I'm aware this is a dumb question. I've searched and read plenty but I'm still at the point where I don't know enough to find the answers I don't understand.... :/ Flame away I suppose.

Background (skip this if you don't care):
Anyways, I'm considering making the leap to a standalone. My car is currently a stock '99 engine and I would like more power, but I don't have high goals currently. I know I can't gain **** without controlling fuel and spark to work with new parts so a standalone (and rudimentary knowledge of how to tune it) seem like the best first step. Not looking to do FI right now but would like to keep that option open. For now Im just looking for a little more juice and a reliable car that I can keep at WOT for a few 20 minute sessions on the track and drive home. Also, being able to switch back to the stock ECU once a year for OBDII inspections is a must.

My Actual Question (also skip this part if you don't care I guess):
What is the difference between MS3X, DIYPNP2, and MS3 Mini and when are each the most beneficial. It seems like all 3 are around the same price +/- $100, although only the DIYPNP2 seems to be available through "major" retailers. Braineaks MS3X seems to be the most feature rich for the money (I mean, the number is higher and it doesn't say "Mini") but are these features I would even be able to make use of? And how does the DIYPNP2 compare to MSLabs MS3 Mini?

Sorry if these questions are stupid. If you answer them, I promise to ask increasingly less stupid questions over time.

 

Dunno, what are your requirements? IF you just want the most headroom then yeah get what has more features, but don't forget things like warranty that come into play. With something available retail you have a lot more options if something breaks that's strictly hardware related to the ECU itself (as long as you didn't do something stupid with it). I bought a used MS3X that I spent about a year just to get it working because the CPU died in it. No evidence of how it died, it just died. I could have saved a lot of headache if it were an off the shelf ECU where the company I bought it from did warranty work. MS3X is a great platform, but it's also aging. I went into it knowing it was older tech since it fit my needs, but mostly because I "got a deal" (reason it was $300 was the dude needed to get out from under it since he broke it). Don't do that to yourself. If you like a project and feel like you can deal with open-source instructions, sure. I wish I would have built it myself as opposed to rebuilding someone else's mistake. The gift/curse of megasquirt is how versatile it is. You can do anything with it, BUT you have to whip out the soldering iron and schematics. That's less so the issue with some of the more off the shelf options. As far as asking "what is different between ECU X and Y" you need to do some more research. Figure out what you need now and make a list of things you want in the future.

This goal can be easily done on MS2. Hell, probably even MS1 if you're a narcissist. (Don't actually remotely consider MS1) It seems like you're overthinking things a bit as far as what to get and why. Want megasquirt? Get what matches your needs. Have future needs? Get something that fits those needs. If you just want to cover ALL your bases (other than your wallet) just bite the bullet and get a MSPNP Pro.

 

Ignoring the coolstorybro, ms3x wins hands down, no contest. The extra features is what separates a decently running car from a well running car. Any time people bring "low power goals" as justification to get a much older, much more primitive, much lower tech ecu I write them off as beyond help.