ASUS CHROMEBOX 3-N017U Mini PC with Intel Celeron, 4K UHD Graphics and Power Over Type C Port, Star Gray

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Ok, this thing is great. I love the Chrome OS. This is my 4th Chrome device, and I could be happier to no longer need to use Windows. I cant afford Apples. My first 2 were a low-end Chromebook and Chromebase. ($250 ea.) They worked extremely well for what I was doing at the time. Because I started to do a lot with video, the basic models were no longer up to the task. I then bought a high-end Chromebook with an i5 processor and 8gb of ram. It is crazy fast! So why did I buy a Chromebox? I needed more desk space and I did not want to have to unplug my add-on monitors and other accessories every time I wanted to take my laptop somewhere and re-assemble everything when I got back. So, how do I like it? Yes, 5 stars. The i3 processor is slightly slower than my i5, but it is fulfilling my needs quite well. The small size takes up so little space and has more connections than I will ever use. It doesnt come with a keyboard or a mouse, but I just took one of the 5 I had in the closet. Keep in mind in choosing your device that you are not running Windows, so you really dont really need as much juice for it to be faster. The Celerons were ok for general stuff, but if you are doing the heavy stuff I would highly recommend the i3 or I5. This thing boots in 7 seconds, and shuts down in 5. Updates install in seconds as well. Be sure when you order your chromebox that it is a chromebox 3. There are some major differences and there are a lot of the older ones on Amazon. One last thing that I want to mention. I am paralyzed on my right side. In the "accessibility" settings there are quite a few helpful features I use is the"sticky keys". Using a keyboard with one hand is difficult. Sticky keys allow the user to push the shift key and release it and stays in shift mode until the next key is pressed so you do not have to perform contortion tricks to use the "@" key. Just press shift, release it, press the 2 key and you get "@". Handy! I cant say enough good things about the Chrome products Ive used. The first 3 were Acer models, and now this is an Asus. I see no difference in operation at all, and there is virtually no bloatware. What about MS Office? Office 365 works perfectly on it, but I find that Google Docs works out fine for me and its free. Chrome forever! Ok, I must update this. The unit has 4 GB of RAM. I think for most people this would be quite sufficient. As mentioned above, I do a lot with video, so I wanted to upgrade to 8 GB. I wanted to know what type of ram was inside without popping it open so I wouldnt have to re assemble it again after the RAM arrived. Different sources on line have conflicting answers, so I called ASUS. The 1st time I was told that it wasnt upgradeable, and it was DDR3 1600 mhz. I knew this was wrong, because ASUS literature says you can go to 16 GB. I look further, and get more conflicting info. I called again, and was told that the RAM was DDR4, 2133 mhz. That matched a couple of sources I have seen, so I ordered it. Upon receiving my order, I was quite surprised to see that I actually needed DDR4 2400 mhz! Grrrrrr! I still give the device 5 stars, but ASUS does a horrible job of making sure their call center has the right information. One last thing... The 4 GB of ram from ASUS is 2 GB X 2. in other words, to get 8 you will have to buy 8GB X 1 or 4GB X 2. I recommend 8 GB X 1 because if you want to upgrade to 16 all you need to do is get another 8 GB and you have 16. There is room for only 2 upgrade slots. Bottom line? Open it up before ordering your RAM to see what you actually have.

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Has worked flawlessly. So much quicker than my Windows 10 Computer. I have a beast of a Windows 10 with 32 gig and 8T of hard drive and start the computer from an ssd, as well as a fast 8 core AMD and the chromebox is still much faster. Took me less than 10 minutes to have it up and running and configured. Signed in with the same user account as my chromebook and android tablet and had it updated with all my programs. Bought as a replacement for my backup computer and now I find I am using this more than my primary computer.

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I purchased this to replace my 5+ year old streaming device. Set up was a breeze and love how user friendly chrome OS is. So far streaming netflix and browsing the internet is a piece of cake for this little computer. My wireless keyboard and mouse worked right away. This also comes with a mounting device so it can hide away nicely behind a wall mounted TV.

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Works very well, as expected. I love the simplicity, there’s nothing to set up no bloatware no bullsht, just plug in, sign in, and you’re set.

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This is a perfect device for someone who wants/needs a minimalist desktop. It boots within seconds like any other Chrome device, but if youre not familiar with anything other than a Windows machine, this is a welcome change. No need for anti-virus, etc. Its not limiting in the least, though someone moving to a Chrome device for the first time may need to make a few adjustments to how they work. However, in this day and age, when are you ever not connected to the internet? Unless you need a boatload of storage for your music library or something like that, or perhaps you need some intensive programs installed (image editing maybe?), then there really isnt a need for a full-blown desktop. Cloud apps have come a long way and even something like Only Office is a free and fantastic replacement for Microsoft Office. I really only need to print, scan, browse the net, and do word processing with a desktop, all of which can be handled via this Chromebox: printing via HPs Print for Chrome browser extension, scanning via the printers web interface, and word processing via one of the free cloud-based office suites. Its plenty fast for what I need it for, and it not only supports Android apps but also has support for Linux apps (in the dev channel, I think). Fast, secure, small footprint on the desk, etc. Ive been a Chromebook user for 4-5 years now, and now that Ive got the Chromebox, my house is more or less full Chrome. No regrets so far.

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Im not sure about the Celeron model, but I threw some DDR4 that I had in a laptop into the i3 model I purchased and it recognized it all and was very speedy. **Update** I originally tested with 16 GB sticks, recently 32 GB modules became available and I ordered some for my laptop but tested them in the Chromebox too, they are recognized and boot normally (though it takes a little bit longer to get anything on the screen while it enumerates all the RAM). While upgrading the RAM I observed that unlike the previous generation (Asus Chromebox 2 aka CN62) this one has holes for both the "short" M.2 and the "long" M.2 SSDs. You simply unscrew the standoff after removing the short drive that comes from the factory and then you can screw it into the long drive hole and install a much higher capacity SSD than is available in the "short" form factor. Currently I have only seen 256 GB or so at reasonable prices in the 2242 size (512 GB was crazy), while there are 1-2 TB drives available in the M.2 SATA 2280 form factor that arent insanely expensive. This model supports USB-C power delivery input as well as DP Alt Mode for video out, theoretically if attached to a monitor that supplies 60-65W it *should* work with a single cable connected (but has not in my testing with a Samsung monitor with 60W output). If the monitor also has a USB hub you could attach your keyboard and mouse to it and leave your Chromebox easy to unplug and take with you, youll just want a spare power brick until the monitor manufacturers supply the full 60W early enough for the Chromebox to boot. Somebody else mentioned they also couldnt run this off the USB-C from their Dell monitor, but I noticed that the i5/i7 version apparently comes with a 90W power adapter, and so far Ive only seen 1 monitor that supplies that much power, a 34" Dell I think, though I dont have one of those available to test (yet). At this point YMMV for powering it from a monitor, but you could use a USB-C dock/hub with DP or HDMI out and leave the keyboard and mouse plugged into the hub if you want a single cable disconnect. Because all the ports on this are USB3, you may want to pick up a USB2 hub or a "dumb" USB2 extension cable if you are going to use a wireless keyboard and mouse, otherwise you could use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to avoid that hassle. This Chromebox supports the Play Store (Android apps) and has Linux app support (woot woot) on the beta/dev channels and should be in stable soon. I havent yet grabbed a USB3/USB-C touchscreen monitor to test with Android apps, but I would imagine it works fairly well depending on the driver required for the screen, hopefully the one I ordered shows up shortly to test.

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Ive been tempted to get the expensive Google Pixel Chromebook, but wanted to see if I really could replace my Microsoft Surface tablet/laptop. The 8 GB ASUS Chromebox 3 was an excellent step into the world of SUPER Chrome plus Android apps. Chrome on this box is excellent; fast and responsive . . . more so than on my Surface or my faster desktop Windows computer. But the Chrome/Android apps are spotty at best (best example, Spotify installs, but doesnt work, so must go to the web version) and when they do work, they may or may not be full screen. This is not ASUSs fault: it is a great implementation. After several days of playing, Im not sure I will abandon my Surface for core work (I like the full versions of Word & Excel and even Lightroom), but may create space on my desk for the ASUS for fast always on Chrome use.

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I like everything about this Chromebox. It boots up quick and it is very quite. I upgraded the ram in it and now it has 8gbs and I also put a 128gb ssd in it. It is not necessary to do these upgrades because 4gb of ram and 32gb on storage is plenty on chrome OS. The first thing I did when I booted it up and log in was put it in the beta channel. I did this because in the beta channel linux apps is now supported. Having a terminal is a big deal to me. I have two monitor hooked up to the Chromebox and it does well. I know this machine is not a power house, but for me it works great for what I need. Ive been doing some python coding on it thanks to it supporting linux apps. Anyway, I am happy with this purchase and I recommend it.

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Exceeded my expectations. This New Chromebox 3 has a small footprint with plenty of inputs, 5 USB ports, an HDMI, also equipped with an SD CARD that accommodates a 128GB. It is fast and easy to add Play Store Apps. I love the picture on my 65" LG OLED, because it displays in 4k imagine. It has plenty of speed, memory, and options. If you are new to Google Chromebox let me first start by saying they are capable of doing many applications at the same time. You dont wait to connect to Chrome or searches. Within seconds you are enjoying your favorite content. It also syncs to your drive and your phone all in one easy step. Its abilities are endless and is a joy to work on. With both good memory and fast processor you will be enjoying your 4K content in just seconds. You can also hook up your favorite camera, microphone, 65 inch TV, the possibilities are only limited by your knowledge. I give this 5 stars easily for its performance. The Price is Right as well. So if youre thinking about buying a Chromebox this is the one. Thank you for reading my review. Any questions just contact me.

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This is a non-starter for my elderly mother, for whom I bought this, so she could access her email and for a little web browsing (without the problems associated with her now ancient and insanely slow PC). Unfortunately, and I hadnt realized this, every time you turn on the chromebox, you need to log into it by putting in your gmail credentials -- and, if you dont already have a gmail account, you need to create one before you can use this. This was a non-starter with my elderly mother. She doesnt use gmail for her email (shes long used an email account I set up for her on rackspace, using my url). So, even after we created a gmail account for her simply so she could use the chromebox, she became confused between the now two email addresses, despite our attempts to explain that the gmail account was only for logging into the chromebox and nothing else. After a couple of rounds of this confusion, we decided to give up on the chromebox and return it. I think well instead move her to a refurbished PC with an i5 processor and 8GB RAM -- and thats actually a little less than the cost of this chromebox.

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