X7 Two Week Review

[robmich]

Thought I would give a short review of my finding after running my X7 non-stop for about 2 weeks.

First off, it is not for everyone. It really isn't designed as a dual boot/Linux/OpenElec unit. There is just too much work in my opinion. It was designed for use as a Windows box. For that purpose, it is doing well.

My Kodi 14.1 installation (my secondary unit for my bedroom), is doing exactly what I want. It is quick, can handle a pretty heavy skin has not failed, blue screened or overheated. It runs my library of BD and DVD rips with no issue, performs correctly in fast forward and chapter skips. I also stream TV shows and have had no issues.

Ethernet and Wireless work fine. My video resolution has been correct with 23.98 when needed.

I have kept it running non-stop with Kodi active (set sleep to never) and my temps (prior to cooling mod) did not exceed 72c under heavy use. That was still too hot for me so I did make a cooling mod (see below).

I decided to try a mod to cool the CPU down as follows:

5mm blue thermal pad on bottom which touched bottom panel. I placed 4 15mm aluminum heatsinks on the existing plate directly above the CPU. That was it. I wanted to do a very simple mod and see what it did. The results...

CPU idles at 35c , Heavy load has not gone above 52c. Continuous AIDA64 stress test 60c...

My plan was to not over complicate a simple issue, I have always wanted an inexpensive Windows box. I now have it..

Now for the bad...

They are hard to get... While I had good luck with PipoMall and Gearbest, not everyone has. But purchasing from China is always a crapshoot. You just have to prepare for the eventual waiting game and the language barrier.

The fact that I had to mod for cooling is a flaw that the factory has to fix if they want widespread acceptance. Even though the BayTrail doesn't throttle till 90c, they need to consider making a change to how they passively cool the box... If they do that and then ramp up production, the X7 is a dream for us Windows geeks....

Rob

[portezbie]

Thanks for the great review. Really makes me even more excited to get mine since this is exactly what I plan to use it for pretty much. Also, thanks for the info about the baytrail throttling at 90, didn't know that.

A few questions:

1.Just curious, what do you use to stream tv in kodi? I've always been kind of lazy with the program, I just use it to watch videos in smb folders.

2. Do you have links for the the heatsinks/cooling pad/adhesive you used?

3. Did you take any pictures of your cooling mods or the process you used?

Thanks!

[scropion86]

good review , and that's exactly what i need this box for but my order is pending with Geekbuying
for 10 Days now.
i hope they will ship it soon
my only concern is the cooling as in my country this silicon thermal conductive Pads i never saw it
any where and for the heatsink many types and alternatives can be found

[robmich]

Thanks for the great review. Really makes me even more excited to get mine since this is exactly what I plan to use it for pretty much. Also, thanks for the info about the baytrail throttling at 90, didn't know that.

A few questions:

1.Just curious, what do you use to stream tv in kodi? I've always been kind of lazy with the program, I just use it to watch videos in smb folders.

2. Do you have links for the the heatsinks/cooling pad/adhesive you used?

3. Did you take any pictures of your cooling mods or the process you used?

Thanks!

I use Genesis. PM for details.

I'll dig out the links I used and take some photos this weekend.

Rob

[portezbie]

Cool, this genesis add-on looks very handy.

Look forward to your update.

[kotobide]

Good to see a realistic review of this box im still waiting on a lot more reviews and problem reports from people as i don't want to get burned again like i did with the tronsmart vega and the usb crapping out in 6 months.

I got all caught up in the hype and purchased it early on.

Having to make adjustments with heat sinks and cooling pads for something brand new doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence in the box though id have probably done so even without issues to extend its longevity anyways.


What really bothers me is these new boxes come out and get forgotten in a few months when the next greatest thing comes along and manufacturers don't seem bother to improve on them and customers are left to sort out problems with beta roms and cooling design flaws.

[portezbie]

Good to see a realistic review of this box im still waiting on a lot more reviews and problem reports from people as i don't want to get burned again like i did with the tronsmart vega and the usb crapping out in 6 months.

I got all caught up in the hype and purchased it early on.

Having to make adjustments with heat sinks and cooling pads for something brand new doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence in the box though id have probably done so even without issues to extend its longevity anyways.


What really bothers me is these new boxes come out and get forgotten in a few months when the next greatest thing comes along and manufacturers don't seem bother to improve on them and customers are left to sort out problems with beta roms and cooling design flaws.

Heh, I got burned with the vega too! My hdmi port died after a month or two. Was quite a bummer because otherwise it was a solid device. Luckily, I bought it from amazon so they gave me a full refund.

Even though there are definitely thees heat concerns with this box, I have higher hopes because of its metal design and ease to take a part. I think someone would have mentioned if it had crappy or defective ports, or at leas that's what I'm hoping.

As far as the software, I'm hoping that will be one benefit of it being an intel windows machine. Even if the company stops updating their drivers, it is common hardware and windows which should still have some longevity.

I know it's still a gamble, but fingers crossed. For 90 bucks, even if I get a year out of it I will be fairly satisfied.

If you're leery of these chinese boxes, the new hp stream mini pc might be worth looking in to. It is made by hp so I feel like the build quality is more reliable than an unkown chinese company plus it has a fan. Of course this means it is a bit larger, but it does have a better processor (I think) and usb3. It is 180 bucks though. Although that isn't a terrible price. I think if I hadn't already ordered the pipo x7, I may very well have ordered that one just for the faith in a major brand.

[robmich]

Thought I would give a short review of my finding after running my X7 non-stop for about 2 weeks.



I decided to try a mod to cool the CPU down as follows:

If they do that and then ramp up production, the X7 is a dream for us Windows geeks....

Rob

So, I am replying to my own message to give some additional promised information...

I am totally satisfied with the X7 to the point that I am trying to work out a wholesale arrangement with Pipo to sell them, to provide a faster delivery.

As hard as I beat it, with the cooling mods, the temp. stays at 63c or less. Unlimited AIDA63 stress tests never go above 73c, so I am satisfied that the cooling issue is resolved. MY CPU overclocks just fine to 2.1x Ghz. I have tried various display rates 60p, 50p, 23.98/24, etc. All provide what I want.

I'm a Windows geek so it is easy to do all the various tweaks, updates that can make a Windows box pretty stable. Plus Point.... the known Windows bug in Kodi 14.1 does not seem to affect the X7...

I will attach a couple photos of my cooling mod. It cost 5.00.

Got a couple MX III's for sale. Any takers... lol

Rob

[portezbie]

What is that next to the heatsinks you added? Also can you link us to the heatsinks you used? Is that all the modifications you made?

Thanks!

[robmich]

What is that next to the heatsinks you added? Also can you link us to the heatsinks you used? Is that all the modifications you made?

Thanks!

That is a small piece of the original heat pad that came from the factory. I just cut a piece off and stuck it there. Figured it couldn't hurt..

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EN6MA0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also placed a 5mm thick thermal pad to the bottom of the motherboard. Didn't take a pic as there are several already on the site. My son who is a Mac snob, just bought one, so that is pretty good...

Rob

[portezbie]

That is a small piece of the original heat pad that came from the factory. I just cut a piece off and stuck it there. Figured it couldn't hurt..

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EN6MA0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also placed a 5mm thick thermal pad to the bottom of the motherboard. Didn't take a pic as there are several already on the site. My son who is a Mac snob, just bought one, so that is pretty good...

Rob

Thank you again for all your help. I thought that's what it was but as I haven't really seen it myself I wasn't sure. Could you also link to the 5mm thermal pad you used?

Cheers.

[loko]

I also placed a 5mm thick thermal pad to the bottom of the motherboard.

Is that 5mm thermal pad you used adhesive or non adhesive? I have only encountered non adhesive thermal pads. Is there any real difference between adhesive and non adhesive thermal pads? Do they stick permanently as epoxy, or are they simply sticky, but can be easily removed?

[robmich]

Is that 5mm thermal pad you used adhesive or non adhesive? I have only encountered non adhesive thermal pads. Is there any real difference between adhesive and non adhesive thermal pads? Do they stick permanently as epoxy, or are they simply sticky, but can be easily removed?

It just has some sticky adhesive, easily removed. I found it on e-bay by searching for 100x100x5 mm thermal pad. Here is a link:

http://goo.gl/r1P67x

Here are some final pics with a couple showing actual temps during use and a stress test. The mod takes all of 5 minutes and I can now say that this Windows geek believes this is the ultimate small windows based unit. Just my opinion of course., but I have built so may htpc units and this is by far the best value for what it offers...

Rob

[portezbie]

Thanks!

[yever]

very nice mod. I will see if I can do the same when my unit arrives. I am still waiting for it to be shipped.