few people bother to respond becos your kind of question is asked by someone every week.

tired of repeating.

there are no straightforward answers unless u understand what such a box can and cannot do, provide details on preferences.

but all the relevant info, views and comments are in this thread and individual brand box threads - xiaomi, beelink, himedia, minix. check all of them.

and if it helps:
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3126605/+3540
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3126605/+1420
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3126605/+3940

This post has been edited by AVFAN: Jan 25 2017, 10:22 AM

Honestly I don't mind replying if they have done some basic homework and ask the right questions...

tq so much for the info. i will do my research first before anything.

Haha... only to get a reply that its over-budget and want something far cheaper? Nah.. better send to go read first.

Exactly...

Great.. We'll be glad to assist after you've done some research. Cuz only you know what you want and how you'd likee to use it. So the more you know about the device, its pros and cons... no surprises.. the better a purchase it will be.

Thanks for some of the replies guys. A suggestion to make an info post at the first TS post.

Anyways did some reading as suggested and came across some info like the s905 and s912 chip that's mostly used on the boxes nowadays.

But I also found out about the mibox 3 pro/extended which uses Mediatek MT8693 and it blows the other chipset out of the way (based on benchmarks). Anyone here using mibox 3 pro? Planning to get one soon...

Dedicated Xiaomi MiBox thread + keyword searched... FYI, I'm yet to explore the latest Global Mibox and would advice you steer clear of the older hardware. Especially, if you plan to max Kodi on it. Reported issues.

This post has been edited by voncrane: Jan 26 2017, 01:28 AM

Yup, read reviews about the older mibox and the reviews are so-so only. But the new pro/extended version has really good benchmarks. Only thing is have to root to get google play/services.

If that's the case, try to get the one that ships with the Global ROM and or built for the USA market. That supports Google’s services (Playstore, movies, etc). I'm not a fan of it only having 8GB storage.

Agree. 8gb storage is really "potong stim". Still waiting for a 32gb storage box

The storage is expandable though?

Internal storage is much faster than an attached USB 2.0 drive.

I see. Does that mean games/apps/movies will load slower? Does it have a big difference?

the actual effect varies from app to app.

generally, it simply cannot respond fast enough.

the expanded memory is usually used for storage of low activity stuff.

8gb is, by today's app size and demand, low.

ok if u r sure u will not be needing more.

to be safe, 16gb will be minimum.

Yes. Slower.

Thanks for the info ya all. So use expanded storage for low activity stuff. Probably for storing movies, pics etc. And use internal storage for high memory apps like games etc... Have i got this right?

that would be in the details.

every box is diff - diff chipset, diff firmware, diff rules on things on partitioning, i/o, reserve, backup, etc.

u need to ask the users of the specific box to be sure, perhaps in the mibox thread.

Gotcha.

Which Android box would you recommend though? Hopefully you don't mind me asking as I would like to ask someone's who's experienced in this matter.

1 would be without a budget. And 2 for budget under rm500.

i had suggested some links and threads for u to read.

if u had read them and go thru the "checklists", u will be able to set your priorities and narrow down the choices.

u can see from this section there are only a handful of popular brands and models people discuss, the main reasons being price, aftersales support and brand reputation.

Minix FTW

Planing to get new box for living room use, currently own a minix x8h-plus

Been headache in choosing neo u1 with older spec/high price tag but better firmware support or go for those S912 with 3GB/32GB...

Applying Unfi 50mbs, currently 4mbps stimmyx
Mainly for video streaming via apps/kodi
Linked network storage for video library


Can someone share some thoughts