Best device that's not a shield?

General
1

I’m still using an odroid C2 at the moment which is performing quite well with coreelec installed.

However I notice some sluggish behaviour sometimes especially with heavier skins, so have thought of upgrading my device.

I don’t really want to spend £200 on a shield and have been tempted to just get a firestick 4k instead.

Anything better than a firestick out there that performs at nearly the same level as a shield?

I’m looking to spend <£100

Thanks!

2

If you are just wanting to run CoreELEC then the best 2 devices you could buy are a Khadas VIM3 or an Odroid N2. If you are looking at the N2 then purchase an extended warranty from wherever you make your purchase since Odroid’s standard warranty is very short.

I own both an N2 and a VIM3L and both boxes are working perfectly with CoreELEC. The N2 is a TVHeadend Server and apart from issues with the USB 3 ports when first purchased it has performed faultlessly.

The other advantage of either a Khadas or Odroid box is the full support from CoreELEC and they are also impossible to brick.

There are other cheaper boxes out there such as the GT King which also have the S922x inside.

I suppose the decision is yours whether you want something supported and reliable or something cheap.

3

Is there a huge performance difference between the C2 and the N2?

My C2 is currently running off a class 10 micro sd card. Do you think it will make a big difference if I try switching to emmc instead rather than buying a new device?

4

I had a C2 and it was a great little box. I ran from an emmc on the C2 and also run from an emmc on the N2. I notice a big difference in responsiveness of the UI and also playing 4K content. All my media is on plex server on a NAS so it’s not a difference between the USB ports on the 2 devices.

Truthfully I find the VIM devices a little better looks wise than the N2, maybe I just like the small form factor. But you only get 1 USB 3 port on the VIM 3 or VIM 3L.

5

Jumping from S905 to S922X or A311D is a huge difference noticeable immediately.

6

N2 is a bit expensive to be honest. I’m a bit reluctant to take the risk.

Anything out there better than the C2 with a noticeable difference in performance <£50 ?

7

You pay for what you get. Something with an s905X3/D3 would be an improvement. I’m using the VIM3L which is a great little box. It however is not as fast as the N2. I assume the VIM3 would offer similar performance to the N2.

You can purchase a HTPC kit direct from Khadas for USD $89.99 which is the box I have.