I’m thinking about picking up a Acer Chromebook 15 for college next year. I realize that the build quality isn’t the greatest, and it’s lacking in RAM and storage space, but for the price point ($480 on TigerDirect), it looks really good. It has one of the best screens on any laptop under $600, while also packing an i5. If I could find a Windows laptop with a high quality 1080p screen for that cheap, I’d pick it up in a heartbeat. It is almost impossible to find both decent hardware and a decent 1080p screen for that price point.
Clearly I’ll be making a trade-off since I can’t install Windows 7/8/10/etc on it, but I can run Linux. My only gripe is the 4GB of ram, but both Linux and ChromeOS are pretty light on ram, so I’m not too concerned. I am concerned that I won’t be able to access software that I need for school (I’ll be taking Computer Science) but I hear that most computer science programs prefer Linux anyways, so will I really be missing out on anything? What do you guys think about the Acer Chromebook 15, or just ChromeOS and Chromebooks in general?
Cheap, runs ChromeOS well, so easy to use a monkey could do it, supports Linux installing, and open source BIOS. ChromeOS is also slated to be able to run android apps in a future version. And they come with 1TB of Google Drive
Meh, some of the Chromebooks are pretty shoddy, while others are surprisingly good for how cheap they are. Take for example the Toshiba Chromebook 2. A 1080P IPS display laptop for under $300? That's rather impressive, despite the lackluster processor. However, Chromebooks using parts found in mostly tablets and mobile phones don't seem like they are really worth the price.
Mobile processors are actually catching up in terms of performance. The Nexus 9 Has a CPU that performs similarly to the base 2009 Mac Pros. The Exynos 5 in Samsung's Chrome book is more than enough for basic GIMP and Web Browsing. Hell, it could probably play Trine 2 with decent settings and multilib. Another cool aspect is that you could install Linux on one. Now not only do you have a laptop with a 1080p display under $300, but now you have something for light gaming granted you tweak a few things. I don't really need a high end laptop as I will soon have a super powerful desktop for everything, and a student (except in some rare cases) could easily get by without OS X or Windows.
I have the Lenovo x131e. I would not recommened it now though. It is running older hardware and does not have a traditional BIOS like some of the newer models so getting Linux on it is a bit more work. It is however very well built for the price.
Personally would rather have a 'Windows 8 with Bing' laptop as they aren't gimped from the start but the Chromebooks tend to be easier to get Linux running on.
I looked at some of the reviews of the Samsung Exynos Chromebook, and I read that it hangs after more than a couple tabs open. I agree on the mobile processor point, but they aren't quite there yet. I'd much rather pony up $50 to $100 more on something that I know will last me a bit longer. Honestly, I wouldn't even be considering Chromebooks if it weren't for the screen resolutions though. For some reason hardware manufacturers won't stick a 1080p screen on anything less than $700.
So after a ton of research on running Linux (and Wine, cause why not) on a Chromebook, I am starting to look into my wallet. And I am faced with a question, how does installing and running Linux affect battery life and performance, on the Crouton route.
I was recently on a flight and saw a guy using a Chromebook for video and whatever you do with a Chromebook on a plane, and realized that it might have been a much better solution to doing stuff on a plane/long trip/being stupid away from home. As I've always struggled with battery life and pricing, I'm wondering what Chromebook + Linux can offer me.
I might mention really quick that Lenovo does have sales pretty often, which is where I picked up my current laptop, a G510. Cost me about 600 USD, they also have the Y40 line, which is occasionally on sale too, and is very cheap, also around 600 USD. I almost regret getting the G510 because I never even saw the Y40 (I wanted a numpad, lulz).
However, compared to a Chromebook, you will have a terrible battery and some other crap that Windows does.