Maxesla Z83V Mini PC Support Windows and Linux System Dual Frequency Display Intel Atom x5-Z8350 Processor 2/32GB Storage Dual Band 2.4G/5G WiFi 1000M Gigabit Bluetooth 4.0 Mini Desktop + Keyboard

I have had android boxes in the past but they didn't really give me what I wanted.Having been a Windows user for most of my adult life, I feel at home with it and this little beauty of a box is absolutely ideal for what i need.First of all lets look at the size.Just slightly smaller than a CD case and about three times as deep, this little cracker can easily hide behind a TV - especially as the seller kindly throws in a wall bracket too!This makes it ideal for office receptions/wallboards and the like as you can install this and forget about it.Wireless LAN - checkBluetooth - check3 USB sockets and SD slot - checkWired LAN and VGA(!) - checkThis really is a versatile little box.I plugged the HDMI lead (supplied) into my 42 inch LCD and set it up (shared log on with my Windows account so I didnt run into any licence key issues).The setup took about an hour with all the updates, but after that I was browsing away at the same speed that my much beefier home desktop manages!Obviously you wont get the intense gaming or video editing power, but that is not what you are using this for.Install Plex and stream movies from a USB drive, create a welcome screen in the office, install Linux and have even MORE fun - honestly this little box is well worth the money.The specs are powerful enough to run Office too so for just a hundred pounds you can have a silent, powerful little machine that takes up virtually no room.Brilliant - love it!

Nice little unit but if you buy it to run Linux, be prepared for some fun and games. I got it going, but it took 2 or 3 days. The only distro I found to work on it was Mint. This is mainly down to the boot loader. You need to configure a usb drive first then boot off it after jumping through some more hoops. As its advertised as Windows or Linux, I think it should be made clear that Linux is not an easy choice.

My media centre for the last six or so months was a Raspberry Pi 3 with OSMC (Pi Kodi build) running on it.I decided to switch for a few reasons1) Navigating the menus was slow and they’d get stuck2) I like to run a VPN so as much traffic as possible that leaves my home, as a windows user and windows professional for many years this is not straight forward on a Pi3) The idea of a browser to access radio stations and my Amazon Prime Video/Music was appealingMy set up is simple, a media centre using HDMI connects to my soundbar & sub, that connects via HDMI to my 46 inch HD TV. The media centre is connected using Ethernet into a small hub that connects to my router.It didn’t take long to set up, along with the PC you get 2 x HDMI leads, one long and one very short, a bracket so you can mount it on the wall if you like and a power source.Windows 10 Home is pre-installed and you do NOT need a key, click skip this part and windows activates when it connects to the internet.Upgrading windows 10 from 1610 to 1703 takes a while though, I just left it running overnight and it was finished in the morning along with some other updates.I then installed the followingFireFox (my favourite browser) with UBlock Origin and FlashVLC Media PlayerKodi v17.3Private Internet Access VPNZone Alarm Free VersionI installed my favourite Kodi addons and the first thing I noticed was stuttering, looking at task manager I realised the Zone Alarm was using a lot of memory. Windows 10 uses a lot on its own anyway and with only 2gb of Ram you need to be cautious of what you run on this machine. I uninstalled Zone Alarm and opted for the built in anti virus, windows defender. This improved memory usage no end and the stuttering went away.It is important to realize that with only 2gb Ram you need to have as little going on in the background as possible, without leaving it vulnerable to attack from hackers, as after all it is still windows. This means no multitasking, so I really would not consider anything for this other than TV and music.It now runs great, and the VPN is doing its job in the background without any fuss. Picture and sound quality is very good and for less that £100.00 I think this is a bargain and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to use it as a music and video streaming box.

Having had this Mini PC for only a brief period I cannot comment on durability but my initial impressions are entirely favourable and it appears to offer very good value for money. I plugged in a very cheap wired USB mouse and a wired USB keyboard (from Maplins), connected it via an ethernet cable to my router, attached it via HDMI cable to a TV and switched it on. There was a moment of concern when I was asked for an activation 'key' to run Windows but fortunately a reviewer here had very helpfully pointed out that (surprisingly) that step can be skipped. That is not mentioned in the (brief) documentation but should be. The requirement for an activation key for Windows never came up again. So I pressed on and up came Windows 10 and I was in business. I tried a (non bluetooth) wireless mouse and keyboard (again very cheap) and they were fine. I removed the ethernet cable and connected to the router via wifi - no problem. I connected and ran a USB DVD player without problem. I have not tested the bluetooth capabilities. All in all an excellent simple Windows 10 machine well suited to internet browsing and emailing. I cannot comment on how it will cope with processor intensive tasks but as an Apple afficionado I must say I was surprised to find Windows 10 easy and pleasant to use.

I am very impressed with this little box, which does everything it claims. Windows 10 installed automatically and seems to be genuine. After completion of the install I was able to log in with my MS account with no problem and find the product key.The only downside is that onboard memory is only 32GB, much of which is hogged by Windows, so not much left for applications and data. Fortunately, I discovered there is a spare USB 2.0 port inside the box. I used this to add a 128 GB flash drive, still leaving the two external USBs free. I think this should be adequate to use the Mini PC as a 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC hub.I haven’t tried the wireless keyboard yet as the buttons are a bit small and I have a spare kbd with mouse but potentially that could save another external USB socket