ARM-Based $74 PC Put Through Its Paces (Video)

Dropping by AliExpress online will show that a certain MK802 ARM PC is up for sale, so you can go and order one right now if you want.

Many people will be reluctant to jump in blind though, so to speak. Fortunately, Brad Linder from Liliputing has what we all need: information.

We'll get the facts out of the way first: MK802 is a small stick based on an Allwinner A10 ARM Cortex A8 processor.

Said chip has a clock speed of 1.5 GHz and is backed by 512 MB of RAM (random access memory). Meanwhile, NAND Flash chips provide 4 GB of storage space.

Not only that, but Rikomagic even tossed in a micro SD card slot, a full-size USB 3.0, mini USB and a mini HDMI port.

People may have started to put two and two together: this is that same old $74 / 59 Euro Android PC that we spotted late last month.

And now we get to the point where we finally say what is worthwhile and what isn't.

The good news is that the price hasn't gone up between now and then. The bad news is that the overall performance is one star less than people may have been hoping.

It's not actually bad, from what we can tell, but it's not something to gush over either. For one, the item tends to heat up pretty quickly. Secondly, it doesn't have an on/off switch and neither can it go into any sort of sleep mode.

As soon as it is plugged into an USB port (or a power cord), it turns on, which means that you'll have to always remove it if you don't want it to constantly draw energy.

On the bright side, the Android 4.0 software makes all apps compatible with it, and there may eventually appear one that enables that coveted low-power mode. Finally, light web browsing and streaming video to a TV work as advertised.

All in all, even if the pre-installed Google maps, Gmail and YouTube apps could run better, they still run satisfactorily. Add to that the small size, weight and price, and the deal becomes quite sweet.