advance

    Cheers

    RPS


Comments

  • #2
    mcmoustache
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,237 ✭✭✭mcmoustache


    1) Which of the 3 devices above would be the best in terms of value for money and performance in your opinion? Or do you know of a different device which is better than the 3 I listed and under €50?

    I have an MK809II. It's got two cores and 1GB of RAM. The MK809III has 4 cores and 2GB RAM so the MK809II should drop a bit in price over the next few months. The MK808B looks similar the MK809II in terms of specs. It's quit hard to choose between them tbh. I'm happy with mine, if that's any help/


    2) I've read online that wifi performance from these device can be horrific, have the wifi issues be addressed via firmware updates?

    I don't get as many bars as my tablet when I'm in the bedroom with my router in the living room but I have no issues streaming netflix or downloading large files. I think that the issue is the antenna size but you could probably do some tweaking with this app.

    3) Will any of the 3 devices above successfully run XBMC?

    All should. I installed it on my machine but most of the plugins don't work. I think it might be to do with region-blocking. The plugins for web content work fine.

    4) Is it possible to install icefilms, 1channel, and other media streaming plugins on these devices? I'd also like to have 3 player RTE player etc.

    If you run finless Rom, flash is already installed and you can run these. I use 1channel myself.

    5) where is the cheapest place to buy these mini PC's?

    Not sure. I picked up one from this guy and it included the remote. He installed finlessrom on it for me and delivered within two days of payment. The whole lot was 100 (the remote is pricey enough). I was in a hurry and didn't fancy international shipping so I was happy with that but you could definitely source these things more cheaply online.

    6) Are these devices easy to update?

    I presume so. If you have plain vanilla android on it, it can update over wifi. I can't think of any reason for hardware manufacturers to make it difficult to flash these things either so I'd imagine you just plug it into your PC via usb and bob's your uncle.

    7) Is it possible to use these devices on a non HD TV via some sort of HDMI to scart adapter (Would be nice to take it on holidays when I go away)

    I don't know but googling "hdmi to scart" turned up loads of results.

    8) Do any of these devices have ethernet an ethernet connection or are they all just wifi enabled?

    Mine is just wifi and I'd imagine that the others are the same. I think their size is the problem there. You can use an ethernet to USB adapter though, I'd say.


    I would definitely recommend picking up one of them. I watch loads of streamed media on mine and I also play console games (NES, SNES, MS, MD, N64) using an XBOX controller via USB.

    Having access to all the streaming content on a tv alone made it worth it. I had to pick up a 4-port USB hub so that I could connect more peripherals to it but those are cheap. You can also connect a PC keyboard and mouse if you like as well.

    If you have anymore questions or want anything clarified, let me know and I'll try to help.


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