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Chromecast (1st gen)

H2G2-42 · 2013–2015 · dongle

Specifications

Cpu: Marvell 88DE3005 (Armada 1500-Mini), single-core ARM Cortex-A9, 1.2 GHz
Ram: max: 512 MB (soldered) · base: 512 MB
Ports: HDMI (male, plugs directly into TV port) · Micro USB (power only)
Battery: No internal battery: powered continuously via micro-USB from the bundled USB cable and wall adapter, or a powered USB port on the TV
Storage: base: 2 GB eMMC flash (firmware/OS only, not user-accessible) · options:
Os Support: latest: Final Cast firmware update, Google ended software support in 2020; device still casts from apps that keep supporting Cast v1/v2 · shipped: Custom Linux-based firmware controlled via the Google Cast protocol; no local OS UI, cast-only from apps or Chrome tabs
Release Price: $35
Storage Medium: Onboard 2 GB flash for firmware only; all media streamed over Wi-Fi from the source app or cloud, none stored locally

Variants

Colors

BlackOnly color offered at launch.

Upgrade paths

Wi-Fi

Fixed 802.11b/g/n single-band 2.4 GHz (Marvell Avastar 88W8787), no 5 GHz support · 2.4 GHz-only radio was a common bottleneck in crowded home networks; no hardware fix, only router-side workarounds (dedicated SSID, channel tuning).

n/a

LOCKED

storage

No usable expansion: the 2 GB flash is firmware-only and the device has no local media storage by design · Chromecast is a receiver, not a storage device: all content streams live from the sender app or cloud service.

n/a

LOCKED

CPU

Fixed single-core Armada 1500-Mini SoC · The single-core CPU and lack of hardware VP9/HEVC decode became a practical ceiling for higher frame rate and 4K content, superseded entirely by later Chromecast generations rather than upgraded.

n/a

LOCKED

other

Custom firmware via early root/exploit access (dev community, since patched) · Early units were briefly rootable through a boot exploit before Google patched it in a firmware update, giving a short window for hobbyist tinkering rather than a supported path.

free

HARD