HP Elite Slice is the new mini computer of which today we present its review, a device that stands out without doubt for its careful modular design that allows you to add different functions. A small computer with specific functions for Skype conferences that for sure fits well in any desk. This model mounts 6th or 7th generation Intel processors inside it and allows to mount different types of storage, inside we have a very efficient cooling system that makes using it almost soundless. Let’s see in our review how this interesting mini PC performs.
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PRODUCT DETAILS
| Model | HP Elite Slice |
| Basic Specs | Processor: 6a or 7a Intel gen from T family. In this review Intel Core i5-6500T 35W TPD System: Windows 10 Pro RAM: 32 GB DDR4 2x SODIMM Max. In review 8 GB Storage: Disk 2,5″ / Disk NVME M.2. In review SSD 256GB Network: Wifi ac + BT / Ethernet Gigabit Ports: USB Type-C charge / USB Type-C video / HDMI 1.4 / DP 1.2 Power: 65 W / 95 W. Depending on variant. Semi-passive ventilation. |
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Description
The HP Elite Slice mini PC is a semi-passive model with a really peculiar modular design, the main body of the computer only measures 1,29 inches (33 mm) high, if we add the optical unit module and the Bang & Olufsen speaker module measures 3 inches (78 mm). At the top you have tactile keys that light up to use Skype for Bussiness, a business version that comes with installed by default. The system moves smoothly thanks to the installed hardware, we can use any desktop application in a completely satisfactory way.
- Material: Plastic
- Details: Illuminated touch controls for Skype on top
- Interfaces:Â 2x USB 3.1 Type-C carga + DP), 2x USB 3.1 Tipo A, 1x DP 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x RJ-45, 1x jack in/out
- Modules:Â Bang & Olufsen audio, sound correct but something flat / Optical unit DVD /Â Mouse and keyboard
START UP
System and user experience
We connect the HP Elite Slice to the current and press the back power button, as indicated by the specifications we have Windows 10 Home 64bit properly activated, check the list of devices and note that all have their drivers installed correctly.
- OS Version installed: Windows 10 Pro (1709)
- Software pre-installed: HP Touchpoint, Client security, Jumstart, Hotkey, ePrint / Bang & Olufsen audio Module
- Tutorials mini PC: Control the mini PC with your Smartphone Android or iOS
Support, BIOS and other OS
From the HP website we have support for the HP Elite Slice with all the drivers and manuals necessary for its usual use. We can access the BIOS by pressing F1, it has its own system that allows us to modify different aspects but not overclock.
- BIOS: Wake on LAN, Turn on from internal clock (RTC), Secure boot, No LEGACY mode
- Other OS:Â LibreELEC for PC compatible /Â Ubuntu compatible
HARDWARE TEST
Storage, RAM and Ports
We perform speed tests of the installed storage by default, also of the RAM that comes standard and check the speed and functionality of all its connection ports.
- USB ports: We have USB Type-C for charging to connect a compatible monitor and use a single cable. We also have USB Type-C port with video output DisplayPort also behaves normally.
- Video and audio ouputs:Â HDMI 1.4 to 4K@30fps / DisplayPort 1.2 hasta 4K60fps
The SATA 3 disk speed installed by default gives us normal performance figures within that category, if we want to improve speeds we can install an additional NVMe disk.
We have installed 8 GB of RAM works in Single Channel, we only have installed a single SODIMM DDR4 at a speed of 2133 MHz, we could get more performance from the hardware if it worked in Dual Channel.
Electric consumption, temperature and noise
We check the consumption of the HP Elite Slice model, as we can see the Intel Core i5-6500T processor with 35W TPD has a very low figures and we remain at a contained level even in the scenarios of maximum performance.
We perform our thermal and acoustic tests on the passive HP Elite Slice Mini PC, this model has very low noise levels, when we don’t need high performance is in completely silent, at performance levels something is audible but not at all annoying.
- Measuring temperature 25ºC
- Noise: 0 db at minimum / 52 db at max.
We perform several types of tests to check the performance in each use scenario, with this data we can make an idea of the overall real performance that the system will have during its working life.
- Continuous extreme performance: Temperatura 65ºC Max. / CPU 2,67 GHz / No thermal throlling
- Performance in games: DOTA 2 62ºC / CPU 2.6 GHz average
- External temperature: 40ºC rear zone
Wifi, Ethernet and Bluetooth
The mini PC HP Elite Slice has installed a Wi-Fi ac Dual Band wireless adapter with which we connect to an ASUS RT-AC1200G+ Router, a mid-range device. We perform tests on the use of streaming using the iPerf measurement tool to see the maximum performance of each network adapter.
- Wifi speed results: Correct speeds for this network adapters.
- Scope Wifi: At a distance of 5 meters with a wall we have a signal of 40 dBm, a very poor result.
- Bluetooth: Works correctly and connects without problems
- We recommend reading our Tutorial SAMBA on Android networks if we are going to use files from our network PC
PERFORMANCE TEST
Processor
The HP Elite Slice mini PC integrates the Intel Core i5-6500T processor with four cores and four threads running between 2.5 and 3.1 GHz, integrates an Intel HD Graphics 530 GPU up to 1.1 GHz, has a maximum consumption of 35 W TPD. As we can see the performance is very good and the T (Power-optimized lifestyle) series exceeds the U-series processors (Ultra-low power) without major problems, enough performance to have a good desktop experience.
Benchmarks
Games
We perform our performance test in games on the HP Elite Slice, the results are in line with this type of product of this type, the Intel HD Graphics GPU 530 is perfectly valid for simple games such as we can find in Android phones by downloading them from the Microsoft Store. Also indie titles in 2D or current games with light 3D load like DOTA 2 or LOL, the emulators are also feasible but at the most we stayed in some simple Game Cube titles.
- GTA V / Overwath / Fortnite, low settings, 720p resolution and no VSync.
- DOTA 2 / WOT, ow settings, 1080p resolution and no VSync.
*On models with powerful discrete GPU settings in medium and 1080p resolution
With the HP Elite Slice we have done a performance test with the game DOTA 2, a more demanding title than League of legends (LOL) with which we normally have 10fps more since it asks for less graphic power, with this video you can have an idea how it would be played.
VIDEO AND AUDIO TESTS
Video playback test
To play video content in the HP Elite Slice mini PC we have the integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 GPU that has a VPU with hardware support for the HVEC code and partial for VP9, in this processor we do not have support for 10bit color or HDR video although we can reproduce them as a basic color profile.
- Devices: HDMI 1.4 up to 4K@30fps /Â DisplayPort 1.2 up to 4K@60fps
- Configuration tutorial: Playback 4K videos with HEVC and VP9 seamlessly on Android and Windows
- If we are interested we can use KODI with add-ons or we can test the LibreELEC operating system for PC
Video results
| H.264 Format | Result |
| BBB – H.264 8bit – Simple@L1 – 1080p@25fps – 7 Mbps | Correct |
| Samsung Oceanic Life – H.264  8bit – High@L5.1 – 1080p@30fps – 40 Mbps | Correct |
| Timelapse – H.264 8bit – High@L5.1 – 4K@24fps – 43 Mbps | Correct |
| Anime – H.264 10bit – High 10@L5.1 – 1080p@24fps – 10 Mbps | Correct |
| H.265 Format | |
| Tears of steel – HVEC 8bit – Main@L6.2@Main – 1080p@24fps – 17 Mbps | Correct |
| Samsung UHD Dubai – HVEC 10bit – Main 10@L5.2@Main – 4K@24fps – 51 Mbps | Frameskip |
| Jellyfish – HVEC 10bit – Main 10@L6.1@High – 4K@30fps – 392 Mbps | Low Frameskip |
| Anime – HVEC 10bit – Main 10@L4@Main – 1080p@24fps – 21 Mbps | Correct |
| HDR Format | |
| Life of Pi HDR10 –  HVEC 10bit – Main 10@L5.1@High – 4K@24fps – 45 Mbps | Correct |
| LG Demo – Dolby Vision – HVEC 12bit – Main 10@L5@Main – 4K@24fps – 30 Mbps | Frameskip |
| Planet Earth II – HDR HLG 10bit – Main 10@L5@High – 4K@25fps – 31 Mbps | Frameskip |
| The world in HDR – VP9 Profile 2 10bit – 4K@60fps – 20 Mbps | Frameskip |
| Peru 8K HDR – VP9 Profile 2 10bit – 8K@60fps – 20 Mbps | Frameskip |
Audio playback test
Testing the HP Elite Slice using a Yamaha RXV-577 AV receiver we check that the miniPC supports DD and DTS 7.1 pass through, is curious because the default hardware only supports stereo and does not have licenses for DD or DTS formats. We recommend, as always, to update all the drivers with Windows Update to the latest before connecting the device to our AV receiver.
- Devices: HDMI with Intel HD audio up to 7.1 / Audio jack with Realtek up to stereo / Integrated microphone, basic quality
- Module: Bang & Olufsen audio, it lacks a bit of power in grabs and is somewhat flat. We have our own app to adjust them.
- Configuration tutorial: Basic concepts and configuration for multichannel audio on Windows and Android
Audio test results
| Formats | DD 5.1 | DD+ 7.1 | DD True 7.1 | DD Atms 7.1 | DTS 5.1 | DTS MA 5.1 | DTS HR 7.1 | DTS X 7.1 |
| HDMI | OK | Core | OK | OK* | OK | Core | OK | OK* |
| SPDIF | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
- PCM – Stereo only doing downmix from DD or DTS
- Core – Only the core of the format is played back with what we passed to the Dolby / DTS base system
* Our AV receiver does not support these native formats but we verify that it is played back to 7.1
Streaming services
We perform performance tests on the HP Elite Slice mini PC in the most popular streaming services such as Youtube, Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video and others with their native apps or using the most compatible browser. You can consult our guides where we explain in detail all the best known streaming services, how to configure them and what requirements are necessary to see content in HD or 4K quality
- Performance: This GPU has no hardware acceleration for VP9 4K codec on Youtube, we can use this add-on for Chrome to force h.264
| Streaming service | Video Quality | Audio Quality |
| Youtube | 4K (2060p) | 5.1 |
| Netflix | FullHD (1080p) | 5.1 |
| HBO | FullHD (1080p) | Stereo |
| Amazon Prime Video | HD (720p) | Stereo |
CONCLUSIONS
Score
HP Elite Slice -
Pros
- Functional and elegant design
- Excellent thermal dissipation
- Efficient components
- Optional modules
- Very compact
Cons
- High Price
Opinion
Undoubtedly the HP Elite Slice mini PC is one of the most original models that we have been able to analyze, his modular design and level of finishes offers us a very solid product that will undoubtedly can fit well in any office or meeting room. Within this model we have a very powerful hardware that is kept cooled by a system that remains silent most of the time, we have been able to confirm the system only have noise when put in a high performance scenario.
As we have seen the HP Elite Slice has components that give a very good desktop performance, Intel T-series processors move the system smoothly and have given us better figures than the low-power U series. Wifi, Ethernet, RAM and SSD disk behavior are also at a good level although the RAM in Dual Channel and an NVME disk would further help to the performance. In general, an ideal product for work desks that require a touch of design and functionality, Skype keys in that aspect are indicative of your destination, if this product fit in what we seek will not disappoint us.
WHERE TO BUY
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