I kinda feel all mini pc's like this should have a Ryzen APU, just better for media and maybe some old Pc games.

@Brain_pocketer

3 жыл бұрын

What is an APU?

@Joshua_N-A

3 жыл бұрын

@@Brain_pocketer google it

@Joshua_N-A

3 жыл бұрын

Ryzen 5 3400G Vega 11.

@kirankamat9311

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah ur extremely right

@kirankamat9311

3 жыл бұрын

Lmao with that u can almost play all ESPORT games on 1080P HAHAAAA

That was a totally cool review. I never knew such high performance systems existed in such small form factors.

@hunam3876

3 жыл бұрын

Check out GPD Win palmtops.

@SouthBayLA1310

3 жыл бұрын

@@hunam3876 palmtops?

@bruhxy07

3 жыл бұрын

@@SouthBayLA1310 palmtops because you play it on your palm

Ouya: Who are you? LarkBox: I'm you, but better

@nargalda773

3 жыл бұрын

actually ouya was, in its time, pretty good device, with lots of possibilities to future, where it fail i think, was when they sell it to razer, who kills it, and ofc if they leave it as open platform to all android apps, not only running them from some ouya server, larkbox is completely different story, as it IS just pocket pc, nothing more

@ruxcooking

3 жыл бұрын

Nah. Ouya the device was cool and I'll always defend it. But Ouya the company failed spectacularly way before they sold.

@mrbisshie

3 жыл бұрын

Ouya as a console form factor wise was pretty cool. I liked the idea of a console in such a small form factor. Everything else was god awful, esp that dog shit controller. Too bad the company was fucking awful. I don't even know why Razer bought them. And no, I didn't back them, nor did I buy the console.

@BigGod7ODSubscribeBecauseYes

3 жыл бұрын

Ouya I haven’t heard that name in many years.

@leonidas14775

3 жыл бұрын

Ouya, for much cheaper used if you just want something small to web browse and play emulators on the TV. It even has an ethernet jack

I've been using the original at home as a quick web search, type out emails PC. The fan constantly goes full bore and then shuts off over and over. It didn't do that at first. It's an annoying little fan too. How's your experience with that?

@Mosestylez

3 жыл бұрын

Daam it might be because it's overheating? That's one of the reasons i didn't buy it, because i was afraid it might overheat since its sooo small

@shawnpepin7890

3 жыл бұрын

Timmy Timmy Timmy, I watch your videos, and you should know that sounds like a heat failure... clean it out and repaste it

@zorintoto1167

3 жыл бұрын

I hate that style of cooling it gets annoying fast

@wing0zero

3 жыл бұрын

If it has a copper contact and the cooler is direct to the die you could brave liquid metal, that would drop temps 10c + vs paste.

@nargalda773

3 жыл бұрын

@@wing0zero already tested, not helping

Thanks For the review! :) I just bought one on amazon for £159! Looking forward to it arriving tomorrow.

Wow Thank You. This video just introduced me to my next pc. I needed something ultra portable like this.

This looks perfect for what I need. Barely use a PC and my laptop is about to crap the bed, and this fits the bill for a usable computer.

Thanks fo the review, ETA! I finally got my Larkbox configured to my taste and I see a new one has come out. I'm very pleased with how my unit handles emulation via LaunchBox, and will pass on the new model. 👍🏼👍🏼

If they make an AMD version, I'll be all over it.

@Droogie128

3 жыл бұрын

@Joeseph Dallaire that's an sbc, and like 8x the size of this. I want something more like this thing.

@kaydog890

3 жыл бұрын

Fan girl.

@Droogie128

3 жыл бұрын

@@kaydog890 fangirl how? An AMD APU would objectively be more powerful. Especially in graphical performance.

@amirpourghoureiyan1637

3 жыл бұрын

Thermal constraints keep higher spec'd chips from getting to low power devices like this. To meet the limited power and thermal budget of a device like the Larkbox, it would have to be either an old chip remade with the 7nm process or an existing chip that's lower frequency and power (this will pretty much kill any performance it had). AMD haven't had the years and investment Intel have had in order to realise these ultra-low power chips - nothing's impossible, but it'll be a while before AMD gets to this point with x86 processors.

@Droogie128

3 жыл бұрын

@@amirpourghoureiyan1637 I'm well aware of the constraints. However, AMD makes low power cpu's, as well. They'll have far more powerful graphics, and I'd greatly prefer one based on that is all I'm saying. I'm really excited to see what kind of devices like this we get after Nvidia buys ARM.

They just released the Larkbox Super. Hopefully you'll be able to test that one. Thank you for keeping us updated on all these gadgets.

Fun fact if your actually in the beta for minecraft windows 10 your using a different render engine called render dragon which is probably why it's mostly 60fps most of the time the non beta version of bedrock isn't using render dragon yet

I lol when I remember a sketch on UK TV The Two Ronnies where he pull`s out a mini unit that does everything, chap say I`LL HAVE IT as he turns to exit the shop the owner say`s........ hold on sir ........you`ll need the battery lifting a car battery onto the desk lmao!

What we are really needing now is a really good and portable display technology, like a foldable monitor or something like that. 😉

@Onion_Knights

3 жыл бұрын

There are alot of portable monitors, some even have 4k resolution and touch screen

@kaydog890

3 жыл бұрын

You sir, yes you, are a freaking genius! Imagine having a portable computer, with a screen ! Oh wait.... notebooks/laptops have been around long before you were born. They even folded in half all the way back in the mid 80s! Such an innovation. Maybe you’re next idea will the be the million dollar one, eh.

@estudiordl

3 жыл бұрын

@@kaydog890 sarcasm much? Laptops are great but with the increase on this SBC options a nice really portable option would be nice. 🤷

Would love to see your dolphin and ppsspp settings! You have both running very smooth

@invisiblehoodie7634

3 жыл бұрын

i second this

@invisiblehoodie7634

3 жыл бұрын

Ppsspp does well without tinkering with dolphin I just set the rendering to native and it runs smooth as butter

EDIT: Checking into things a bit and it seems most devices I'd have interest in require too much power so I'll likely end up with the RPi 8GB model and check some of your other videos on setting up things, thanks for the interesting videos. Please make a video with this and your Nexdock Touch and see how that works out as a whole, touch, and battery ideally having some of the focus beyond hooking it up and making it work. Thanks! Also, since you own (or owned) both if you still have it can you put this up against the ODYSSEY - X86J4105864 please? Love to see the performance difference, temps, power draw, and how much battery each get on the Nexdock if possible. Currently, I use my phone with my NexDock but am looking into a tiny PC option, been leaning towards the Odyssey but this is smaller and maybe(probably) better in storage onboard and CPU. I just wish it had an M.2 slot I could toss my spare Samsung 950 into like the Odyssey. I THINK I'd be willing to buy a 120GB SSD for this and forget the Odyssey but your thoughts and results could help make that decision much easier. Thanks (again)!

The Pro is not currently available on Amazon. The original is available.

considering the device specs, the system performance is impressive.

@_Digitalguy

3 жыл бұрын

and its fan noise is imrpessively annoying

@_Digitalguy

3 жыл бұрын

@Jakakak Kakskssns not much to be honest

Thats still pretty impressive for a small Computer it's almost like a computer you can take go have in your pocket for travel I do think in sometime in the future we will see more mini pc.

I’d like to see a comparison between the Larkbox and GMK Nucbox

@condorX2

3 жыл бұрын

Why do people still into mini pc when a used flagship phone with snapdragon 850+ can do better with $80+ price range?

@52fordf1

3 жыл бұрын

@@condorX2 when some of the programs I run require x86, windows and a very small footprint this thing is perfect.

@condorX2

3 жыл бұрын

@@52fordf1 which program that isn't on the play store? I'm sure there is an alternative version out there. I type all my word processing on my phone and send it to my wireless printer. I don't even have to leave my bed.

@52fordf1

3 жыл бұрын

@@condorX2 lightburn. It’s a program for my laser engraver. Hence the need also for small footprint as its in its own cabinet also.

KZread has suggested me your channel, I liked the review overall, but I have a small suggestion: When testing youtube please use fullscreen, as in my experience the fullscreen lags in some of those low spec PCs.

A core m3 in that thing would be great if its possible.

@nargalda773

3 жыл бұрын

i think late panda have this cpu, for 200usd more

@darshan5726

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah. J4000 series have atom processors kinda awful performance for power. icelake/zen2 apu would out perform as well as far efficient at lower frequency.

@AsianFlex

3 жыл бұрын

It would be great. They should try an i5 in it

@camelx_

3 жыл бұрын

@@darshan5726 intel celeron J and intel atom are different series of cpu

@darshan5726

3 жыл бұрын

@@camelx_ both uses same core btw which is latest goldmont plus architecture en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldmont_Plus

Jeeeeez!! Checked out this on Amazon, one minute, plenty there... Next minute -POOF!!- gone!! At least looking this up helped me picked out a new laptop ;)

30 fps in overwatch. That is better than I expected. Nice.

I'd love to see one of these with a thunderbolt 3 slot so, if anyone theoretically wants to, they can connect an external GPU for some better performance.

@royalrhythm2471

2 жыл бұрын

Bad idea, that celeron would bottleneck the hell out of that gpu and its already bottlenecked by that thunderbolt slot 😭

Does anybody remember this PS2 game: It had an angled overhead view. U play as people and u get powerups and one of the people turned into a black panther as his/her powerup. It was a fighting game. 4 players, I believe. I believe it was a Japanese game but it was english dubbed.

@Ginias12

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like Power Stone 1 or 2

@VegitoBlackityBlack

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ginias12 the same type of camera angle but a different game. One of the stages I remember was you being outside of a mansion or something and there's like a circular water fountain type of thing where you would normally throw coins into for making a wish. It was gray concrete and a night time stage.

@chane2k1

3 жыл бұрын

The Bouncer...? It was a 3D brawler made by Square and one of the characters could turn into a panther.

@VegitoBlackityBlack

3 жыл бұрын

@@chane2k1 WHAT'S YOUR CASHAPP??? I BEEN TRYING TO FIND THIS GAME FOR YEARS AND YOU GOT IT ON THE FIRST GUESS!!!!!

@chane2k1

3 жыл бұрын

@@VegitoBlackityBlack lol, glad i could help.

Would this be a better option then a Raspberry Pi 4 for emulation?

Nice piece of kit. Make a nice little computer for anyone doing normal usage. Thanks again for showing this off for us all.

Thanks for the review! I'd be interested to seeing how it performs with game cloud services such as Xbox, PS Now and Stadia. Will you test it on this device?

What a significant upgrade, not only for the more horsepower CPU, but also the charger! The only cons is that, why they can't give it an 8GB RAM? 🙄

That's so tiny and powerful for its size! That would do me for everything! Sadly it's way out of my budget though. Maybe one day.

@yetyote4841

3 жыл бұрын

Then what is your one there’s one for around a 100 now a days

The power adapter is proprietary. This information is not explicitly stated. Just be aware if you were thinking of using a different power supply. Because of size, it would easy to use the apple usb-c out of convenience, but won't work. If you were using it as a portable desktop computer.

I'd still go with a refurbished USFF office PC instead personally. Prices are very similar.

@ETAPRIME Would you be able to run old school games like Fallout2, New Vegas, or even something a bit newer like Magic The Gathering Arena? Great review!! its could be my new "Gamecube"

@josieart1781

3 жыл бұрын

yeah exactly how about elder scrolls? morrowind, oblivion, skyrim?? i saw skyrim icon in the screen so i wonder if ETA tested it? but didn't show any???

I'd like to see some Linux action on that. I was looking far and long for something like this.

There should be such type of SBC with RYZEN processor . Would be revolutionary

Could you open it in the next videos? That would make it complete. Want to see inside. Nice reviews!

Really impressive, great for 2D platforming gaming / puzzle games that you could play on your tv with.

Thank you for another great video. I would love to see a review of the bigger Chuwi Herobox mini PC because I dont know if its beefier than the Larkbox and its only $20 more.

I find myself NEEDING one of these now. Thanks ETA Prime

@kyles8524

3 жыл бұрын

get an alienware alpha r1 for like 100 bucks more, its way more capable.Its gpu is the gtx 860m which has the identical specs to the gtx 750ti

@TheXOMBIE13

3 жыл бұрын

@@kyles8524 I'll look into it thanks

@kyles8524

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheXOMBIE13 yeah and it also has a desktop processor that you can change out.You can get the alienware alpha r1 with 4th gen a dual core i3 which is actually much stronger than this celeron even though its oly dual core for about 200 bucks.you can also in the future put an i7-4790k in it when the price of it goes down and it really makes it a beast

Will wait for the new CPU's to be integrated since they are about MX230 perf level with the new Intel Iris plus iGPU

i got mine for cheaper discounted rate, NOT from Indiegogo. I'm very lucky I didn't get the old version because it was defective and many people are complaining about the display not working.

Great video. Your voice reminds me of the actor that plays Michael J. Fox's dad in Teen Wolf movie...you probably have heard that many times.

I don’t think you specifically said whether this updated unit with the J4125 chip handles PS2 better than the prior one. Actually, in your review of that unit you thought the PS2 support was spotty, even though it looked great to me... Also, I wonder if running Batocera would be advisable on these LarkBoxes? Some of the Amazon reviews claim that the fan only operates if you stick with the factory-installed Win10. Even upgrading will force you to spend time searching for drivers in forums... :(

Very well done and extremely informative, knowledgeable review. Thank you!

Great review!!! will for sure keep this in mind !!!

I'd like to see you do a review of installing Linux on this or similar mini-PC's.

Can't wait for a more detailed emulation test.

Can't wait to see emulation on this

ETA PRIME: You see this PC handles 4K video. Me watching with slow internet at 144p: Eeehm! Ok!

It's not bad considering its portable size. It just that compared to a mac book mini or any other portable laptops it needs a plug in screen and mouse.

This is the best Larkbox review on youtube. I want to run this 24*7 as a small server. Any Idea about the power consumption?

I considered this but decided to go with an i3 8109u intel NUC instead, as it was only another £40 excluding storage (which I already had). I think it's worthwhile paying a little more given the significantly better cpu and gpu performance you get with the i3.

I'd like to see some Sega Saturn! Also a comparison with the M1K Mini PC Intel J4125.

wish to see a Linux Distro like #Manjaro on this and ps2 performence

@luluthecat1570

3 жыл бұрын

İts already snappy on Windows so you dont really need to see, it would be snappy on manjaro too

@luluthecat1570

3 жыл бұрын

@Excuse me Wth what is parabola

Great video. I would love to see you try running PS2 emulation on it, specially when it runs PSP @ 3X.

I love this little thing aside from the fan constantly up and down. But is there anything better out now? even for a bit more money? I just love the SBC windows builds.. And this one is capable. Just looking for a work PC like this. All I do is lookup parts in breakdowns so it doesn't need to be a powerhouse. I just hate this fan. I wish it would just stay on..

I'm wondering how he makes all these videos in one day I like this tbh.

great to see Chuwi brand keep going with fresh tech.. nice video Prime

the only SERIOUS issue regarding the FAN SPEED/NOISE.... TERRIBLE!!!!

I backed the non pro version... Learned my lesson in backing computer manufacturers! Literally received a month ago...Never doing that again.

Such a good mini pc im actually thinking of getting it thank you for doing this review it helped me find a good pc

Why is it that nobody who presents this never say WHICH ssd to get. There are 3 versions: nvme, pci, and sata... I'm sure it won't work with all of these; and I'm reluctant to end up with the wrong one; costing me time and money.

I like the slightly larger ones that can take a 2.5 inch hard drive. Plop in a 2tb HDD for all your movies and shows and you have a perfect media box.

This would make an awesome Thin client for Shadow, Parsec, Moonlight etc.

Maybe ETA Prime can do a video about this heating problem and tries different solutions , i'm thinking of printing a new top and putting a new cooling solution and a noctua fan

I'd like to see you attempt some PS2 games on this... I've always had a bit of a problem with that system.

Would there be any benefit of the NucBox' extra 2GB of RAM for emulation? Besides that (and slightly faster wifi on the Nuc) these now seem identical, and I think the LarkBox looks prettier :). Also nice you don't have to tear off the rubber feet to get to the internals. Would be interested to hear if there are other reasons to prefer one over the other (hardware / build quality / thermals).

I would love to see how you set something like this up as a dedicated HTPC with multiple HDD's, specific interface for. HTPC and how to make it run streaming apps. Not just through a web browser.

@LiLBitsDK

3 жыл бұрын

multiple HDD's = usb hub + usb drive... ya don't need a video for that and there are several mediacenter software packages out there doing what ya want already ;-)

Bro your grind is mind blowing.

I got the Larkbox Pro a few days ago. Installed an M2 SSD and reinstalled a fresh Windows 10 (not the one that came with the Larkbox but a new license). 4k playback doesn't work anymore. It's probably a driver issue, but Chuwi doesn't offer any drivers for the device afaik. Also tried Ubuntu, it's the same, the box freezes after a few seconds when I try to play 4k videos. I found a Windows 10 image with the original version in the Chuwi message boards, will try that next. I really wish they would just offer all the drivers for download for a clean install of Win 10.

@ziggy8757

3 жыл бұрын

just got one larkbox pro and i had this issue, youtube videos drop frames like crazy in any browser. i tried, chromium edge, chrome, firefox and in all of them get dropped frames to the point of being unwatchable. updated windows, graphics drivers, disabled hardware acceleration and its still terrible. did you have the same problems with the device? any thoughts on how to solve this

@sm0ki

3 жыл бұрын

@@ziggy8757 Yes, I have the exact same problems. I downloaded the recovery version of Win 10 and re-installed everything on an m2 ssd. Also updated all the drivers. 4k videos are watchable only for a few minutes, then I get a blue screen of death or Windows just freezes. This even happens with 1080p-videos sometimes. I think the device is overheating. I built a contraption out of two 80mm-fans, with the Larkbox Pro in between. This way, it takes a little longer for the system to crash. On the other hand, a stress test with Prime95 didn't crash the system. I should have known better, an Intel processor in such a small form factor can't be cooled adequately.

@ziggy8757

3 жыл бұрын

@@sm0ki well you are being lucky, you can still play 4k video. In my case, i cant even run 720p without dropping frames like crazy. i suspect it has to be graphics drivers issues, theres no reason this machine cant handle at least 1080p videos from youtube in my opinion. In case you find out a solution let me know, this issues are driving me crazy...lol

pretty insane that my laptop with a screen and keyboard backlight and i5 and 940mx runs at less than 20 watts

@zorintoto1167

3 жыл бұрын

Is that at idle ? Are you using a wattometer ?

@aryantiwari1945

3 жыл бұрын

@@zorintoto1167 battery discharge rate.

@SerjStar

3 жыл бұрын

@@aryantiwari1945 mine is around 60 watts with rtx 2070mq and i7 10750h on battery but around 160on wall

@zorintoto1167

3 жыл бұрын

@@aryantiwari1945 when playing a game or doing nothing . Because 20 watts doing nothing is possible but full load with those specs are 60+ watts

@aryantiwari1945

3 жыл бұрын

@@zorintoto1167 yeah. But if I run it on igpu with turbo boost disabled, discharge rate while gaming with 70percent brightness is 12 watts Performance is much better than the celeron too.

Considering the cost of a good case, good cooler, the 4gig or higher model cost, power supply, etc..etc...of a Pi4 setup costing easily over a 100...id much rather get this for 170 with windows 10 license already, and use launchbox.

I'd like to see if these little builds could handle some old-school arcade games that I see leaked around. I'm curious if they're worth it for a home arcade build

Thanks for the nice review, you're words made me buy one :)

I'd love to see you testing some MS-DOS emulation in DOSbox, it can be very demanding on these low-end CPU's.

ETA can you please try to test Need For Speed Underground 2 on dolphin in the future?

Solid review thanks as always for finding these little gems

Fantastic Review! Thank you very much, +ETA PRIME ! This seems to be the optimal choice for an micro PC with Windows on it! I wonder if this package is also available as an low cost notebook/ netbook, which would broaden the use case a lot! That makes this LarkBox the best micro PC for Windows, the nVidia Shield the best android TV for under 200 bucks and chromecast stick 2020 an optimal choice for under 80 bucks. For me the XBox One S All Digital for around 100 bucks (prime day last year) is also an excellent choice for an media player with digital audio out (toslink) ans also gaming capabilities. Or did I forget some SBC with 4K playback on android/ Windows? Because that would also be nice: a single board as fast as this to which I could 3D print a case for and install android on it.

Considering how much I've spent on peripherals and extras for the likes of my Pi4 8gb.. this was a no-brainier for the price I just picked this up for in UK.... Cheers ETA.. looking forward to taring this down and testing linux performance on it.

I was wondering if this could handle streaming the Xbox App via OBS for overlay and broadcasting effects.

I think the Amazon listing and price you cited might be the old J4115 version Larkbox. I can't find anyone selling the Pro on there yet.

I'm sitting at a maxed out PC, yet I want this little guy and install aseprite and godot and do 2D dev stuff. Small cute stuff and pixel-art just goes hand-in-hand.

It will run Dolphin, youv will need to install visual c++, just bought one for my daughter so she can play gamecube games. This is replacing a Pi4b that she uses for web. The Larkbox Pro is amazing for its size. Waiting on the M.2 256gb ssd I ordered for storage of roms, and her pictures. Now, what to use the Raspberry Pi4B 8gb model....hmmm...Retropie for my grandson maybe. Running Twister os at the moment on the pi. Thanks for the review ETAPRIME.

To run Mame...Nes..Snes, and other small end emulators on Big Box, this should run fine right?

I assume it does well with Office Applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, QuickBooks ect.?

Gonna grab this for Dolphin emulation. Love the size. I'll attach to back of a monitor. Thx

Hi. Loving the videos!!! Im looking for a small pc that has the power to run ps3 emulation and some of the high end ps3 games. Any suggestions? Thanks

Is this tiny PC suitable for comfortable usage of the Sinden Lightguns? I mean not only for NES or PSX games, but for the modern MAME games like Time Crysis 5?

I love the altered beast intro soundtrack eta

When the power suppy is bigger than your whole 4k ready PC. OMG 🤤

Just found your great Video today, because I am thinking of getting a Mini-PC to add to my TV. Is this still the best choice for around 200 in your opinion? :) Maybe you had a go at the NiPoGi 8GB DDR4 128GB M.2 SSD Celeron J4125 as well?

Waiting for these manufacturers to start using AMD APU's more often for these types of mini pcs not just laptops. Hope AMD still makes them seeing how they don't make desktop versions

That thing is way more powerful then I would have though for its size.

As soon as you said 2.7 on all cores that sounded like you forgot that this was a low power cpu without any power headroom for sustained loads. It s probably able to hit a short burst of 2.7 on one core but not on all four cores. This is not a Xeon. Plus these Celerons have integrated auto-throttle function enabled, which cant be disabled.

I would love to see you test running this as a plex server with both videos and games with the new arcade.

Ive been watching all your videos for the past couple weeks researching an Emulator PC build - but wanted to know if this would run any PS3 games? All I am going to do is use something like this as a dedicated emulator rig - i have a good laptop / media hub for main living room and office - this is just a little side project ive been kinda Jonesing for.

What happened to the minidesk x300 review?

I wonder why they didn't go with the A10-7800 Kaveri APU and 32GB of DDR3 RAM, I am running the 10-7800 Kaveri and I find it perfect.

I noticed Skyrim installed. Why no footage? Performance that poor? I'd imagine the SE version wouldn't run well but the Vanilla OG should be playable @ 720p

Last Chuwi I bought came with viruses pre-installed from the factory O.O