BTW: Software support is also an issue with really energy efficient x86 designs (to be used as SBC). Recently checked situation with my old UP Board using an Intel Atom: https://forum.armbian.com/topi…formance-compared-to-arm/
HC2 is far from being perfect (both network and storage are connected via USB3 which puts a bit of an unnecessary load on the system. Also I would prefer a 64-bit ARM design these days). But HC2 simply works as performant and pretty compact NAS and very important: it avoids common hardware hassles people would otherwise have (see my signature).
Helios4 software support is excellent due to Armada 38x SoC used there being... an older design
God - I am so torn over this issue.
For my particular needs, I think the Helios4 has the slight edge.
However, I also hate fans. Just thinking outside the box, how easy would it be to somehow use the Helios4 with a 140mm PWM instead?
Is it possible to turn off PWM fans completely when not needed?