[mythtv-users] what FE options are out there?

[Tim Draper]

i've been using a 2820 nuc (celeron2830) as my primary FE and it's been nigh on perfect. small, quiet, and so far reliable. 
 
Unfortunately it seems i've had some power surges. Today i've found out one of my surge protectors is no longer protecting and the one behind the tv isnt actually a surge protector at all so that would likely explain why i lost a network switch last month. maybe it took my NUC NIC out with it too somehow as the issues seem to of been going on for about the same period (NUC itself it plugged into an APC UPS). The penny only just dropped that the nuc issues have been going on since about when i replacing the network switch. 
 
with a related thread: "FE instability - time to start fresh on new install?" i tried wiping the FE and starting again but even after a fresh Centos7 install, the NIC locked up for about 10mins before it unfroze. Maybe with a bit of help from ifdown/ifup which took many minutes to complete. unfortunately nothing useful in dmesg to help why the NIC went AWOL. Aside from the network issue, the NUC seemed to be performing fine locally. 
 
just to prove it's not the new network switch, i've replaced network cable to the NUC and moved ports to a known good port. So while i'm testing that, i'm looking at my options:
- Cheapest option would be to buy a USB NIC. 
- based on my rpi3 FE's, they're fine for livetv/recordings, but get flaky results with content in the 'video' category. a bitrate/cpu issue as they just cant keep up so not suitable for the main FE.
- The latest celeron based NUC (NUC6CAYH) is very interesting. Obviously VAAPI being pure intel based. does anyone have one and can comment on their performance? 600mhz lower cpu on the 2gen's newer NUC6 vs my 2820 NUC. These are certainly my favourite option based on current experience and it's price point. Can use my existing DDR3L, and sata SSD drive, so i'd just buying the base unit. 
 - final option is something nvidia based but struggling to find something in budget (upto around £130). what nvidia options are people using?

due to an enclosed AV cabinet, i'm somewhat limited to physical size so ideally be along the lines of 12v/externalPSU ITX or smaller footprint.