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Tested: Asus Chromebox Based On Haswell Core i3

Posted by timothy on from the who-needs-a-bigger-one dept.

MojoKid writes "The Asus Chromebox is a tiny palm-sized machine similar in form and footprint to Intel's line of NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini PCs. One of the higher-end Asus Chromebox variants coming to market employs Intel's 4th generation Haswell Core series processor architecture with Integrated HD 4400 graphics. The machine is packed with fair number of connectivity options including four USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports, HDMI and DisplayPort output, a microSD Flash card slot, 802.11n dual-band WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. It also sports a 1.7GHz dual-core Core i3-4010U processor with Hyper-Threading for four logical processing threads and 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz memory. Finally, the onboard 16GB SSD storage might be appear a bit meager, but it's backed up by 100GB of Google Drive cloud storage for 2 years. In testing, the device proved to be capable in some quick and dirty browser-based benchmarks. For the class of device and use case that the Chromebox caters to, Google has covered most of what folks look for with the Chrome OS. There's basic office productivity apps, video and media streaming apps, and even a few games that you might care to fire up. The Asus Chromebox handles all of these usage types with ease and it's also barely audible while consuming only about 18 Watts under load."

10 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can I install Windows 8.1 on this so I can get rid of the Google ad/spy ware?

    1. Re:Awesome! by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 2

      Obviously trolling, but kind of an interesting question as the hardware isn't bad. I don't know why anyone would buy it with the intention of windows-izing it, but maybe the build quality is better than what the send windows in? Any case there are a million reasons for doing anything.

      http://windows.microsoft.com/e...

      Only 32 bit windows would fit, due to the 16 GB of storage.

      Also not sure if the open source Coreboot will work with windows 8.1. You'd need to install seabios first, that's supposed to work for earlier versions of windows. Not sure about 8.

      http://www.coreboot.org/SeaBIO...

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    2. Re:Awesome! by recoiledsnake · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But atleast you can install Firefox or any other native application instead of only Google being able to install native apps.

      I have no idea why Slashdot seems to cheer on this DRM'ed up the wazoo "computer" that's more locked down than a Windows PC.

      --
      This space for rent.
    3. Re:Awesome! by Ken_g6 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Maybe, but in that case you could simply get a NUC instead.

      On one hand, an equivalent NUC is cheaper at $290.

      On the other hand, the ASUS comes with a (small) SSD, RAM, and "a custom wireless ASUS Chrome keyboard and mouse that are collectively valued at $49." The NUC comes with none of those. Together those probably cost more than the $80 difference in price.

      On the other hand, you could get a last-generation NUC with an i3 for $180.

      On the other hand, there's a lower-end ASUS Chromebox, with a Celeron, RAM, and an SSD, also for $180. (No keyboard/mouse with this one.)

      On the other hand, I'm running out of hands!

      --
      (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
    4. Re:Awesome! by idontgno · · Score: 2

      All of that means that you're buying your discounted hardware with your personal information and your willing agreement to be another statistic in their advertising numbers.

      I suspect that's a fair trade for a lot of people, considering how little they actually value their privacy.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  2. Re:Worthless by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, this computer is completely unsuited for my needs as a bitcoin mining supercomputer, so no one should buy one.

    Unless, of course, you have different needs than mine.

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  3. 16GB SSD storage is enough for Linux by wiredog · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A lightweight one with X and xfce. Put /user on a USB drive and you're set.

    I wonder how hard it is to hack the bootloader?

    --

    Best Slashdot Co
    1. Re:16GB SSD storage is enough for Linux by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Informative

      With some (all?) Chromebooks -- and I would expect a Chromebox to be the same -- you can just enable "developer mode" and chroot. See this article for more details.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    2. Re:16GB SSD storage is enough for Linux by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I don't think Chrome OS makes any sense for a reader of /.

      I'm currently *reading* Slashdot on my Chromebook, you insensitive clod.

  4. Definitely not for power users by ErichTheRed · · Score: 2

    Even though I do find myself using things like OneDrive and Dropbox to keep non-sensitive stuff I'm working on available at home or at work, I'm not totally convinced that most power users will be replacing their PC or laptop with what's essentially a thin client that Google has control over.

    On the other hand, for people who truly don't know any better, live in a location with five-nine, super-fast broadband access and just don't have the savvy to understand that their data is being mined by a third party, this might take off. It's the same reason tablets are taking off among the "content consumer" set. Amazon is doing something very similar with the Kindle Fire -- basically give away the hardware with the knowledge that Amazon uses your browsing habits to improve their prediction engine.

    Honestly, I wish Google and similar services would offer a "paid" version with no data mining or tracking. People forget that the awesome search engine, maps, etc. aren't a free resource, and their data is paying Google's bills.