Lenovo Ideacentre Stick 300

Cheaper than the Intel Compute Stick but with less processing power and ports, as well as notably slower Wi-Fi. Consequently the Lenovo Ideacentre may seem a bit slow for anyone with ambitions beyond basic web browsing.

Available from Amazon for $99.

Specs

• Operating system: Windows 10
• CPU: 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z3735F
• Memory: 2GB DDR3
• Display: Connects via HDMI
• Storage: 32GB Flash and microSD slot
• Connectivity: 802.11B Wi-Fi. Wireless connectivity for mouse and keyboard
• USB: One USB 2.0
• Weight: 2.2 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 4.69 x 1.48 x 0.57 inches

Asus Chromebit CS10

While the lightweight Chrome OS runs acceptably on the relatively modest processor, this Stick PC doesn’t have much storage, although it comes with 100GB of online capacity via Google Drive.

Available via Amazon for $82.99.

Specs

• Operating system: Chrome OS
• CPU: 1.8 GHz Rockchip RK3288
• Memory: 2GB 1066MHz DDR3 RAM
• Display: Connects via HDMI
• Storage: 16GB Flash
• Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless peripherals
• USB: One USB 2.0
• Weight: 2.7 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 4.84 x 0.67 x 1.22 inches

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B

Built to inspire kids to learn to code, this cheap-as-chips single-board computer can function as a desktop PC for basic browsing and office tasks or as a media center — thanks to the many different operating systems it can run.

Available for $35 from Newark.

Specs

• Operating system: Raspbian, OSMC and many more Linux-based systems.
• CPU: 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
• Memory: 1GB LPDDR2-900 SDRAM
• Display: Full HDMI port and combined 3.5mm audio out and composite video
• Storage: Via microSD card or USB-attached storage
• Connectivity: 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, 10/100 Ethernet
• USB: Four USB 2.0
• Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 3.37 x 2.21 x 0.83 inches

Odroid-C2

A bit more powerful than the Raspberry Pi 3, with more memory and faster Ethernet, but lacking the built-in Wi-Fi and also the large community of users that’s grown up around the Pi.

Available for $35 from Odroid.

Specs

• Operating system: Ubuntu 16.04 or Android 5.1 Lollipop and other Linux-basedsystems
• CPU: 1.5Ghz quad-core Amlogic ARM Cortex-A53
• Memory: 2GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Display: HDMI 2.0 port
• Storage: eMMC5.0 HS400 Flash Storage slot / microSD card slot
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet
• USB: Four USB 2.0
• Weight: 1.41 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W) : 3.34 x 2.2 inches

Orange Pi PC 2

A cheaper single board computer than the Raspberry Pi 3 with specs slightly below that of British board, most notably the missing Wi-Fi. Another note of caution is that the board will run a custom version of the Raspbian OS and that the kernel used by OSes on some earlier Orange Pi boards had a backdoor built into it.

Available for $19.98 from AliExpress.

Specs

• Operating system: Raspbian, Ubuntu, Android and other Linux-based systems.
• CPU: Allwinner H5 ARM Cortex-A53 processor
• Memory: 1GB DDR3 RAM
• Display: HDMI 1.4 with CEC support, AV port
• Storage: microSD card up to 64GB, 8Mbit SPI NOR flash
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet
• USB: Three USB 2.0
• Weight: 1.34 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W) : 3.34 x 2.17

Ockel Sirius A

This Windows 10 device can be used on the move via its built-in touchscreen or hooked up to a monitor, keyboard and mouse and used as a full desktop, with mid-range performance provided by its 2016 Intel Atom processor.

Available to pre-order for $549.

Specs

• Operating system: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
• CPU: 1.6GHz Quad-core Intel Atom x7-Z8750 processor
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Display: Built-in six-inch touchscreen, 1080p display, HDMI 1.4 out
• Storage: 64GB Flash
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2
• USB: Two USB 3.0
• Dimensions (L x W) : 5.9 x 3.3 inches

Ockel ​Sirius B / Black Cherry

This earlier Sirius device is a more affordable Windows 10 system, with many of the same specs but lacking the built-in touchscreen and with a slightly older and slower Atom processor.

Available to order for $349.

Specs

• Operating system: Windows 10
• CPU: 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom Cherry Trail Z8300
• Memory: 4GB
• Display: HDMI 1.4a out with 4K support
• Storage: 64GB eMMC
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0
• USB: One USB 3.0, one USB 2.0
• Weight: 4.9 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 4.84 x 3.11 x 0.512

​HP Elite X3

Not quite a desktop PC but slightly more than a smartphone. The HP Elite X3 can be placed in a Desk Dock and linked to a monitor, keyboard and mouse to run scaled-up Windows 10 Mobile apps and a limited desktop.

While it’s specs are reasonable, it’s not running a full Windows 10 desktop and traditional Windows apps and the phone and dock are slightly more expensive than other offerings.

Available from HP for $799.

Specs

• Operating system: Windows 10 Mobile
• CPU: 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM
• Display: Built-in 2560 x 1440 touchscreen, DisplayPort out on Desk Dock
• Storage: 64GB
• Connectivity: tBluetooth 4.0 and Gigabit Ethernet
• USB: Desk Dock has One USB 2.0, One USB 3.0, One USB Type-C
• Weight: 6.88 ounces
• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 6.37 x 3.29 x 0.31