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The Asus Chromebox 5 is a compact desktop computer designed to run Google’s ChromeOS software. But it’s also a pretty versatile computer with features like a Thunderbolt 4 port, support for up to four 4K displays, and up to an Intel Core i7-1260P processor, making it one of the most powerful ChromeOS desktop computer to date.
First announced during CES in January, the Chromebox 5 is now up for pre-order from B&H with prices ranging from $294 to $980.
That’s a pretty wide range of prices, but it also covers a pretty wide range of specs:
- Chromebox 5 with Celeron 7305/4GB/128GB for $294
- Chromebox 5 with Core i3-1220P/8GB/128GB for $515
- Chromebox 5 with Core i5-1240P/8GB/128GB for $660
- Chromebox 5 with Core i7-1260P/16GB/512GB for $980
Amazon is showing the same prices for the same models, but instead of listing the Chromebox 5 as available for pre-order, Amazon says it’s “temporarily out of stock.”
All versions of the little computer feature processors based on Intel’s 12th-gen “Alder Lake” architecture that combines Performance and Efficiency cores on the same chip. But the entry-level model has a 15-watt Celeron chip with just a single Performance core while all other models have 28-watt Alder Lake-P chips with two to four Performance cores.
The Celeron model also has a single SODIMM slot and support sup to 16GB of RAM while models with 28-watt Intel Core processors have two SODIMM slots and support for up to 32GB of memory.
Common features across all models include:
- DDR4-3200 memory
- 1 x M.2 2280 slot for PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe storage
- 1 x Thunderbolt 4
- 2 x HDMI 2.1
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A
- 1 x 3.5mm audio
- 1 x microSD card reader
- 1 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet (Realtek RTL8125BG)
- WiFi 6E
- Bluetooth 5.3
The system measures about 6.6″ x 6.5″ x 1.8″ and weighs about 1.7 pounds, so it should be small and light enough to mount to the back of a display.
But you can also lie it flat on a desk or table, and if you plan to do that Asus also offers an optional built-in 15-watt Qi wireless charger that allows you to charge supported phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and other gadgets by placing them atop the Chromebox 5.
Models with Intel Core chips come with a 150W power adapter, while the Celeron model ships with a 65W adapter.
I have good memories of my CN60 Chromebox running linux. I will wait for the TSMC i3 version before buying again.
Even if we treat the Steam Deck as anomaly, the $515 for the Core i5 model above would get you a Beelink SER6 with an AMD Ryzen 5 6600H with RDNA 2 GPU and 16 GB RAM. Granted that is a sale price, but the base price is $585. Even worse: the last gen model is only $399 (regular price and frequently on sale for much less). That is relevant because the Alder Lake CPUs in this device are last-gen also. Raptor Lake has been out since October.
I hate how ChromeOS OEMs just rip people off. The Celeron and Pentium stuff is priced competitively, but if you want any hardware that is capable of running Windows, they make you pay $150 more than an equivalent Windows machine costs. It almost makes buying a Windows machine and replacing the OS with Chrome OS Flex a good idea … except that Android doesn’t work on Chrome OS Flex and the Linux performance is iffy.
The new UM773 Lite Mini PC With Ryzen 7 7735HS is just $409 as barebone, with cheaper ssd nowadays you can get good machine around $500.