VOYO V2 - Mini PC - Anyone Ever Use?

Mainstay said:
I am looking for an inexpensive computer that I can leave with my networking equipment at client's sites.

I came across this: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_226805.html

Anyone ever use gearbest.com and or have heard of a VoYo mini pc?

The price and specs are sort of awesome.
Click to expand...
Nice find. Seems like a great product. Check for reviews though... I like it a lot. I'm going to see what I can find out about it on the web.
 
I've bought from GearBest a few times, with a generally good experience. The products usually arrive after a couple of weeks, shipped directly from China.

I've no experience of the Voyo PCs but I bought a Windows 8.1 'stick' PC (called a MeeGopad) from them about 14 months ago. One issue with that device was the Windows licence (don't know if/how that will affect the Voyo though, being Windows 10). More info about that here: http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/01...-t01-and-other-intel-atom-bay-trail-mini-pcs/

Personally, I'm waiting until these low-cost tiny PCs are available cheaply with 4GB RAM or more. 2GB is a bit too limiting.
 
After I posted I found the VoYo v3 that has a pretty nice review on it.

Just runs hot.

Intel Cherry Trail X7-Z8700 Quad Core TV Box Windows 10 5G WiFi Bluetooth 4.0 4GB RAM 128GB ROM HDMI Connectivity.

Kind of awesome actually. But no NIC =( Maybe use a USB to NIC adapter for $30.

So I tack on an extra $250 on a network setup and leave one of these boxes to help me monitor and remote in.... seems like an inexpensive approach to monitor and correct network issues.
 
Just to add to this thread, this is my recent experiences with GearBest.

I purchased an 'Onda M2 Mini PC':
http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_272896.html

And a 'HYSTOU FMP06 Fanless Mini PC Core-i3-5005U':
http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_361275.html


Both are nice pieces of hardware at a good price. I particularly like the latter i3 machine.

As I expected though, Windows 10 wasn't included in the price. Or rather, not a genuine copy of Windows 10 at least.

This is what I found installed on the Hystou machine:

Mini PC_2016-08-24_1.png

(a copy of 10 Enterprise Edition, complete with activation crack).

The Onda was even better. Not activated, but it did include a little gift in the form of a trojan:

Onda_2016-08-24_1.png

Needless to say, they've both been N&P'd and licensed properly now.


I did contact GearBest and challenge them about it, and this was their response:

Thank you for contactig Gearbest. Sorry for all the inconvenience caused.



Please rest assured that the item is safe.

The item is Windows 10 cracked version.

Hope you can understand.



If you have any further questions, we're always happy to help.

Thank you for your understanding.
Click to expand...

After pointing out to them that what they're doing is illegal, I did receive a small bribe partial refund. :rolleyes:
 
I'd consider one of the no-name mini PCs if I was putting Linux on it and using it as a probe/local access/local backup machine tucked away. If it's going to have Windows on it, I'd much rather just get an appropriate branded machine, because by the time you factor in getting Windows, installing Windows, etc. it's just not worth whatever slight margin you get - particularly if you're paying yourself or an employee or sub for the time to deal with all the extra little annoyances. Throw in the question of warranty and trying to get something dealt with in case of problems, and suddenly the small systems from Lenovo, Dell, HP etc. don't seem so expensive.

Heck, sometime in the next few days I'm going to be stomping on the enthusiasm of someone who looks at Comcast's monthly charge to businesses for cable modems and says to himself "We can provide those to them for half that price, we just have to figure out how to work around Comcast not providing static IPs unless you have their equipment...." I'll leave my mental cursing off the forums here.

Basically I look at a lot of these machines as attempting to shortcut things or cut corners, and I find that I'd rather not have to deal with the issues that sometimes arise for a lot of shortcuts and corner-cutting.
 
When you can buy a Windows 7 Pro or Windows 10 Pro Lenovo T510 or T520 for roughly $150-$250, it's a stretch to try and justify something that small, unless it's because of the weight or form factor you need something that compact. Unless you're hiking 20 miles in the wilderness toting it I don't really know how either could be a factor.

I hate passing up laptops that used to be in the neighborhood of $1700-$2300 for a mere pittance today.
 
I have a similar machine, the Cenovo Mini PC 2. Hardware wise it's all right. It has USB 3 and Ethernet, in a very Apple TV like form factor.

It came with pirated Windows too, with Eldi KVM. Now, the issue with the licenses is that it's the manufacturer that does this, most re sellers can't really do anything.
 
I'd buy some used i5 micro business class PC's from eBay or whatever. You can get something pretty good for under $100. They're upgradeable, repairable, and cheap and easy to replace if one fails (you don't have to wait a month for a replacement to be shipped directly from China). Also, it will have a valid COA for Windows 7 (which you can upgrade to a LEGIT copy of Windows 10 if you want) versus the bootleg copy that will come with the Chinese computer.
 
Agreed - if you're looking at dirt cheap hardware, that probably means it's going to end up being slower than something better from 2-3 generations back that you can get cheaper. By the time you factor in making sure you have legit licensing and time dealing with headaches, you'd be better off with the older hardware.
 
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