FAQ #5

How fast can I update my NeoPixels

There are two pieces to this question really. One is how much time does it take to send the data to the NeoPixels. And the other is how fast can your code provide the next set of changes so they can be sent.

How much time does it take to send the data to the NeoPixels?

The wire protocol takes 30us per pixel, plus 50us latch between updates, and a little overhead of about 10us should be expected.

   microseconds = pixelcount x 30 + 50 + 10

Depending on the "method" used to send this data, the actual time the CPU takes will vary greatly.
For most platforms, the CPU will be doing the work. So the cpu will consume time to do all the work except for the latching. So you end up with...

  cpu microseconds = pixelcount * 30 + 10;

Once its finished with raw data, it will return from 'Show()'. It does not wait on the latch time before returning, but it will wait on it if you call Show() again.
For the NeoEsp8266Dma800KbpsMethod, it uses the hardware to send the data. But it does have to copy the working buffer into the DMA buffer. This copying of the buffers will also vary depending on the pixel count, but now we are talking on the order of 0.05 us per pixel if running at 80mhz. 160mhz will make it even less. Once its copied, it will return from 'Show()' to let you start preparing the next frame of data.

How fast can my code provide data for the NeoPixels?

This truly depends on how complex your sketch is. How many animations, how complex the animations, and what other things are you doing.
You can never overrun the NeoPixelBus, as the Show() will block if there is an already outstanding frame being sent or waiting for latch. If you are hitting this, then you are working faster than the time it takes to send the data to the pixels; which is as fast as you can ever get.