Nvidia Shield TV 16GB vs 500GB performance comparison - Shield Android TV Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all, so I've purchased the Nvidia Shield Pro (500GB) model the other day and noticed the device made some slight disk spinning noise, only to realize that this console comes with an HDD rather than flash memory. I also noticed that even thought this device is still running lollipop, I'm still able to utilize any one of the external ports as the default memory.
This question is mainly for those of you who had the opportunity to try both models. I'm not a fan of HDDs much, but the voluminous internal storage is convenient in a way, although I could easily do without it, if the 16gb is the more stable model. From my experience NAND flash based devices seem to run fast, but are they noticeably faster than their hybrid HDD counterparts? Is there any difference in speed and performance between the 16gb and the 500gb Shield TV devices? I'm asking because I noticed the Shield controller's home and back buttons don't always respond, and my device is running build v2.1 which supposedly fixed any known controller bugs. I'm tempted to return the 500gb and grab a 16gb just for the sole fact that the Pro model runs on dated hard disk technology, not to mention the faulty HDD units in some of these models. Let's hear some opinions on this, I've not found any comparison on these from a performance perspective. Every comparison I found so far brags about how advantageous 500gb is over 16gb, but no one seems to compare their performance side by side. So if you've tried out both variants, do you find the standard 16gb edition to process data quicker than the Pro model, and are you experiencing any unresponsiveness with the back and home buttons on shield's controller?
***edit***
Just ordered a 16gb Shield TV Console from GameStop. Since no one's chiming in on the topic, I'll have both versions in a few days and will post my findings after testing them side by side.

I did a little research and from what I understand the only real difference between them is the internal storage. Performance speeds are the same and it support external hard drives and SD cards. I know music, pictures, games, ect. can be stored on the SD card but can apps be stored to or is a root required. Either way I plan on getting the 16GB version and using this 128GB SD I have and rooting it and seeing how it goes. If it's what I think it's like, then this may be one of the greatest things to run the Android OS.

Hello some news ?

To me I went for 16gb version as it would be flash memory so much quicker and no mechanical drives which equal less heat and less fan spooling.
Also the fact that they recalled the 500gb version and we're withdrawn from nvidia site.
Let us know your findings.

TalkDubby2Me said:
I did a little research and from what I understand the only real difference between them is the internal storage. Performance speeds are the same and it support external hard drives and SD cards. I know music, pictures, games, ect. can be stored on the SD card but can apps be stored to or is a root required. Either way I plan on getting the 16GB version and using this 128GB SD I have and rooting it and seeing how it goes. If it's what I think it's like, then this may be one of the greatest things to run the Android OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps can be stored on the SD card without root access. Keep in mind that the developer of the app must allow for this so there a few apps out there that will only install on internal storage, though I have yet to come across one.

Hey everyone, sorry it took me a month to post back, now that I've owned a 500gb for two weeks and a 16gb for a month, I've noticed a few slight differences. The 500gb was a tiny bit noisier as it utilizes an HDD alongside a nandflash for its internal storage. The HDD disk spins even while the device is in sleep mode, which is normal behavior with HDDs from what I gather. I'm just not a fan of having more moving parts in a device than necessary. Also, software updates and initial installation takes much longer on the 500gb model, probably due to slower write speeds on HDD. WiFi disconnecting bug after waking up from sleep mode on lollipop 5.1.1 seemed more persistent on the 500gb model as well. The only other difference I noticed was with fluidity, the 16gb doesn't seem to have much hiccups/stutters, where as on the 500gb (maybe mine was one of the defective units) it wouldn't respond right away after returning to home screen or in some apps the back and home buttons wouldn't register on first press more often then not (dolphin emulator being one of them). Once I set up the 16gb model, I haven't experienced any such issues, the back and home functions work every time in any app perfectly fine.
From what I can tell, the 500gb model was somewhat of a last minute decision as it feels less refined than the 16gb model. It's also not as great for modding as there seems to be less dev support for it. 500gb model may be a good choice for someone not looking to tweak this device, but rather for simple plug and play without much thinking involved. For all the mods and tweaks, custom ROMs, the 16gb seems to be the more popular choice. It's also the more refined and tested variant in my opinion.

Syndrome666 said:
Hey everyone, sorry it took me a month to post back, now that I've owned a 500gb for two weeks and a 16gb for a month, I've noticed a few slight differences. The 500gb was a tiny bit noisier as it utilizes an HDD alongside a nandflash for its internal storage. The HDD disk spins even while the device is in sleep mode, which is normal behavior with HDDs from what I gather. I'm just not a fan of having more moving parts in a device than necessary. Also, software updates and initial installation takes much longer on the 500gb model, probably due to slower write speeds on HDD. WiFi disconnecting bug after waking up from sleep mode on lollipop 5.1.1 seemed more persistent on the 500gb model as well. The only other difference I noticed was with fluidity, the 16gb doesn't seem to have much hiccups/stutters, where as on the 500gb (maybe mine was one of the defective units) it wouldn't respond right away after returning to home screen or in some apps the back and home buttons wouldn't register on first press more often then not (dolphin emulator being one of them). Once I set up the 16gb model, I haven't experienced any such issues, the back and home functions work every time in any app perfectly fine.
From what I can tell, the 500gb model was somewhat of a last minute decision as it feels less refined than the 16gb model. It's also not as great for modding as there seems to be less dev support for it. 500gb model may be a good choice for someone not looking to tweak this device, but rather for simple plug and play without much thinking involved. For all the mods and tweaks, custom ROMs, the 16gb seems to be the more popular choice. It's also the more refined and tested variant in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I am kinda thinking I would've been better off grabbing the 16 gig model and adding a 128GB sd card. Does anyone know what kind of HD they use on it?

I bought both - one for general living room tv use (16gb) and the 500gb for myself to put in my man cave and play games on. I couldn't wait to set the 500gb up for myself as I had already got the living room one working and I was absolutely gob smacked at what it could do - however - upon setting it up and filling it full of emulation stuff, I found it to be really disappointing. HOWEVER, upon further investigation, I discovered that if you have an external HD attatched to it - in my case a USB 3 2tb one - it dragged like hell, probably due to the fact that the HD is full of emulation artwork etc. Unplugging it seemed to solve the problem and now i'm back up to full speed (more or less) again.

Anyone else think its strange that Nvidia chose to go with completely different designs for both types? Surely it would have been easier, and more cost effective, to just leave the hdd port unoccupied on the 16gb version, so a hdd/ssd could be added at a later date. And £70 just for a 500gb hybrid drive? It certainly seems a bit on the steep side.

I would like to know how much of a difference a SSD would bring to the Pro version compared to the SSHD it has inside, if it's worth it when using it for Plex only

The SATV and the SATV Pro boards are the same with the Pro version having connectors added for the SSHD. The SSHD can be replaced with an SSD, but in my experiences I do not recommend the swap. The SSHD draws .74ma and a 500GB Samsung evo SSD draws 1.5A. I noticed strange behavior of the USB ports (perhaps from current starvation). I guess if one wanted to dive into the power circuit to see if the balance of the components would handle replacing the voltage regulator with a high output current replacement, then with a beefer regulator I would be on board with the ssd swap.
If you are after what the box is meant for the buy a SATV. If you are after dev, then buy a SATV PRO.
The SSHD can be added to the SATV buy soldering on a SATA connector and modifying the device tree....

From what I've read, the Pro model just isn't worth it. Everything runs off the hard drive, including the system ROM, so it is definitely slower. For the $100 difference you could buy a 2 TB external HDD instead and still keep your apps on the internal flash.

Mogster2K said:
From what I've read, the Pro model just isn't worth it. Everything runs off the hard drive, including the system ROM, so it is definitely slower. For the $100 difference you could buy a 2 TB external HDD instead and still keep your apps on the internal flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With Plex Server, is the 16GB version still worth it? I indirectly heard that the Plex Server quickly fills up the 16GB data of onboard memory, and cannot be used on an external USB 3.0 drive. Is this correct?
Can we also plug in a USB 3.0 SSD drive to the Shield, and have the system ROM and all apps run from the USB 3.0 SSD drive, leaving the 16GB onboard memory empty? If the answer is yes, then it's a nobrainer to use a regular Shield rather than a Shield Pro.

I can't answer the first question (I run Plex on a PC, not the Shield) but for the second: there is a method but it's a little tricky. I'm using it now with an old SSD.
http://www.videomap.it/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1580&start=410#p3628
Be sure to format the SSD on your PC and not the Shield or it won't work.

Related

replace the onboard memory chip with a larger one???

Ok, so we all know the internal memory is way to limited for the amount of apps most people will have on the market. So, I have a crazy idea of finding a tech shop that can do the work, and have them replace the onboard memory chip with a larger one. I am fairly, though not 100%, sure that the OS can handle the larger amount of ram.
What do you guys think, would it be a possibility?
Technogen said:
Ok, so we all know the internal memory is way to limited for the amount of apps most people will have on the market. So, I have a crazy idea of finding a tech shop that can do the work, and have them replace the onboard memory chip with a larger one. I am fairly, though not 100%, sure that the OS can handle the larger amount of ram.
What do you guys think, would it be a possibility?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, I don't see why you'd want more RAM, I've never seen any app crash cause the phone ran out of RAM, so I'm guessing you're talking about the built in flash storage. Secondly, I'm fairly sure they solder everything onto the motherboard so unless you're looking to do some elite hacking and happen to have a virtually identically sized but larger capacity flash ROM unit lying around, I wouldn't suggest it.
We aren't called HACKERZ for nothing.
[email protected] said:
First off, I don't see why you'd want more RAM, I've never seen any app crash cause the phone ran out of RAM, so I'm guessing you're talking about the built in flash storage. Secondly, I'm fairly sure they solder everything onto the motherboard so unless you're looking to do some elite hacking and happen to have a virtually identically sized but larger capacity flash ROM unit lying around, I wouldn't suggest it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you mis-understood him.
He meant physical storage.
The apps take up space when you have many of them.
And as you may know, there is a limit to how much space is available since the applications are not stored on the Mem. Card but rather internal memory.
He wants to know if there is a way we can increase the internal storage memory size.
Hope I explained it well.
There have been people that have upgraded the soldered SSD drives on the EEE laptops with larger chips, but the problem becomes the controller. It must be programmed, and unless you have access to the company that sells the controller chip you will have a very hard time flashing it. The ones that have upgraded them all had inside help with flashing the controller. I dont know how much of this would cross over to phone, but it definatly isnt as easy as just replacing the chip- and even that requires a shop capable of reflow work
If you think in terms of computers, your not just replacing the stick of memory, your replacing just the chips ON the stick of memory, and then flashing the controller to be able to address it.
I upgraded the RAM in my PALM a few years ago from 4 to 8 meg.
What a nightmare.
Yeah, it seems easier to install apps to the SD card.
It's exactly what's being said here. It isn't that it can't be done, but it isn't just as easy as replacing the onboard RAM module.
In most cases, it is directly soldered to the MOBO, so, you've got to have someone remove the old RAM module, hopefully not destroying anything else in the process, and then run the risk of the system not booting because the controller for the RAM module doesn't recognize the new chip.
It is a complicated process, to say the least, and it COULD be done....but I wouldn't recommend it.
I had the HTC XV6800 and a lot was discussed about upgrading the memory. That was 2 years ago and nothing has happened. With that said I'm sure it is possible, but you would need a lot of resources and it probably isnt worth it. If you need more space you can always move your apps to the sd card. It works quite well and is available today.
I had a Dell Axim x51v upgraded to 128MB RAM. A Friend of mine had a Universal with 128MB too. Not every device could be upgraded though. Some of the devices have empty place on the board where somebody can just soldier a new compatible chip. For some there is empty place, but the existing chips could be exchanged for bigger ones.
But it is possible and had been done for various HTC devices.
The storage is big enaugh and Apps-to-SD is a matter of seconds. Bigger RAM would be invaluable. Now apps keep unloading themselves all the time when you start a new app, which more or less beats the point of having multitasking OS. I would like to be able to start Music, Browser, Skype and AndNav without having to use the slow swap-to-SD.

32 GB vs 16 GB

what are you guys getting? I ve pre-ordered for the 16gb but thinking to maybe switch to 32gb, for I ve heard 32gb is noticeably faster cuz of bigger storage Idk if that is true... This is my first time using android tablet, ditching ipad finally. I know there is an extended sd card option but still would you buy 32 gb for $50 more?
32gb... Some of these games coming out are over 1gb each, and some are approaching 2gb. I like to have things installed and not have to do the install/uninstall shuffle. Plus to have space for other things. All Media and storage go on the 64gb micro sd card though.
I pre-ordered a 16GB black from Best Buy, then changed my mind to a 32 GB white.
Best to have too much than too little.
They kind of want you to buy the 32gb version since the 16gb version is only 50 bucks less. That being said, I think it matters less on a tablet than on a phone because I always root my tablets. There's less downside from voiding warranty because my tablet is always safe and secure in it's case inside my bag while I'm on the run whereas my phone can be accidentally dropped at any time. That's just me though.
The faster speed from having a larger internal sd card is of somewhat miniscule benefit. For something like a 128gb and 256gb ssd, the improvement will be mildly noticeable but not so much on a tiny sd card. Get the one that fits your needs.
I really want a black one because I prefer understatement (don't want to get robbed too). So if I get a 32gb version, it will be because the 16gb version is only available in white in the states right now.
I got the black 32GB from Best Buy always nice to have extra, also have a 64GB sd card for it.
changed to 32 gb...lol
I was on the fence about getting which one to get too. I decided to get the 16gb because of the Amazon $50 gift card promotion. I don't game alot, so the huge app sizes are not as much as an issue for me. I will put in a 64gb sd card for videos and pictures.
i never game as much as i think i'm going to and always have tons of space left over, lol. i bought just about every emulator and a bunch of games, most of which i've never played or never installed.
i did preorder the 32GB for two reasons - 1: if i want black and by the 11th there's only one choice
2: i swear i'm gonna start playing those games i bought, lol
i also bought another 64GB sd for media. i got a 64 in my ativ 500t and 700t but only a 32 in my gn8. the only reason my phones have 32gb is b/c tw roms are crazy huge compared to AOSP and nandroids are taking 4GB a piece! otherwise 16GB would have been enough.
madsquabbles said:
i never game as much as i think i'm going to and always have tons of space left over, lol. i bought just about every emulator and a bunch of games, most of which i've never played or never installed.
i did preorder the 32GB for two reasons - 1: if i want black and by the 11th there's only one choice
2: i swear i'm gonna start playing those games i bought, lol
i also bought another 64GB sd for media. i got a 64 in my ativ 500t and 700t but only a 32 in my gn8. the only reason my phones have 32gb is b/c tw roms are crazy huge compared to AOSP and nandroids are taking 4GB a piece! otherwise 16GB would have been enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you about the size of the tw roms. Hopefully, there will be root and a streamlined tw rom to help out a bit with that.
Diogenes5 said:
The faster speed from having a larger internal sd card is of somewhat miniscule benefit. For something like a 128gb and 256gb ssd, the improvement will be mildly noticeable but not so much on a tiny sd card. Get the one that fits your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For SSDs why is there any benefit to speed based on size at all? I assumed the OP was just confusing RAM with storage.
For magnetic HDDs, bigger is faster for the same amount of data because on a bigger drive more of that data can be stored towards the edge. The edge of the platter moves quicker, so you get faster R/W times.
Why would different size SSDs have different speeds?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Qzic said:
For SSDs why is there any benefit to speed based on size at all? I assumed the OP was just confusing RAM with storage.
For magnetic HDDs, bigger is faster for the same amount of data because on a bigger drive more of that data can be stored towards the edge. The edge of the platter moves quicker, so you get faster R/W times.
Why would different size SSDs have different speeds?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You get faster speeds on larger SSD drives because of the way the controller works. There are more cells working in parallel which increases speed. Each individual bit of information acts rather slowly in emmc and is pretty consistent across devices as long as the type of Nand is the same. It's the controller which makes the difference in speed and the controller is better when it has more parallel units working in tandem. So in the SSD world, bigger is better.
32g enough for video games
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Expanding Internal storage

OBB data on SD card
I'm using 32GB sd card on 16GB Nvidia Shield..
There is option to move apps and games to sd card.. The OBB data won't support only the application apk are moved actually to sd card... I know this issue is seen from kitkat when Google blocked app to use to sd card.. But in lollipop it was reverted.. So now is it application developer that they are not using sd card or its the OS limitation?
Because games OBB data take all the inbuilt storage... Any solutions for this?
Was this fixed in the 1.2 firmware? They specifically state something about the apps moving to sdcard.
tested this the other day after the update. I installed a 2.6gb game and moved it to a 64gb micro sd. It moved the entire game. i have 2.6gb on the sd card and no storage missing from my system. Nvidia is killing it with this system!!!
jerflash said:
tested this the other day after the update. I installed a 2.6gb game and moved it to a 64gb micro sd. It moved the entire game. i have 2.6gb on the sd card and no storage missing from my system. Nvidia is killing it with this system!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes they are, I am not used to such support.
After the update I noticed all of games on sdcard did not show up for about 5 minutes. I wonder if it moved everything over for me or if I have to remove and reinstall each game?
stackdaddy said:
Yes they are, I am not used to such support.
After the update I noticed all of games on sdcard did not show up for about 5 minutes. I wonder if it moved everything over for me or if I have to remove and reinstall each game?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything worked fine for me...you should not have to do that
Would this work with an external hard drive as well?
uhmump95 said:
Would this work with an external hard drive as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope it's only an option for the Micro SD slot. You cannot put apps on any USB device
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
Well I guess if I get this I will have to go with the 500 gb version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk
uhmump95 said:
Well I guess if I get this I will have to go with the 500 gb version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
500gb version has a hybrid drive with a small flash storage combined with the HDD. It's a good option I just thing the 16gb version with an SD card is more flexible and may perform better in the long run
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
I just moved beach buggy game which was 140mb, at that time internal storage was 8.4 after moving to micro SD card my internal storage is 9gb and on micro SD card whole 140mb data was moved
digweed4me said:
I just moved beach buggy game which was 140mb, at that time internal storage was 8.4 after moving to micro SD card my internal storage is 9gb and on micro SD card whole 140mb data was moved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the pictures on the nVidia slides, do you know if it's possible to open up the casing and install a 2.5" drive yourself ? I might have an old 2.5" drive somewhere. Looks like a drive bay with a regular SATA connector, like the PS3 or PS4.
loekf said:
Looking at the pictures on the nVidia slides, do you know if it's possible to open up the casing and install a 2.5" drive yourself ? I might have an old 2.5" drive somewhere. Looks like a drive bay with a regular SATA connector, like the PS3 or PS4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe I read the non-Pro version does not have the connector available. There IS a spot for a surface mount connection, but that would take some semi-experienced soldering.
I'm interested to know what the people who went for the HD model are storing on there? I stream all my media so a 64gb Micro sd would probably be more than sufficient for apps and android games. If the markup to the HD model was $50 it would be a no brainier, but $100 is a bit steep. I'm guessing we might see a price drop in upcoming months. The device is definitely to my "to get" list, im UK based so will import via amazon
baileyjr said:
I'm interested to know what the people who went for the HD model are storing on there? I stream all my media so a 64gb Micro sd would probably be more than sufficient for apps and android games. If the markup to the HD model was $50 it would be a no brainier, but $100 is a bit steep. I'm guessing we might see a price drop in upcoming months. The device is definitely to my "to get" list, im UK based so will import via amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if the Shield tablet is the same but even though I use Foldermount to move game data to external SD, I ended up maxing out my internal storage since it still keeps some of the app internally along with my other apps. If the move to sd option on the shield TV does the same, then eventually you will run out of internal memory. But from what I'm reading here, it moves everything, so you might be ok. The problem with my shield tablet is since I'm out of internal memory I cannot update any of my games and large apps unless I make more room.. So I decided to go with the 500gb with the shield TV so I don't run into any issues later. I'm also going to download movies so I need more room.
I believe it does more the whole app now buddy. I do understand the need for local storage if you'r storing films and other media on there. Its just for my use case I have a NAS device plugged into my wireless router and just stream everything from there. Getting a NAS was the best purchase I ever made and I would recommend it to anyone. I think it was like $100 and them I just dropped a 4tb drive in there. Instant network share and streaming for all the devices in the home.
I got the 500gb. After owning the Shield Portable and then the Shield Tablet. I did not want to got through the lack of storage again. I did not like moving apps to the sd card since it is much slower storage. Also I used my refund from the Beats Pill XL recall so it was an easy choice of which Shield version to get.
I for one don't like the idea of the OS running off the hd of the 500gb model so I bought me a high performing micro sd. This one has read/write speeds up to 90mb/s.
I have yet to test its performance off of the Shield console but I've read these cards perform around the max speeds on the Shield tablet.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NU...xtreme+pro&dpPl=1&dpID=416zADw75yL&ref=plSrch
Se7eN43 said:
I for one don't like the idea of the OS running off the hd of the 500gb model so I bought me a high performing micro sd. This one has read/write speeds up to 90mb/s.
I have yet to test its performance off of the Shield console but I've read these cards perform around the max speeds on the Shield tablet.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NU...xtreme+pro&dpPl=1&dpID=416zADw75yL&ref=plSrch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the lexar 128gb rated at 95mb/s for my note 4, and using A1 Sd benchmark I only get 46mb read / 17mb write. I will side load that app to my console and see how the card does compared to the 500gb drive.
aznmode said:
I bought the lexar 128gb rated at 95mb/s for my note 4, and using A1 Sd benchmark I only get 46mb read / 17mb write. I will side load that app to my console and see how the card does compared to the 500gb drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to be careful when looking at these micro SD cards and their write speeds. A lot of them just say "up to 90MB/s", but never specify if that is read or write speeds until you dig through the tech details. I also came across the Lexar first, but noticed that the write speeds were very low, which actually seems to be the norm for most 128GB cards at the moment.
The only two I would recommend is the above Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB, or the Samsung 64GB Pro. I actually just bought the Samsung tonight as a used Amazon warehouse deal for $36, still facotry sealed.
Only card I recommend anyone buy these days are the Samsung Evo cards. I have had zero issues with them. Plenty fast. I record 4K straight to the card all of the time without any glitches.
I'm actually running an older sandisk extreme 64gb in my shield right now because I had it living around. Had problems in my LG g3 with it but it is working flawless in my shield... Go figure.
I'm also running all of my video and emulated roms off of a 64gb usb 2.0 stick from sandisk. Works great
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

is this worth getting over the amazon fire tv?

I own a amazon firetv stick (late to the party) had it for a month or more seen the new model is coming out was about to buy the box this time as im loving using kodi on it, I would however like to use it as a android gaming machine eg make use of the sd card slot and usb ports I know it doesnt support the google play store, ive been sideloading apps on my fire tv stick.can the shield do the same eg use usb storage and sideload games that are not the android tv platform?
what would you reccomend as there is a big price gap between both, I know the shield comes with a controller but it doesnt include a remote and the fire tv includes a remote but no controller
I personally am glad that I bought this box. It's the most powerful Android box on the market and it might not be superseded for a long time, especially in terms of android gaming. The main issue for me with the Fire TV which I did consider was that it uses an non-mainline branch of android and is relatively heavily locked down.
On the other hand this box isn't without it's drawbacks, the price being the main one. It's aimed at casual gamers, yet the price for the 500 GB version is creeping close to that of full-sized consoles. I also personally do not like the Nvidia controller and have hacked it to use a PS4 controller.
Sideload apps is of course possible, but hit-and-miss when using a controller. The touchpad on the PS4 controller is especially useful here.
As for the lack of a remote, the Shield does have an IR port and I had falsely assumed that there would be some way of programming it to respond to any old IR remote. That doesn't seem to be the case, at least not yet.
In conclusion, if you have the money and are really only into casual/android games like me then the 16 GB model + SD card is a safe bet. However if you like to have a large selection of AAA games and you don't care about all the media and emulation capabilities of the Shield then you're better off spending a little extra on a console.
I bought the 16gb model and I'm not disappointed. I'm not really into native android gaming and have a fair selection of emulators installed but all the ROMS are no an external usb drive. If your streaming games via GRID or a PC then they take up zero space on your device. Having been spoiled by AAA PC games I find native android gaming underwhelming.
Something else worth noting about Nvidia GameStream: Don't make the mistake I made. I assumed that all modern Nvidia cards are GameStream capable and that simply isn't the case. It's still restricted only to the higher end GTX cards.
I love my Shield, I got the 16 GB model since I figured if I needed more storage I would use a MicroSD and USB HDD (which I currently do) but it not as easy to use compared to the 500 GB model. Mine bricked itself after an update and if I can't fix it I'm going to see if I can get the 500 GB model for an extra charge after I RMA the 16 GB or I may just buy it flat out.
I think the 500Gb model is only worth it if your going to install a load of android games. Even then after rooting and setting up Foldermount to map the Obb and data folders to the usb drive I haven't experienced any problems. The only thing I use the micro sd for now is capturing video. I just feel the $100 markup to the 500gb version is overpriced. It should have been $50 more and it would have been a no brainier.
I have a bunch of ROMs for old games on my external HDD currently (a few hundred GB worth) and I have a bunch of big games installed on my microSD.
so you need to root to install games on sd / usb
but what about the nvidia updates, can that affect the root? and brick the box
is there guide for this.. as i would like to put all my games ideally on an sd card 64gb or a 1tb usb external?
Flashed with full android 1.8 the shield become a emulating beast able to run anything you throw at it. It is a really great htpc/PC replacement.
And with link2sd you can move large games obb to sd.

extreme lag on kodi with adoptive storage.

I have a 16gb Nvidia shield. Absolutely love the speed and versatility of this box. I mainly use it for streaming and the odd gaming session. My son has started to enjoy playing games on it and has very quickly filled up the small 16gb storage. I decided to take advantage of the adoptive storage feature in android 7 so I can put a lot more games on it. I tried it with a class 10 memory card and found it made everything lag terribly. So I presumed the card wasn't fast enough, so I bought a 64gb Lexar jump drive USB 3.0 memory stick which I read was fast enough. I am still having issues with lag. Mainly on kodi. Everything is extremely slow which makes using the app almost impossible. I am wondering if buying a decent ssd hard drive would solve this issue?
My question is "has anyone any experience with kodi on the box, using adoptive storage? And which external ssd or USB devices do you recommend?
Thanks in advance guys.
Check out this thread its all about testing different adaptive storage devices. https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/919849/shield-tv/share-your-adopted-storage-speeds-/
No issues with WD2TB USB3.0 drive. Just lags on boot (loading home screen and services) and then it's butter smooth.
Great thanks for that. Are you using a kodi build or your own setup? Is it just a USB 3.0 drive? Not an ssd?
Cheers
Or are you not talking about kodi? It doesn't lag much on mine. Except when running kodi. Kodi lags terribly.

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