[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chromebooks (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/29/2016 5:44:38 PM EDT
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I am not a "computer guy", but I am on them all the time.
My kids' schools use Chromebooks exclusively for their school work and my wife thinks it might be a good idea for them to have one for home The problem is that these things appear to be the dark shadow of the computer sales world, so I don't really know what would be good or what is just too new to be worth it. I think that I would like touchscreen, but beyond that, I really don't know what would be best recommended for brand, speed/storage, screen size, or potential accessories. I believe what I am looking for will be somewhere in the $250+/- range each. I see them on Amazon and other sites for about that much, but it is info overload looking at them. Can someone provide some insight? |
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I am not a "computer guy", but I am on them all the time. My kids' schools use Chromebooks exclusively for their school work and my wife thinks it might be a good idea for them to have one for home The problem is that these things appear to be the dark shadow of the computer sales world, so I don't really know what would be good or what is just too new to be worth it. I think that I would like touchscreen, but beyond that, I really don't know what would be best recommended for brand, speed/storage, screen size, or potential accessories. I believe what I am looking for will be somewhere in the $250+/- range each. I see them on Amazon and other sites for about that much, but it is info overload looking at them. Can someone provide some insight? 
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I like the concept. Haven't taken the plunge yet as I recently got a very good used laptop.
Safe bet would probably be to just buy the exact model the school is using, or at least use those specs as a baseline and go above. ETA I'll echo the above that CPU is probably the overwhelming concern. Local storage is not really a concern, assuming you don't load it down with apps most work product (documents, spreadsheet, etc.) will probably be stored in a Google Drive account. |
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I have an Acer 15 with the i3 processor. The things are stupid fast, never slow down or age, and are sufficient for doing 99% of the shit most people do on the computer. If you actually desire "storage" many models will accept you swapping the SSD for something more substantial- but I've never felt the need even though I've always detested the concept of the cloud despite having an unlimited data plan. Search "best Chromebooks of 2016" or something like that and read a comparo. See what tickles your fancy and fills your needs in regards to screen quality, brightness, speed, and keyboard. Eta: as others have said processor and memory is key. If you get the upgraded tier version you are normally good 4GB ram vs 2GB and the best processor. They are still so fucking cheap even getting the top tier one you are out lightyears ahead of shit laptops that will choke in a year. |
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so what I use my laptop for Quoted:
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Think of them as little things you can surf the Web and do little tasks with. Super computers they aren't. so what I use my laptop for Yes. It's great unless you do video or photo editing , or want to play video games. |
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We have over 7,000 at work (K12 Education models). Mostly Lenovo N22's, Dell 11's and Lenovo 11N's.
Do NOT buy the Lenovo N22. We have had a rather large number of failures of those models due to a poor connector design (inside the unit connecting the screen to the motherboard) Generally I would recommend making sure it has an Intel processor. We have found the non-Intel ones a little light on the processor power and lag on some apps. Of the ones that I have used (Acer, ASUS, Samsung, Dell and Lenovo) I like the Dell Chromebook 11 and Lenovo 11e the best. Generally, spend more than $200 on one. The sub-200 ones are cheap and slower. As with any computers, the more RAM and faster processor the better, then you are just picking screen size. I like the Chromebooks. They work well for a lot of general purpose computing, especially if you already use Gmail and get in to using Google Docs. Any more, I do a lot of stuff in Google Docs (Docs and Sheets mostly) |
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Don't. Just Don't. You cant install anything with an .exe extension.
We have a Chromebook, and the OS is just useless. I cant even say that it is good for doing most internet stuff. You need a lot of plugins for things you encounter on the net which are downloaded as apps, and guess what, there are a lot of places you will roam online that Google's OS doesn't have an app for. For example, we do a lot of couponing, but many of the coupon sites have apps for printing the coupons that aren't compatible with Google's OS. Buy once, cry once. |
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Don't. Just Don't. You cant install anything with an .exe extension. We have a Chromebook, and the OS is just useless. I cant even say that it is good for doing most internet stuff. You need a lot of plugins for things you encounter on the net which are downloaded as apps, and guess what, there are a lot of places you will roam online that Google's OS doesn't have an app for. For example, we do a lot of couponing, but many of the coupon sites have apps for printing the coupons that aren't compatible with Google's OS. Buy once, cry once. That's kind of the point. It doesn't start running like a piece of crap after windows decides to install a bunch of crap on it. |
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We have over 7,000 at work (K12 Education models). Mostly Lenovo N22's, Dell 11's and Lenovo 11N's. Do NOT buy the Lenovo N22. We have had a rather large number of failures of those models due to a poor connector design (inside the unit connecting the screen to the motherboard) Generally I would recommend making sure it has an Intel processor. We have found the non-Intel ones a little light on the processor power and lag on some apps. Of the ones that I have used (Acer, ASUS, Samsung, Dell and Lenovo) I like the Dell Chromebook 11 and Lenovo 11e the best. Generally, spend more than $200 on one. The sub-200 ones are cheap and slower. As with any computers, the more RAM and faster processor the better, then you are just picking screen size. I like the Chromebooks. They work well for a lot of general purpose computing, especially if you already use Gmail and get in to using Google Docs. Any more, I do a lot of stuff in Google Docs (Docs and Sheets mostly) This is the type answer I am looking for. Thanks for the input. I did not mean to be humorous about speed/storage, but I have noticed that on most units, speed ranges from 2-4 Gig and storage 16-32 Gig. I don't know how well that translates into use. As far as size, I don't want a laptop sized computer. Probably something in the 10-12" size. It will be for a kid, anyway. |
| I've had a small Acer CB for well over a year and it works just as well as they day I bought it. Obviously it has very little storage compared to my MacBook Pro, but for surfing the web and upping my postcount on arfcom it works great. It's small and very light, I usually travel w/ it instead of the MacBook. Battery easily lasts all day. |
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They are less capable than a good smartphone. They are Web surfer's only. Get a laptop instead. Disagree. If you use your laptop for banking, browsing and visiting Amazon like most of us, a Chromebook is the way to go. Much safer than a laptop that can harbor all kinds of malicious spyware and pernicious viruses. It won't run sophisticated software, but most of us don't use our home computers for that anyway. Get a high-end Chromebook and you'll be happy. |
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This is the type answer I am looking for. Thanks for the input. I did not mean to be humorous about speed/storage, but I have noticed that on most units, speed ranges from 2-4 Gig and storage 16-32 Gig. I don't know how well that translates into use. As far as size, I don't want a laptop sized computer. Probably something in the 10-12" size. It will be for a kid, anyway. Quoted:
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We have over 7,000 at work (K12 Education models). Mostly Lenovo N22's, Dell 11's and Lenovo 11N's. Do NOT buy the Lenovo N22. We have had a rather large number of failures of those models due to a poor connector design (inside the unit connecting the screen to the motherboard) Generally I would recommend making sure it has an Intel processor. We have found the non-Intel ones a little light on the processor power and lag on some apps. Of the ones that I have used (Acer, ASUS, Samsung, Dell and Lenovo) I like the Dell Chromebook 11 and Lenovo 11e the best. Generally, spend more than $200 on one. The sub-200 ones are cheap and slower. As with any computers, the more RAM and faster processor the better, then you are just picking screen size. I like the Chromebooks. They work well for a lot of general purpose computing, especially if you already use Gmail and get in to using Google Docs. Any more, I do a lot of stuff in Google Docs (Docs and Sheets mostly) This is the type answer I am looking for. Thanks for the input. I did not mean to be humorous about speed/storage, but I have noticed that on most units, speed ranges from 2-4 Gig and storage 16-32 Gig. I don't know how well that translates into use. As far as size, I don't want a laptop sized computer. Probably something in the 10-12" size. It will be for a kid, anyway. The HP 11's are solid as well. Sturdy and pretty quick. |
I bought my wife one from Toshiba. It's perfect. She uses her laptop for surfing Facebook, and watching Netflix. Chrome OS requires ZERO maintenance from me. The thing has great battery life, super light weight, and a decent screen. Only downside is the trackpad is, well, crap. But only if you're coming from a Macbook-esque laptop. If you're coming from a $500 budget windows notebook, the trackpad is exactly the same.  Quoted: To piggyback this. I want to go back for school for Business/Accounting. Would a Chromebook suffice for that or would a regular laptop foot the bill? If you only need to take notes on Evernote, go for it. If you're going to need to format a paper, or use any software, get a laptop. |
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I have an Acer Chromebook 14, Aluminum, 14-inch Full HD, Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160, 4GB LPDDR3, 32GB, Chrome, CB3-431-C5FM.
It has a beautiful IPS display and can do 95% of what I need to do from home. It's also fast and almost instantly on. The simplicity, speed, and long battery life is worth it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CVOLVPA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
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I am not a "computer guy", but I am on them all the time. My kids' schools use Chromebooks exclusively for their school work and my wife thinks it might be a good idea for them to have one for home The problem is that these things appear to be the dark shadow of the computer sales world, so I don't really know what would be good or what is just too new to be worth it. I think that I would like touchscreen, but beyond that, I really don't know what would be best recommended for brand, speed/storage, screen size, or potential accessories. I believe what I am looking for will be somewhere in the $250+/- range each. I see them on Amazon and other sites for about that much, but it is info overload looking at them. Can someone provide some insight? i have an acer c720, 4gig ram, loved it. Currentlly on a samsung 500c Learn to dualboot |
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This is the type answer I am looking for. Thanks for the input. I did not mean to be humorous about speed/storage, but I have noticed that on most units, speed ranges from 2-4 Gig and storage 16-32 Gig. I don't know how well that translates into use. As far as size, I don't want a laptop sized computer. Probably something in the 10-12" size. It will be for a kid, anyway. Quoted:
Quoted:
We have over 7,000 at work (K12 Education models). Mostly Lenovo N22's, Dell 11's and Lenovo 11N's. Do NOT buy the Lenovo N22. We have had a rather large number of failures of those models due to a poor connector design (inside the unit connecting the screen to the motherboard) Generally I would recommend making sure it has an Intel processor. We have found the non-Intel ones a little light on the processor power and lag on some apps. Of the ones that I have used (Acer, ASUS, Samsung, Dell and Lenovo) I like the Dell Chromebook 11 and Lenovo 11e the best. Generally, spend more than $200 on one. The sub-200 ones are cheap and slower. As with any computers, the more RAM and faster processor the better, then you are just picking screen size. I like the Chromebooks. They work well for a lot of general purpose computing, especially if you already use Gmail and get in to using Google Docs. Any more, I do a lot of stuff in Google Docs (Docs and Sheets mostly) This is the type answer I am looking for. Thanks for the input. I did not mean to be humorous about speed/storage, but I have noticed that on most units, speed ranges from 2-4 Gig and storage 16-32 Gig. I don't know how well that translates into use. As far as size, I don't want a laptop sized computer. Probably something in the 10-12" size. It will be for a kid, anyway. You don't really use much space on the device as most stuff is cloud. But you can put a micro SD in most of them if you need more space. |
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Whatever you do make sure you get one with 4gb of RAM not 2gb.
16gb vs 32gb SSD depends if you are going to store anything on it or dual boot. You should be able to keep everything in the cloud and 16gb should be fine. The 11" models seem to have slower processers than the 13"+ but if it's just for kids schoolwork and browsing it will be fine. I don't really see the point of a touchscreen but you might disagree. Check out the Dell Chromebook 11 & the Asus Chromebook Flip. |
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For example, we do a lot of couponing, but many of the coupon sites have apps for printing the coupons that aren't compatible with Google's OS. This shit right here is why I hope more non-technically minded folks find ways to embrace things like Chromebooks. |
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I have an Acer Chromebook 14, Aluminum, 14-inch Full HD, Intel Celeron Quad-Core N3160, 4GB LPDDR3, 32GB, Chrome, CB3-431-C5FM. It has a beautiful IPS display and can do 95% of what I need to do from home. It's also fast and almost instantly on. The simplicity, speed, and long battery life is worth it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CVOLVPA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I am waiting on my order from Costco to ship for one of these. |
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Get a regular laptop, either PC or Mac. You'll want to be able to run MS Office. Quoted:
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To piggyback this. I want to go back for school for Business/Accounting. Would a Chromebook suffice for that or would a regular laptop foot the bill? Get a regular laptop, either PC or Mac. You'll want to be able to run MS Office. Google has pretty much everything office has for free and it backs up to your Google account. |
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Quoted: Google has pretty much everything office has for free and it backs up to your Google account. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: To piggyback this. I want to go back for school for Business/Accounting. Would a Chromebook suffice for that or would a regular laptop foot the bill? Get a regular laptop, either PC or Mac. You'll want to be able to run MS Office. Google has pretty much everything office has for free and it backs up to your Google account. Google Office is not 100% compatible with MS Office. Most businesses use MS Office and will want to see at least a basic level of competency with it. The best way to get it is to use MS Office while in school. |
| I use one for work everyday and I have yet to have any issues. The only thing I should say is that Office programs really aren't an option. Everything is done through Google Docs, so working offline can't be done. If you are constantly in a place with an internet connection it won't be a problem |
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Quoted: I use one for work everyday and I have yet to have any issues. The only thing I should say is that Office programs really aren't an option. Everything is done through Google Docs, so working offline can't be done. If you are constantly in a place with an internet connection it won't be a problem This is incorrect, there is offline operation, as well as Microsoft's full suite. |
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Disagree. If you use your laptop for banking, browsing and visiting Amazon like most of us, a Chromebook is the way to go. Much safer than a laptop that can harbor all kinds of malicious spyware and pernicious viruses. It won't run sophisticated software, but most of us don't use our home computers for that anyway. Get a high-end Chromebook and you'll be happy. Quoted:
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They are less capable than a good smartphone. They are Web surfer's only. Get a laptop instead. Disagree. If you use your laptop for banking, browsing and visiting Amazon like most of us, a Chromebook is the way to go. Much safer than a laptop that can harbor all kinds of malicious spyware and pernicious viruses. It won't run sophisticated software, but most of us don't use our home computers for that anyway. Get a high-end Chromebook and you'll be happy. This, I have an Asus and it is great. |
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They are less capable than a good smartphone. They are Web surfer's only. Get a laptop instead. This is how I see them. My wife has one and without an internet connection they're useless. So little storage it's pitiful. If all you're doing is web surfing they're fine but if you need a computer to be an actual computer and do work/school work on without having to be connected constantly there are much better options. If you're always on wifi though I guess they're ok. |
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Google Office is not 100% compatible with MS Office. Most businesses use MS Office and will want to see at least a basic level of competency with it. The best way to get it is to use MS Office while in school. Quoted:
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To piggyback this. I want to go back for school for Business/Accounting. Would a Chromebook suffice for that or would a regular laptop foot the bill? Get a regular laptop, either PC or Mac. You'll want to be able to run MS Office. Google has pretty much everything office has for free and it backs up to your Google account. Google Office is not 100% compatible with MS Office. Most businesses use MS Office and will want to see at least a basic level of competency with it. The best way to get it is to use MS Office while in school. Office 365 works well as an app on Android devices. |
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I bought my wife one for school and she loves it. Its an Asus with an i3 and 8GB SSD.
She uses it for word processing, web, netflix, etc. Not the snappiest PC out there, but plenty adequate for her needs. Getting used to google apps takes a bit of a learning curve, but its the way of the future. Super light weight and a 13 hour battery life sealed the deal. |
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Don't. Just Don't. You cant install anything with an .exe extension. We have a Chromebook, and the OS is just useless. I cant even say that it is good for doing most internet stuff. You need a lot of plugins for things you encounter on the net which are downloaded as apps, and guess what, there are a lot of places you will roam online that Google's OS doesn't have an app for. For example, we do a lot of couponing, but many of the coupon sites have apps for printing the coupons that aren't compatible with Google's OS. Buy once, cry once. Your gripe is that your computer wont let you install a bunch of spyware and viruses on it? 
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I'm barely a casual pc user anymore, aside from buying crap online and browsing here, I found my chromebook to be unbearable.
Chrome and Google really do harvest everything you do data wise. I find the amount of connectivity required for even office tasks ridiculous. I'd steer clear and get a budget laptop. |
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They are less capable than a good smartphone. They are Web surfer's only. Get a laptop instead. 'That's completely wrong -- schools use them along with google's school setup and if that's what he wants it for they're perfect for that. 99% of people using laptops should just be using a tablet anyway, because they have no need for 99% of the capability of a real computer. |
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Don't. Just Don't. You cant install anything with an .exe extension. We have a Chromebook, and the OS is just useless. I cant even say that it is good for doing most internet stuff. You need a lot of plugins for things you encounter on the net which are downloaded as apps, and guess what, there are a lot of places you will roam online that Google's OS doesn't have an app for. For example, we do a lot of couponing, but many of the coupon sites have apps for printing the coupons that aren't compatible with Google's OS. Buy once, cry once. Lol. You know what those "apps for printing the coupons" are doing? You don't really want to. The chromebook is the kind of computer that was developed because of sites like those. Google Chrome has flash built in (which from a security perspective is absolutely retarded), and can run pretty much everything online most people would ever need. |