ASUS Chromebox 3 Mini microComputers

Item specifics Condition: New: A brand-new, unused and undamaged item. See the seller’s listing for full details. See all condition definitions Brand: ASUS Memory: 8GB Model: CHROMEBOX Warranty: Seller Warranty MPN: CHROMEBOX-M004U Reference Number: 301676836220 Processor Type: Intel I7 UPC: Does not apply Processor Speed: MENTIONED Product Information Technical Details Brand ASUS Item Weight 599 g Product Dimensions 12.4 x 12.4 x 4.2 cm Item model number CHROMEBOX-M063U Series CHROMEBOX-M063U Color Black, Blue Form Factor USFF Processor Brand Intel Processor Type Core i7 Processor Speed 2.1 GHz Processor Socket BGA1168 Processor Count 2 RAM Size 4 GB Memory Technology DDR3-SDRAM Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM Maximum Memory Supported 4 GB Hard Drive Size 128GB Audio Details 1 Graphics Card Description Intel HD Graphics Graphics RAM Type DDR3 SDRAM Connectivity Type Yes Wireless Type 802.11A, 802.11B, 802.11G, 802.11n Number of USB 3.0 Ports 4 Number of HDMI Ports 1 Number of Ethernet Ports 1 Wattage 65 watts Operating System Chrome OS. BUT WE HAVE LOADED WINDOWS TRIAL OF FREE VERSION . YOU CAN ASK THE VERSION U WANT   Design and FeaturesThe Chromebox M004U measures a compact 1.75 by 5 by 5 inches (HWD). It resembles media boxes like the Apple TV$59.99 at Walmart.com or Roku 3$114.98 at Amazon in terms of form factor, but it’s a bit heftier since it has a plethora of I/O ports on its outer faces. Other systems that share this form factor are the Zotac Zbox NanoBest Price at Amazon and the Lenovo IdeaCentre Q190Best Price at Amazon. It is very close in size and appearance to the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) Kit D54250WYKBest Price at Amazon, which is also a compact, power-saving computer. The NUC is more of a whitebox, however, in which you have to install your own memory, hard drive, and operating system. View All 6 Photos in Gallery   On Chrome OS, you will have to leave legacy programs like Microsoft Visio or Print Shop behind. Consequently, the fringe benefit is that you won’t ever have to worry about Windows-based malware, and if you are your IT support for your family, you will know what I mean. You probably get the annual request to help because their Windows PC runs so slow. If you get your kids (or parents) a Chrome OS PC, you won’t ever have to spend all Thanksgiving evening reinstalling the operating system while saving your parents’ recipe files and emails from ten years ago. Emails and files stay in cloud storage, while the OS is constantly being updated and patched against malware threats. Even if the machine becomes hobbled by some future threat, Google’s Powerwash will re-install the operating system to factory specs in a few minutes. Everything runs in a full version of the Chrome browser, including most, if not all, of the x86-based browser plug-ins and Web apps you’ve become accustomed to. Office document creation and editing is as easy as bringing up Google Docs, and video streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime work fine in Chrome OS. Your bookmarks port over from the Chrome browser on your PC or Mac (as long as you’ve logged in with a Google account). Even plug-ins like Adblock Plus and Google Translate automatically install and work perfectly well on the Chromebox. This is in stark contrast with the absolutely kludgy experience we had with the Android-based HP Slate 21Best Price at Amazon all-in-one desktop. Sure, we didn’t have to worry about a screen, keyboard, or mouse with the Slate 21 (three things you’ll have to supply for the Chromebox), but trying to use a mobile operating system like Android on a desktop is an exercise in futility. Fonts and UI elements were blown up to cartoonish levels on the HP Slate 21, but they will look like they normally do on your PC when you view them via the Chromebox M004U and a monitor. The Samsung Series 3 Chromebox (XE300M22)Best Price at Amazonwas a better desktop overall than the HP Slate 21, but that two-year-old Chromebox was twice the price of the Chromebox M004U and lacked some of the Asus system’s amenities, like HDMI and USB 3.0 ports. If there are any drawbacks to the Asus Chromebox, it’s that you’ll have to buy the keyboard and mouse separately before attaching the system to your HDTV or other monitor you have around the house.   There are four USB 3.0 ports, a HDMI port, DisplayPort, and an Ethernet port. Inside the non-user serviceable chassis there’s an Intel Pentium processor with integrated Intel graphics, 2GB of system memory, and a 16GB solid-state drive (SSD) for local storage. While 16GB may be a little small, this seems like less of a problem for a desktop, since it will be connected pretty much all the time to the Internet. You can also hook up a USB 3.0 drive for more storage or pop an SD card into the built-in reader. In addition to an Ethernet port, the M004U has dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi