[gutterglitter]

Currently I have an intel nuc i3 6100u running libreelec + kodi flawlessly. I am looking to get a second device, and was looking into the Vero 4k (Or any other s905(x) ) machine. Does it deliver the same performance in UI navigation and playback compared to an i3? I use the following:

• Arctic Zephyr skin
  
• Youtube + plexkodiconnect plugin
  
• No 4k 
  
• Media fed via webdav/ftp
  

Thanks for the help.

[wrxtasy]

Currently I have an intel nuc i3 6100u running libreelec + kodi flawlessly. I am looking to get a second device, and was looking into the Vero 4k (Or any other s905(x) ) machine. Does it deliver the same performance in UI navigation and playback compared to an i3? I use the following:

• Arctic Zephyr skin
  
• Youtube + plexkodiconnect plugin
  
• No 4k 
  
• Media fed via webdav/ftp
  

Thanks for the help.

Short answer No but a Vero 4K will come close because it is already running from fast eMMC internal flash storage and has a wireless remote which helps with Kodi responsiveness. That combo really makes AMLogic boxes reasonably snappy.

The fastest, most responsive remote for LibreELEC boxes is the  Xiaomi Mi Box BT Remote. That beats all others.
The fastest boxes in the AMLogic arsenal are the S912's.  
The fastest AMLogic S905(X) is an eMMC equipped ODROID C2, simply due to the fact it can be Overclocked a wee bit.

Playback wise you will have less problems than recent Intel Apollo Lake / Kaby Lake hardware because of the Display Port > HDMI 2.0 adapter - Linux driver issues that are still not fully resolved with some AVR's and that Intel combo.
AMLogic S905X / S912 will be superior for HDR vs Intel LibreELEC as well.

You should not have any Video  playback issues with S9xx except rare VC-1 Bluray Rips that have no PTS time stamps. Remixing a VC-1 Rip can fix that.

PCM Audio output is 16bit on AMLogic S9xx boxes vs 24bit Intel (not sure about Apollo / Kaby Lake tho) when running LibreELEC, which might be important if you are a FLAC music lover.

[gutterglitter]

@wrxtasy Thank you so much for your reply. Would a S912 be a better option, or should I just go with another nuc?

[Klojum]

I thought development for S912 was nearly impossible because of the lack of AMLogic kernel support..?

[wrxtasy]

AML S912's these days are fine for LibreELEC.

Due to a lack of AML Linux GPU video drivers - @kszaq used slow "massaged" Android GPU video drivers (with a Linux wrapper) which previously resulted in Kodi Graphic user Interface tearing. These GPU drivers (and a few other bits n bobs) have been optimised by @kszaq and are now fine for a 1080p Kodi GUI.

You can confirm this as well by logging and looking at the fps output.

I'm not sure if a 4K Kodi GUI would have issues with LE on the S912's but it matters little because auto 1080p / 4K resolution switching works properly anyway.
4K TV users like me run the Kodi GUI at 1080p and let the 4K TV 1080p > 4K upscale everything for superior picture outputs.

GPU video drivers have nothing to do with Audio or Video decode performance on AMLogic boxes. The VPU handled that and video decode and processing always worked properly on S912's.

[wrxtasy]

@wrxtasy Thank you so much for your reply. Would a S912 be a better option, or should I just go with another nuc?

An Intel NUC with a SSD is always going to blitz anything speedwise vs a AMLogic box running from eMMC flash storage.

I'm only talking degrees of speed, a S912 is not exactly slow for day to day use. Pretty snappy in fact for most users.
In fact all S9xx devices running LE from eMMC storage are not slow - especially when teamed up with a Wireless remote.
My eMMC - S905 ODROID C2 for example boots up in 9 seconds.

They pretty much handle 99% of current A/V content you throw at them.
If you are a 10bit H264 1080p Anime lover aka Hi10P - you will need Intel Iron to CPU Software decode it.

Compared to Intel NUC's - DIY AML Hardware does not cost much these days anyway, and there is plenty of support for getting LE up and running on them from eMMC.
Plug N Play USB dongle Wireless remotes like the OSMC Vero mini remote or the MINIX A2 Lite Keyboard remote work out of the box.

Unknown factors with cheap AML Hardware are long term reliability and internal componentry used in manufacturer month to month.
Branded boxes from Vero, MINIX, WeTek and ODROID have the same Spec hardware in every box sold.

[dukester]

I'm not sure if a 4K Kodi GUI would have issues with LE on the S912's but it matters little because auto 1080p / 4K resolution switching works properly anyway.
4K TV users like me run the Kodi GUI at 1080p and let the 4K TV 1080p > 4K upscale everything for superior picture outputs.

it does not seem to be an issue, i ran the GUI at 4k60p for a couple days, no tearing and sameish performance running it 1080p. i keep it at 1080p now tho.