[MoistCowbell]

OTOH you could retire this monster to being a server, and get a cheap odroid c2.

I like putting all processing tasks on one box - kind of a fun optimizing game. I might consider using a cheap frontend but unless things have advanced since I last checked (admittedly a few years ago) there wouldn't be any advantage over even a slightly older server where all media is local. I like being able to use my remote (Tivo slider - highly, highly recommended) to navigate to any area of Kodi w/o the slightest delay and start a movie immediately, and jump to any point in that movie instantly. The only thing I'm wanting for is the ability to seamlessly play the newest most intensive file formats.

Thanks for all the responses, especially the 960 vs 970 discussions. Interesting how sometimes the latest and greatest video card may be less appropriate for Kodi compared to one that had hardware acceleration in previous iterations.