Raspberry Pi 4 vs Generic (x86_64) for LibreElec 11

  • I've been happily using LibreElec 10 on a RPI4 for a while now and have been really impressed with the value-add it brings compared to generic Linux + Kodi (which I ran on various pis for years).

    With the release of LibreElec 11 I'm considering swapping the Pi 4 for a different device with a gen 7 intel processor (i3-7100t).

    I've read the Wiki and it seems like the abilities of both are now approximately equivalent. Are there any codecs/output formats/other that still makes one or the other the stronger option?

  • On paper RPi4 is missing some hardware codecs and has less CPU grunt in comparison to the Intel device. In practice the upstream support for older Intel GPUs has some rough edges and the initial HDR support available in LE 11.0 is less complete than RPi4 currently has, and the missing codecs are often non-criticial, e.g. no VP9 just means YouTube uses H264 instead. I'm not sure a 5-year old 7th Gen Intel device would tempt me too much. I'm also a believer in "if it works, don't fix it" so unless there's a really compelling argument I'd stick with the RPi4.

  • Thanks for the swift answer chewitt.

    The main things that tempt me to use the intel device are an inbuilt DVD player and an internal SSD (SD cards are the bane of ), drastically reducing the number of cable clutter and devices (although surface area taken won't be much different). Other "nice to haves" with the intel box are a proper on/off button and freeing up a Raspberry Pi for other projects.

    It sounds like it might be worth a go, but I won't repurpose the pi just yet.