[noggin]

Ok thanks. I'm aware of what openelec is but mostly I was curious if there were speed advantages. Does running it on an external usb device not slow things down compared to windows on the ssd?

Not really. AIUI OpenElec is so lightweight that once it has booted it pretty much runs in RAM and doesn't need to access the boot/system media for OS-stuff. No requirements for virtual memory type swapping out of RAM.

[MediaPi]

Hi folks, total newbie to the Smart TV box game and was similarly to the OP wondering which box would i be better off getting. Im currently drawn to the Amazon Fire box as it seems little hassle other than sideloading Kodi. Kodi would be the only real use i have for the device but additional apps are welcome.
I was looking to spend around the £70 mark. Main use will be to stream sports and movies. I have limited knowledge when it comes down to the specs of these devices. So to recap:
Smart Box in the UK
Kodi friendly
Can handle live streams and movies with no juddering (aware alot is dependant on source and internet speeds etc).
Budget upto 80 GBP
Thank you in advance

What kind of live streams are you interested in? the HP 260 G1 is a great deal but for 90% of use case you could get a RP2 and still have everything you want, and it comes in cheaper

[Ricey155]

I'm using an old zotac mag mini HD - I installed openelec but I find it limited, then again I'm an acestream fan and with no browser option on 32 bit openelec, causes issues with no old fashion cut n paste

My android m8s OTT TV box doesn't do live sport very well and buffers a lot, I'm thinking about a dual boot windows 8.1 and android for the best of both

X7 looks like a decent product is the update support good ?