Following the comments I’ve read, many ask for more RAM in their mini PCs, and one even tried to make his own with 2 GB RAM. So I’m glad to say that a Rockchip RK3066 based mini PC is now available with 2GB RAM, and is called S21H.
The rest of the specs are pretty standard and similar to MK809 II / MK802 IIIs:
- SoC – Rockchip RK3066 dual-core Cortex-A9
- System Memory – 2GB DDR3
- Storage – 8GB Nand Flash, microSD slot (up to 16GB???)
- Connectivity:
- WiFi – 802.11b/g/n
- Built-in Bluetooth
- Video Output – HDMI
- Video Codec – M-JPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, Xvid, RealVideo, VP6, Sorenson Spark support
- USB – 1x USB 2.0 Host, 1x microUSB OTG port.
- Power Supply – 5V/2A
S21H comes with an HDMI cable, a USB cable, a power adapter, and a (probably useless) user manual.
I’ve found the device on Aliexpress for $70.10 (You can get $5 discount with “mainagame5” coupon), and aHappydeal for $66 where you may get 8% discount with “love2012” coupon.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Excellent, now quadcore and 100% linux compatibility 😉
The same store also has some similar models called S18C – it looks like the ‘set top box’ style one has 2gb RAM, two full size USB ports & ethernet:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Android-TV-Box/813658_212231257.html
There are some inconsistent descriptions there (eg how much RAM does the stick style S18C have?) so probably best to double check…
At the end i had bought a nexus 7 as tablet, but i am still waiting for a mini pc melee A1000 style that change my computer for a linux quadcore with at least 2Gb of RAM and sata drive to put 1 ssd.
Please that anybody hear me. I am the only one that want 1 Arm pc?
it have FAKE JB(4.1.*) as have ALL Rockchip based product (kernel 3.0.* from ICS instead 3.1.* -> no Butter & so on)
WTh, cool. Now just something box style with composite output and a good rom and no overheating. RPi looks so out of date in terms of spec but still so ahead in terms of longevity because of the community support.
I wonder how it works with XBMC on android.
@pepe
The ARMBRIX board is dual core but Cortex A15, so it should faster to the performance of a quad core A9, except when multiple cores can effectively be used. It also comes with 2GB RAM and a SATA port. If you need a case that’s a problem though.
@Orlean
For XBMC it should be the same as other RK3066 devices.
Sounds like ARMBRIX Zero / ArndaleBoard. Except dual core Exynos 5 (A15 at 1.7GHz) is faster than quad core Tegra 3 (A9 at 1.4 GHz): http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=samsung_exynos5_dual&num=3
While Samsung Chromebook XE303C12 could also be used with external HDMI display, keybord, mice, USB to Ethernet adapter, ..
@NineJa
See the box-style S18C mentioned above. (No composite though…)
@doc. Bormental
Jelly Bean is running on Linux kernel 3.0.31, at least it was the case at the time of the first release in June/July.
I wonder if this uses the Mediatek wifi or the RK903…. I’m not a big fan of either of those chipsets right now. The Mediatek has no leaked source code yet, and the RK903 has a max speed of 65mbps. The S21H looks very similar to the iMito MX1 with the Mediatek wifi. As you probably know, the iMito MX1 is based on the original UG802. That means no reset button, and 1.2GHz maximum speed(no heatsink!) Now that at least one quad core stick is out it should only be a matter of time before we see more. I’m hoping… Read more »
@onebir
Hey, thanks. Didn’t catch that stb version earlier. Yeah, no av output is a prob for me since I only have an old CRT tv.
How is this proc in terms of heat and not hanging? Will the double ram improve performance substantially over current 1gb models with the same perf?
The stick version design is pretty nice, probably the nicest I’ve seen coming from a china odm
@NineJa Good to see someone else who isn’t obsessed with having the latest TV 🙂 (I didn’t know what HDMI was until a few months ago! :p) Unfortunately, I don’t think (?) any of the Android dongles have composite output. Unless your tv happens to have DVI you’re stuck with a $30-40 HDMI-> composite converter. A small flatscreen TV might only be twice the price of one of those (esp secondhand?) I’m also curious to know if 2gb ram gives much performance boost. Android apps I’ve used don’t seem to use so much memory, so perhaps not so important unless… Read more »
@deadhp1
Is the 65 Mbps limit really an issue on those sticks?
The best performance I’ve ever had was 15~20 Mbps, about 4 meters from the router.
@onebir
There is an Amlogic single core dongle with analog AV-out:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Brand-New-MK803-Android4-0-Mini-PC-Cortex-A9-1GHz-WIFI-HD-Google-TV-Box-Dongle/688287521.html
Recently came across this http://www.pandawill.com/t004-mini-android-pc-android-tv-box-android-40-a13-4gb-hdmi-tf-card-p70777.html on pandawill.
It claims to be an Allwinner A13 based “TV dongle” with *1GB* RAM, *1080p @60Hz HDMI* output.
As far as I can tell, the Allwinner A13 cannot support > 512MB RAM, neither does it have HDMI out nor can it do over 800×600 resolution.
Can anyone more knowledgeable than me in this matters help me tell if they are for real?
@Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)
65 Mbps raw wifi speed equals to about 3 MB/s transfer speeds and that isn’t enough for HD video streaming.
Using 150mbps raw wifi speed isn’t yet enough for highest bitrate HD video streaming.
Definitively, a 300mbps wifi is needed and:
a. No neighbours in the 2.4Ghz wifi range so you can use a 40Mhz channel (the 2.4Ghz band is 70Mhz wide and very populated)
b. A 5Ghz wifi router and dongle
@DeepSpace
I understand this (although I haven’t really seen videos with bitrate greater than 40 Mbps), but the problem is that even if you use a 802.11n 150/300Mbps Wi-Fi chipset in one of those sticks, you’ll still get up to 20 Mbps bitrate. The only way to play high bitrate videos smoothly is via an Ethernet interface.
@eebrah
Yep, I doubt it can be A13 (no HDMI), but maybe it’s based on A10s.
@Gabe
@eebrah
I didn’t know about those. I’d assumed the SOCs would need extra circuitry to output composite video, but apparently not (much?). NineJa’s wish may be fulfilled 🙂
@onebir As long as we are talking about wishes 😉 Quad Core – 2GB – made by someone reputable like Genia – dual boot (linux/android) AND A/V out. Yay. But yeah, seriously, there seem to be some boxes available. I was thinking of the GeniaTech ATV1600 (MyGica/EnjoyTV) but just as I was about to reach a decision these dudes went and came out with a 2GB soc. The $89 Hardkernal ODroid U2 looks mighty fine too, until I start adding cost of adaptor cables wifi etc (and it doesnt have AV or a full case). I wish some Chinese manu… Read more »
@NineJa
I think the next-gen cubieboard will go straight to the quad-core A31. So (if I understand this correctly) that could it with just the addition of a resistor:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/cubieboard/pjaTUU9BSXI
(Someone would have to tell me exactly what to do with the resistor though 🙂 )
S21C Dual Core Android Mini PC/TV Dongle RK3066 2GB DDR3+8GB ROM with Bluetooth:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-New-S21C-Dual-Core-Android-Mini-PC-TV-Dongle-RK3066-2GB-DDR3-8GB-ROM/728999803.html
it’s a fake – this device has 2G of ROM, 1G of RAM, and 4G of nand… so disappointing!!!!
it’s even worst: I just checked with android system info app:
CPU is arm v7 not v9 …
@jafa ARM Cortex A5, A8, A9 and A15 are all using ARMv7 architecture so that part is fine. There is no actual “ROM” in today’s system, what you may have is a 4GB NAND flash with 2 GB reserved for the system, 2GB for storage, which is still not nice since the spec says 8 GB. For the RAM, you won’t get a full 2GB since part of it is reserved for the GPU, so tools such as Antutu/Quadrant may just show 1.xx GB of RAM. If you only get 700 to 800 MB RAM for Linux, then you’ve only… Read more »
hi i have got one s21h. It works fine, not so strong wifi , but it works. I can see mkv full hd video streams from my nas all by wifiN from nas attached to wifi router to s21h in wifiN . It is as Jafa said: cnxsoft : @jafa ARM Cortex A5, A8, A9 and A15 are all using ARMv7 architecture so that part is fine. There is no actual “ROM” in today’s system, what you may have is a 4GB NAND flash with 2 GB reserved for the system, 2GB for storage, which is still not nice since… Read more »
I cant seem to find any support for the s1h is stuck on the bootscreen and i need the firmware please help@fpippo