Hi, thanks for tuning in, and today we have an exciting new review, an this time its a
powerful new TV box for those who love high end boxes.
This box is the CSA96, Rockchip RK3399, hexa cor Android 6.0 4K TV box.
After the break, I have a full review of its hardware and features, and we'll see if this
device is worth buying.
So stay tuned, I'll be back in a minute.
So let's begin.
The CSA96 comes in this solid blue box with only some branding at the top, and it says
its a Rockchip RK3399 which is the CPU, and its a 4K UHD TV box.
There are no other specifications on the outside, so I'll just highlight its specifications
while un packing the contents of the box.
The CSA96 runs on the powerful 64bit RK3399 hexa core CPU, running up to 2.0 GHz.
This CPU comprises of two cores, a dual core cortex A72, and a quad core cortex A53 for
a total of 6 cores.
Its display is powered by the Mali T860 quad core GPU, running up to 650 MHz.
It comes with 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and 32GB of eMMc internal storage.
It comes with 802.11 AC dual band WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0.
In the box, you have the CSA96 TV box itself.
You get this infrared remote, which is simple to use and controls the basic functions of
the box, however, if you are interested in advanced functions, or you intend on programing
the Kodi application to stream free movies and TV shows, then you may want to consider
purchasing an omni directional mini touchpad keyboard, or a Bluetooth air mouse for easy
navigation.
Don't get me wrong, you can use the stock remote to do all of the above, but when it
comes to typing letters and trying to perform a touch function like zooming in, then you'll
see how sometimes it becomes a challange.
See the link in the description area for more information.
As we proceed, you get 1 HDMI cable.
They were very nice to include this white USB type C cable which also performs as an
OTG cable.
You get a 5 volts 2.5 amps power adapter, with a range of 100 to 2 hundred and 40 volts.
And you get this quick setup guide.
Let's examine the box.
The CSA96 comes in two colors, black, an silver.
Its made of plastic, and it's so well designed it looks and feels like polished metal.
To the back, you have 1 HDMI port, 1 optical audio port, 1 RJ45 Ethernet LAN port, a reset
pinhole button, and a DC power input.
To the right, you have 1 SD card slot, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.0 port, and 1 USB type C
port.
These different USB ports provides the latest in USB connection technology, and provide
users with super fast data transfer speeds between the box and the latest external storage
devices.
To the left, you have an infrared receiver.
To the front, you have an LED power light and a power button.
At the top, you have a Rockchip sticker with some branding.
And to the bottom, you have some ventilation holes.
So it's time to setup this box on my TV, and when I return we'll continue.
So I'm connected and ready to go, and as I startup the box, it shows this Android startup
animation for a couple of seconds, and then we're presented with this launcher.
The launcher has this simple layout, with large buttons and with the option to add shortcuts.
The launcher comes with a status bar at the top, and a navigation bar at the bottom.
To access the navigation bar simply swipe in an upwards motion at the bottom of the
screen to reveal It!
If you go to the apps section, here we have all the apps laid out horizontally in large
display, with the option to swipe to access more apps.
The CSA96 comes with your usual system apps, and you have additional apps like Facebook,
Twitter, Skype, YouTube, and Kodi.
To complete my review, I'll include my usual set of system information and benchmarking
applications, and when I return I'll continue.
So I've installed all the apps I need, and first let's check if this box is rooted.
It shows that the box is rooted, running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.
This opens up full access to the google play store, to download and install any app with
out restrictions.
Let me now show you how to access the updates feature, and we'll also check to see if there
are any new available updates.
And it says that it's the latest version, which means that there are no available updates
at this time.
Let's take a look at its system and hardware information.
Under system information, here it shows that the manufacturer is Rockchip, and the model
is the CSA96Q4.
Below it shows that the box has 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and below is shows the remaining memory
and internal storage from the 32GB after the operating system and the apps installed on
the box.
Under CPU information, it shows that the CPU is a 64bit cortex A72, + a cortex A53 for
a total of 6 cores, running up to 2.0 GHz.
It also shows that this device has support for 32 and 64bit ABIs, which allows it to
run both 32 and 64bit applications.
Under display information, it shows your screen resolution, and it shows that the display
is powered by the Mali T860 quad core GPU, with a refresh rate of 60 hz.
Under network information, it shows that the box has support for 802.11 AC dual band WiFi,
and it also shows its signal strength link speed and frequency.
Under Android information, it shows the version installed is Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and
below it also shows that the box is rooted.
Under thermal information, the box runs around 55 to 60°C on normal cooling, and around
40 to 50° on passive cooling.
Under codecs information, it shows that you have codecs like H.264, HEVC, and VP9 decoding,
all needed for 4K video playback.
And that's it for system and hardware information, and we now move on to the benchmarks.
First, I have the results from the memory read an write speeds.
The CSA96 has a RAM copy speed of 9600.83 MB/s.
The internal memory, has a read speed of a hundred and 39 MB/s, an a write speed of 78.
The SD card slot has a read speed of 25 MB/s, an a write speed of 17.
You would normally see these kinds of high scores coming from the RK3399 boxes, making
them ideal for running more demanding applications.
I now have the results from the WiFi speed test.
The scores I got were not that impressive on my internet package.
However, the box is capable of achieving much better scores on a network over 100MB, like
a fiber network with much higher speeds.
We now have the results from the Antutu benchmark.
When all tests were complete, the CSA96 got an Antutu score of 78 thousand and 36.
This score is again higher than the average TV box.
Next, we have the results from the Geekbench 4 CPU benchmark.
After the series of timed tasks were complete, the CSA96 scored a Geekbench 4 score of 1
thousand 3 hundred and 70 single-core, an 2 thousand 6 hundred and 29 multi-core.
And for my final benchmark, I have the Ice storm extreme 3D graphics benchmark.
After all the 3D graphics tests were complete, the CSA96 got a score of 10 thousand 3 hundred
and 13.
This is a very high score, in fact, It's one of the highest Ice storm extreme GPU scores
I ever got on my channel, which is good news for gaming.
And now on to the entertainment side of the box.
Let's start with the Kodi application.
Kodi comes pre installed and it comes with the latest version.
If you go to settings, and then to system information, it shows that the version of
Kodi is 17.4.
Kodi comes pre loaded with a couple of third party addons, however, you'll have to install
some of the more recent updated versions to enjoy the latest free movies and TV shows.
So I have in stalled a couple of the recent addons that actually work, and they stream
free movies and TV shows in HD quality.
You can also stream free movies and TV shows from streaming services installed via APKs.
Some of the popular ones include, Terrarium TV.
Mob dro.
MegaBox HD.
And ShowBox.
These are just some of the many streaming services you can install via APKs.
I will now run some 4K video samples to test the box's 4K playback capability.
These video samples were loaded on to the boxes internal storage for optimal playback
performance.
So the 4K video samples played quite well, with one of the jellyfish videos at 400 Mbps
playing with a little hesitation in the beginning.
Let's open You Tube an run a sample 4K video.
The YouTube application runs in HD 1080p quality, but not in 4K quality on my TV.
And for my final demonstration, I'm running some games to test the real time gaming performance
on this device.
After all, it comes with high end hardware, so let's take in some gaming action.
These games contains fighting, so parental descression is advised.
So the games ran smoothly, and the 3D graphics was of a high quality.
So in summary, the CSA96 is a high end TV box that meets all the requirements of most
TV box enthusiasts.
It has a hexa core CPU running up to 2.0 GHz.
It has a quad core Mali T860 GPU, The box is rooted, It comes with 32GB of internal
storage, and it has dual band WiFi support.
The box does not overheat, You can watch unlimited streams of free movies and TV shows, it plays
4K videos up to 60 fps, and the 3D gaming experience was of a high quality.
On the flip side, this box hass room for some improvements.
They could have implemented DDR4 memory instead of DDR3, 64GB of internal storage instead
of 32, a wireless air mouse, an Android 7.1 would have been a nice addition.
However, Android 7.1 should be available via firmware updates, which we will sure to see
in the future.
So I'm giving the CSA96 My personal reviewer's choice endorsement for accessability, high
performance, and hardware.
I've come to the end of my review of the CSA96 hexa core 4K TV box.
If you would like to get your hands on this amazing device, it is currently being sold
at 13 to 14% discount, an it is in limited supply.
Use the link provided in the description area below this video to take advantage of this
offer.
This also helps to support this channel an my website, and it assists me in bringing
more TV box reviews.
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