HP Stream and Pavilion Mini desktops reviewed: cheap starting at $179, decent performance despite bloatware, and easy to upgrade
Cheap, functional, upgradeable: HP's Stream and Pavilion Mini desktops reviewed — These inexpensive Windows desktops have a surprising amount to offer.
Context & Ripple Effects
HP positioned the Stream Mini as its $180 answer to Chromeboxes back in January, and this review is the verdict on that bet: at $179 the Stream and Pavilion Mini deliver decent performance and — unusually for the price bracket — easy upgradability, with bloatware as the main tax.
The competitive set is already defined by other sub-$200 Windows machines: Intel's $149 Compute Stick trades size for barely acceptable performance and few ports, while Acer's $169 Cloudbook brings full Windows to laptops at nearly the same price. HP's differentiator is the upgrade path, which neither rival offers.
First-order effects
- Budget desktop buyers choosing between the Stream Mini, the Compute Stick, and Chromeboxes now have a clear tiebreaker: HP's box can be upgraded after purchase instead of being sealed at the $179 spec.
Second-order effects
- Rivals like Intel and Acer must respond on more than sticker price — ports and expandability become the comparison axis in the sub-$200 segment, eroding the Compute Stick's minimalism pitch and pressuring Chromebox vendors on the 'can't run Windows' objection.
Third-order effects
- If cheap-and-expandable becomes the template, the entry desktop market bifurcates into disposable sealed sticks and upgradeable mini-towers — a split HP itself later exploited by pushing design-led machines like the Pavilion Wave and Elite Slice upmarket while the $179 tier commoditized.
The trend: Sub-$200 Windows mini-PCs are maturing into direct Chromebox alternatives, with upgradability replacing raw price as the deciding feature.