Choosing a S905 / S905X / S905D / S905W / S912 box guide

  • I just scored 2 MINIX NEO U9-H for 99€ each (damaged Packaging).

    Now i just need 2 good (preferably small-ish) remotes that don't cost a fortune.

    FYI, I do have Harmony Remotes in each Room, but I don't know if i can use them to turn the device on/off and how to use the IR, with the Mediaplayer being behind the TV.

  • I just scored 2 MINIX NEO U9-H for 99€ each (damaged Packaging).

    Now i just need 2 good (preferably small-ish) remotes that don't cost a fortune.

    FYI, I do have Harmony Remotes in each Room, but I don't know if i can use them to turn the device on/off and how to use the IR, with the Mediaplayer being behind the TV.

    I can turn the MINIX on and off with my Harmony but my mediaplayer isn't behind the TV.

  • I ended up purchasing a KM8Pro as it was the cheapest S912 board on ebay in Oz. Fantastic little box, works as well as some 30-40% more expensive. On top of that, it even has a power button! I opened it up to have a look at the cooling solution and it was actually decent! A 2 x 2 cm heatsink attached to the chip. Thats closer to the minix series than your typical budget Android Box. Best of three different boxes that I've tried (don't ask!)

  • Good for you.., but I'm afraid it will get quite hot.

    For decent S912 cooling one needs a heatsink with minimum dimension about 40x40x12mm, and good air flow through the box ...

  • What kind of temps do you get running with passive 4 x 4? The current heat sink seems pretty firmly attached. Im worried removal would involve excessive force possibly damaging the chip itself to get it off. Are you aware of any active cooling solutions bare sticking a axial fan in a hole on the roof?

    I wasn't suggesting the cooling was sufficient, just that it was a great deal better than the tiny chip sized heat sinks that I saw on the previous boxes.

  • I don't have this box, but on my X92 (quite a big box) with a passive heatsink 42x38x15 and a rectangle cat out in the cover over the heatsink, I get temps max to 58°C (typical 52-54°C) with overclocked GPU to 792MHz.

    With the original hetasink 38x38x6 in the closed box the temp went over 70°C

    Some heat sinks are glued to the processor and are not easy to remove without applying some heat and twisting motion.., on X92 is a "snap-on" type.

  • Hey There,

    im new here and need Some help :)

    Im looking for a Mediacenter with these requirements:

    Libreelec Support

    4k HDR Support without judder

    Harmony Hub Support to Power on, Power off and Control

    I read that the Amlogic S912 has some issues with Librelec. Is it better to choose a S905x then ?

    Any one got some recommendation for me?

    Thank you =)

  • What issues? Many issues are alrady solved, so be specific.

    Good to know. Im reading this Forum for hours but im not able to decide which Box i should buy :(

    Is the Minix U9-H a good choice?

    My requirements:

    Libreelec Support

    4k HDR Support without judder

    Harmony Hub Support to Power on, Power off and Control

  • Hi everyone, I have already readed many posts but I still need help: I wanna buy an octacore AndoridTV based on Amlogic, and I found these (at reasonable price):

    201708301419128015.jpg Features:    
    - Amlogic S-912 Octa Core Cortex-A53 Processor
    - ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU
    - 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM
    - 100M/1000Mbps LAN
    - Built-in 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHZ/5.8GHZ WIFI
    - Support BT 4.1
    1484952226335-P-286870.jpg Features:
    - Amlogic S-912 64 bit Octa core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU
    - ARM Mali-T820MP3 GPU
    - RAM: 2GB / ROM: 32GB
    - Built-in 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi
    - 10/100M/1000M RGMII Ethernet
    - Support BT 4.0
    - Support HDR & DRM
    V2706EU-1-1b1e-gTu2.jpg Highlights:
    - Amlogic S912 Octa Core 64bit ARM Cortex-A53
    - ARM Mali-T820MP3
    - 1GBDDR3; FLASH: 8GB.
    - HDR: HDR10, HLG HDR Video Processing.
    V3270EU-16G-1-11ef-CyhR.jpg Features:
    - Amlogic S912 64 bit Octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU
    - Mali-T820MP3 GPU
    - SDRAM: 3GB DDR3
    - FLASH: 16GB EMMC Flash
    - LAN Ethernet: 10M/100M RGMII
    - Built-in 2.4G / 5G WiFi, Support IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
    - Bluetooth 4.1+HS

    The question is: are all the same with just different shells ?

    Wich would you choose for best LibreELEC compatibility ?

    Thanks in advice to anyone that will help.

    Edited once, last by forart.it (April 26, 2018 at 8:45 AM).

  • If You ask 5 peoples You will get 10 answers

    But remember: It´s a DIY system - You have to read and understand a lot

    Yup, I understand...

    Anyway: since SOC are identical (so the computing power/abilities *should* be the same), would you rather invest on RAM or on storage capacity ? For example: do you prefer a 2/32 or a 3/16 device ?

  • do you prefer a 2/32 or a 3/16 device ?

    2 Gb RAM is enough for LE/CE

    16Gb storage capacity is enough for me - I don´t save my video/music files on internal storage

    But I prefer my S905x boxes - very stable for daily use in livingroom

    My S912 is just for fun and playing around :S

  • Yup, I understand...

    Anyway: since SOC are identical (so the computing power/abilities *should* be the same), would you rather invest on RAM or on storage capacity ? For example: do you prefer a 2/32 or a 3/16 device ?

    For me, more important on these cheap octa core boxes than ram/storage is cooling capacity. Buy a box with decent cooling or one in which you can add a decent heasink. Usually big boxes are better in that area...