Difference Between HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini

Difference between HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini is something everyone is interested to know as HP has released these two devices of similar shape and size simultaneously. HP introduced these two interesting products at the CES 2015. The devices,  HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini, have the shape of rounded boxes where the size is small that they can be held even in the palm. The height is about 2 inches, and the weight is about 1.4 pounds. These devices do not have a screen and hence are neither laptops nor tablets, but redefined desktop computers: A mini desktop computer that can be held in the palm! The price of HP Pavilion Mini is higher than the price of HP Stream Mini. Also, when processor, RAM capacity, storage capacity, graphics, and other specifications are considered HP Pavilion Mini is ahead. Both devices run Windows 8.1 and have various ports such as USB, HDMI, display port, Ethernet port and headphone/microphone jack to interface with external devices.

HP Stream Mini Review – Features of HP Stream Mini

HP stream Mini is a mini desktop computer designed by HP that takes approximate dimensions of 5.73 in x 5.70 in x 2.06 in. The weight is about 1.43 lb, and the device takes the shape of a rounded cuboid. Though it is a desktop computer, it is much portable that it can be even held in the palm. The operating system running on the device is Windows 8.1, which is currently the latest Windows version. The processor is an Intel Celeron processor that comprises two cores, which can go up to a frequency of 1.4 GHz, and has a cache of 2 MB. The RAM capacity is of 2 GB where the modules are DDR3 low voltage RAMs with 1600 MHz frequency. If necessary, the RAM capacity can be upgraded up to 16 GB. The hard disk is an SSD and hence, the performance would be great, but the drawback is that the SSD is just 32 GB. A RJ-45 port is available to connect the device to an Ethernet network while inbuilt Wi-Fi makes sure that the device can be connected to a wireless network as well. Bluetooth 4 support and a memory card reader is also built-in. For connecting the displays two ports are available namely HDMI and display port. The device supports multiple displays where one display can be connected to the HDMI port and another one to the display port simultaneously. 4 USB 3.0 ports are available to connect a variety of devices and also a headphone/microphone jack is available. The price of the device is around $ 179.99.

HP Pavilion Mini Review – Features of HP Pavilion Mini

The size and the shape of the device are exactly similar to that of HP Stream Mini with dimensions of 5.73 in x 5.70 in x 2.06 in and a weight of 1.43 lbs. This device is also a mini desktop computer just like the Stream Mini, but the differences are that it has better specifications than what is provided with Stream Mini. Two editions exists for prices $ 319.99 and $ 449.99. The low-cost edition has an Intel Pentium 3558U that comprises two cores of 1.7 GHz frequency and a cache of 2 MB. On the other hand, the high-cost edition has an Intel Core i3-4025U processor, which has two cores with a frequency of 1.9 GHz and a cache of 3 MB. Both editions run Windows 8.1 and have a RAM capacity of 4 GB where if necessary that can be upgraded up to 16 GB. The low-cost edition has a 500 GB hard disk while the high-cost edition has a 1 TB hard disk. These are not SSD drives, but conventional mechanical drives. The interfaces are same as in Stream Mini where Ethernet, USB, HDMI, display port and headphone/microphone jacks are available. This device also supports multiple displays with facilities such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and card reader built-in.

What is the difference between HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini?

• The price of HP Stream Mini starts from $ 179.99. HP Pavilion Mini has two editions where one is $ 319.99 and the other is $ 449.99.

• HP Stream mini has an Intel Celeron 2957U processor. The low-cost edition of HP Pavilion Mini has an Intel Pentium 3558U processor while the high-cost one has an Intel Core i3-4025U processor. Intel Celeron 2957U processor has two cores and two threads with a speed of 1.4 GHz and a cache of 2 MB. Intel Pentium 3558U processor also has two cores with two threads but a speed of 1.7 GHz and a similar cache of 2MB. Intel Core i3-4025U processor has two cores and four threads with a cache of 3 MB to support a frequency of 1.9 GHz.

• HP Stream Mini has only 2 GB of RAM while HP Pavilion Mini has 4GB of RAM.

• HP Stream Mini has a 32 GB SSD hard disk. But , on the other hand, HP Pavilion Mini has mechanical hard disks where one edition has a 500 GB capacity and the other has a 1 TB capacity. The performance on the SSD would be much greater than that is on mechanical disks but the drawback is the lack of enough space for your large files.

• The graphics technology on both devices is Intel HD graphics but Stream Mini only allows a maximum of 983 MB of shared video memory while this is 1792 MB on Pavilion Mini.

Summary:

HP Stream Mini vs HP Pavilion Mini

Both HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini are new fashion mini desktop computers that are quite portable with a size that fits even in your palm. HP Stream Mini is a low cost one with an Intel Celeron Processor and a RAM of just 2GB. On the other hand, HP Pavilion Mini has either an Intel Pentium processor or an Intel i3 processor with a RAM of 4GB. The storage capacity of Stream Mini is limited to 32 GB, but the advantage is it is SSD. The storage capacity of HP Pavilion Mini is much higher with a capacity of 500 GB or 1 TB, but the drawback is that it is not SSD.

Images Courtesy: HP Stream Mini and HP Pavilion Mini via HP website