Chromebox CB1-014by HP

TECHWALLA
VERDICT
Clearly above average. Only a couple of issues keep this from being best in class.
83 %
TECHWALLA SCORE
based on the following sites
  • 90%
  • 76%

PROS

  • It's inexpensive. The lightweight hardware designed for Chromebooks keeps the cost down.
  • This Chromebox is small, but packed with a lot of ports: four USB 3.0 ports, headphones, Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, and an SD card reader. Wi-Fi is built-in.
  • Chrome OS means there's no need for anti-virus, manual updates, installing desktop applications, and other Windows PC maintenance.

CONS

  • The base model slows down with a lot of tabs. You can get one with more than 2GB of memory, but that costs extra.
  • HP doesn't include a mouse and keyboard, which cost another $20. The display costs you extra, too.
  • Google's Chrome OS may be simple and minimal, but it will be too simple and too minimal for many people. You can only use Web apps, not Windows desktop apps.
HP's Chromebox is similar to the Chromeboxes offered by other manufacturers. It's a small desktop PC that runs Google's Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system that gives you Google Chrome and not much more. Internally, a Chromebox like this one has the same components you'll find in Chromebooks, the laptops that come with Chrome OS. Chromeboxes are designed for people who see Chromebooks and think "That looks nice, but I prefer using a traditional desktop PC with a larger display and keyboard."
Name Chromebox CB1-014 Chromebox 3010 Mac mini (2014) Chromebox M004U Pavilion Mini
Manufacturer HP Dell Apple Asus HP
Techwalla Score
83%
81%
80%
78%
70%
List Price $179 $500 $500 $180 $320
90%

I do almost everything online, so this is a perfect computer that can do things quickly and costs very little. There is no need to bother wi…

I do almost everything online, so this is a perfect computer that can do things quickly and costs very little. There is no need to bother with security software because Google does that (maintain tight security) behind the scene.

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76%

The 2GB of default memory isn't especially phenomenal for tasks besides basic usage, but enterprise-orientated Chromebox models have some sp…

The 2GB of default memory isn't especially phenomenal for tasks besides basic usage, but enterprise-orientated Chromebox models have some specification flexibility. Higher-end models include components like additional memory and Intel Core-series processors.

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Aside from the extreme power-user case of using dozens of tabs and heavy multitasking, the HP Chromebox held up admirably as a light use des…

Aside from the extreme power-user case of using dozens of tabs and heavy multitasking, the HP Chromebox held up admirably as a light use desktop machine. It comes down to reminding yourself that even though you have a large monitor in front of you with plenty of room to work, this is still an overall underpowered machine in the grand scheme of desktop PCs.

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Generally speaking, the processor integrated Intel HD Graphics is not that great, but users should not have any issues playing games downloa…

Generally speaking, the processor integrated Intel HD Graphics is not that great, but users should not have any issues playing games downloaded through the Chrome App Store.

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