MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

Starry Hope Rating
2.5

Updated on

Photo of MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

The MeLE PCG02 is a fanless HDMI-stick PC, sold across its life with several low-power Intel chips: the Celeron J4125 (the model the reviews below cover), the older Celeron N4000, and the newer Intel N100. The J4125 version pairs a quad-core 2.0GHz chip (up to 2.7GHz) with Intel UHD Graphics 600, 8GB of DDR4, and up to 256GB of storage, plus microSD expansion to 1TB. It runs silently with no fan, has two USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 4.2, and outputs to a screen over HDMI. The form factor suits digital signage, a remote terminal, or a small home-theater box.

ProsCons
Fanless, silent operationMicro-USB power input caps sustained clocks
Pocket-sized, hides behind a screenNot suitable for heavy multitasking or gaming
Gigabit Ethernet, unusual on a stickOnly two USB 3.0 ports available
Windows 11 Pro pre-installedOlder Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 radios
microSD expansion up to 1TBOwners report heat over years of sealed use

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MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

MeLE PCG02 Stick PC

Price

List Price: $239.99

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Version8GB/128GB/Celeron J41258GB/256GB/Celeron J41254GB/64GB/Celeron J41254GB/128GB/Intel N40008GB/128GB/Intel N100
Performance Rating4.04.02.42.04.3
Operating SystemWindows 11 ProWindows 11 ProWindows 11 ProWindows 11 ProWindows 11 Pro
ProcessorQuad-core 2.70 Ghz
Intel Celeron Processor J4125
Quad-core 2.70 Ghz
Intel Celeron Processor J4125
Quad-core 2.70 Ghz
Intel Celeron Processor J4125
Dual-core 1.10 Ghz (max 2.60 Ghz)
Intel Celeron N4000 Processor
Quad-core 3.40 Ghz (max 3.40 Ghz)
Intel Processor N100
GPUIntegrated Intel UHD GraphicsIntegrated Intel UHD GraphicsIntegrated Intel UHD GraphicsIntegrated Intel UHD GraphicsIntegrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM8 GB8 GB4 GB4 GB8 GB
Internal Storage128 GB256 GB64 GB128 GB128 GB
Dimensions
width x length x thickness
5.5 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches
(139.7 x 58.42 x 17.78 mm)
5.5 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches
(139.7 x 58.42 x 17.78 mm)
5.5 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches
(139.7 x 58.42 x 17.78 mm)
5.5 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches
(139.7 x 58.42 x 17.78 mm)
5.5 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches
(139.7 x 58.42 x 17.78 mm)
Weight0.27 lbs (0.12 kg)0.27 lbs (0.12 kg)0.27 lbs (0.12 kg)0.27 lbs (0.12 kg)0.27 lbs (0.12 kg)
WiFiWi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
BluetoothBluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2Bluetooth 4.2
Ethernet1 Ethernet port at 1 Gbps1 Ethernet port at 1 Gbps1 Ethernet port at 1 Gbps1 Ethernet port at 1 Gbps1 Ethernet port at 1 Gbps
HDMI1 Full-Size HDMI Port1 Full-Size HDMI Port1 Full-Size HDMI Port1 Full-Size HDMI Port1 Full-Size HDMI Port
DisplayPortNo DisplayPortNo DisplayPortNo DisplayPortNo DisplayPortNo DisplayPort
VGANo VGA PortsNo VGA PortsNo VGA PortsNo VGA PortsNo VGA Ports
USB Ports2 USB 32 USB 32 USB 32 USB 32 USB 3
Thunderbolt PortsNoNoNoNoNo
OCuLinkNoNoNoNoNo
Internal SATA PortsNo SATA portsNo SATA portsNo SATA portsNo SATA portsNo SATA ports
Card ReadermicroSD Card ReadermicroSD Card ReadermicroSD Card ReadermicroSD Card ReadermicroSD Card Reader
Headphone Jackcombocombocombocombocombo
FanlessYesYesYesYesYes
VESA MountNoNoNoNoNo
In the Box5V/3A DC power adapter with US plug, Type-C power adapter5V/3A DC power adapter with US plug, Type-C power adapter5V/3A DC power adapter with US plug, Type-C power adapter5V/3A DC power adapter with US plug, Type-C power adapter5V/3A DC power adapter with US plug, Type-C power adapter
ExpandabilityMicro SD up to 1TBMicro SD up to 1TBMicro SD up to 1TBMicro SD up to 1TBMicro SD up to 1TB

Related Mini PCs

Full-size Ethernet and 4K HDMI on a Silent Stick

The full-size Ethernet jack and the 4K HDMI plug suit an industrial setting or a business terminal, and the stick shape hides behind a TV or monitor. It handles everyday tasks like web browsing, email, and light image editing, and stops there.

For its size it has a useful port set: full-size Gigabit Ethernet (unusual on a stick), two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and 4K HDMI output, which makes it a workable media player. A low-wattage adapter feeds the stick, so the chip cannot sustain full clocks under combined CPU and GPU load (see the reviews below), which rules out gaming and heavy multitasking. Idle power draw is very low, which is part of its appeal for an always-on signage or terminal role.

Reviewer Insights

Both published reviews cover the Celeron J4125 model, not the larger fanless MeLE PCG02 Pro. The hardware is capable on paper, but a micro-USB power input holds it back.

ETA Prime’s Take ETA Prime calls it “a full-fledged desktop pc and a super small form factor,” then puts a kilowatt meter on it. The stick ships with a 15-watt micro-USB adapter, and even after he raised the power limit in the BIOS from the stock 8 watts to 25 watts, the board could not pull more than he measured: “the maximum that i can pull out of this machine here is 12.8 watts.” His logged draw was 4.1 watts at idle, 7.8 watts during 4K video playback, and 12.8 watts under a 720p CS:GO load. Because the Celeron J4125 and its UHD Graphics 600 cannot both hold their boost clocks inside that ceiling, combined load drags them down: in the original Skyrim he watched the CPU clock sit near 1.1 GHz and sag toward 800 MHz, and in Overwatch at 720p lowest settings with a 50 percent resolution scale the GPU dropped to roughly 200 MHz. He ruled out heat by showing on-screen temperatures that were not overheating, so this is a power bottleneck rather than thermal throttling. He summed up gaming as “every game that i tested on this device is basically unplayable.” The stick streamed 4K 60fps Plex at 78 Mbps cleanly, yet dropped frames heavily on 4K YouTube, a problem he did not hit on the actively cooled LarkBox Pro that runs the same J4125. He closes with “it’s really really hard for me to recommend this stick,” pointing to same-chip devices at the same price or cheaper that perform better. Watch ETA Prime’s full review here.

Jerad Hill’s Experience No wattage, thermal, or benchmark numbers came out of Jerad Hill’s month with the stick; his State of Tech coverage is a qualitative use-case assessment. He frames the device around silent, fixed-purpose deployments: digital signage, restaurant menu boards, and business terminals you can reach remotely. He values the built-in full-sized Ethernet jack and Kensington lock, both unusual on a stick, and notes that Windows 11 Pro lets you “remote into that from your other computer using something like chrome remote desktop.” On performance he is candid that this is not a workstation: he could play YouTube and browse comfortably but “couldn’t really multitask,” and when he installed Photoshop “it took a while for photoshop to open” before he could edit a single image. He pegs the real-world feel as “the performance of a very small laptop like i said a chromebook like an intel based chromebook,” and rules out gaming because “it’s just too underpowered for that.” Where he does recommend it is narrow: “when you can plug something like this in and get windows 11 directly into a screen i think it’s something worth checking out.” Explore Jerad Hill’s review for more insights.

Reading these reviews in 2026 Both reviews date from the device’s J4125 era. The Celeron J4125 is a Gemini Lake Refresh part from late 2019 with a PassMark multi-thread score of 2,963, so even when it is fed enough power it sits at the bottom of the current mini PC stack. MeLE later offered this stick with an Intel N100 (PassMark 5,643, nearly double the J4125), which is the configuration to prefer if you can find it, since the newer chip both runs faster and is less starved by the same low-power envelope. On the J4125 versions, ETA Prime’s power findings still set the ceiling, so the sensible use is the silent signage, streaming, or remote-terminal role Jerad Hill describes.

Customer Reviews

Across 569 ratings on Amazon, the MeLE PCG02 Stick PC averages 4.2 stars, with 65 percent of reviewers leaving five stars and about 12 percent leaving one or two. Most of the positive reviews come from owners using it as a home-theater streamer, a basic file server, or a pocketable second computer, and they keep returning to the tiny size, the fanless silent operation, and the built-in Gigabit Ethernet. Marc P., a verified buyer, wrote “For web browsing and media watching, it’s perfect. The 8GB RAM is great, and the Celeron processor is so much more responsive than the Atom… And with no fan, it’s silent.” Verified buyer Ray McCaffity summed up the appeal as “Stick it in your pocket and go. A little smaller than my cellphone.” Several buyers go out of their way to say that the Celeron CPU is slow to start up, but that they knew that going in.

The lower ratings cluster around heat and longevity rather than out-of-box quality. Verified buyer Maria Los Angeles bought two to mount behind TVs and initially liked them, then dropped to one star after a year: “After one year both PC Sticks because faulty. They run very hot which presumably didn’t help… So I am changing my ‘buy’ recommendation to ‘fine for one year only’.” Other long-term owners had mixed outcomes: one three-star reviewer reported it “worked pretty much flawlessly… for almost exactly 4 years: and then it just stopped working suddenly,” and another fixed random shutdowns after two years by disabling CPU Turbo mode in the BIOS. If you plan to run it sealed behind a TV around the clock, weigh the heat reports against the otherwise strong sentiment. Read more owner reviews on Amazon.

Best as a Silent Signage or Streaming Box

This stick suits someone who wants a pocket-sized PC that makes no noise, for web browsing, email, and media, or for a fixed-purpose job such as digital signage, a remote terminal, or a small home-theater setup. The 4K HDMI output and the built-in Ethernet help in those roles, and the low idle draw makes it cheap to leave running.

Heavy work and gaming are out of reach, because the low-wattage power input caps performance under combined load. Owners also report it running hot over years of sealed-behind-a-TV use, so weigh that for an always-on deployment. If you need more, a fuller mini PC like the MeLE Quieter 4C is a better fit, and the newer N100 build of this stick is the one to look for. To compare options, use Starry Hope’s Mini PC Comparison Chart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What operating system does the MeLE PCG02 Stick PC come with?

A: Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed. Various Linux distributions also run on it if you prefer an alternative OS.

Q: Can I upgrade the RAM or storage on the MeLE PCG02?

A: The RAM is soldered and not upgradable, but you can expand the storage using the micro SD slot, which supports up to 1TB.

Q: Does the MeLE PCG02 have a cooling fan?

A: No. The chassis is fanless, so it runs silently, though heavy sustained tasks can slow it down.

Q: Can I use the MeLE PCG02 for gaming?

A: Graphically intensive games are beyond it. Some older or less demanding titles may run, but basic computing tasks are what it is built for.

Q: How many USB ports does the MeLE PCG02 have?

A: Two USB 3.0 ports. A USB hub will expand connectivity if you need more.

Q: Is the MeLE PCG02 suitable for industrial or business use?

A: Yes. The compact fanless design works in industrial environments or as a terminal computer in a business, where silent operation and low power consumption are advantages.