Pre-orders for the Asus Chromebox 3 started last month from third-party retailers and now Asus has the official Chromebox 3 landing page with full specs for its newest desktop Chrome OS device. Much of what’s there was already known, however there are a few new tidbits that are interesting.
Initially, we heard there would be three processor choices with the possibility of a fourth. Acer’s Chromebox 3 landing page now shows all four with the first two being newer 8-th generation Intel chips:
- Intel Core i7-8550U Processor
- Intel Core i5-8250U Processor
- Intel Core i3-7100U Processor
- Intel Celeron 3865U Processor
In terms of pricing, I dug around today and found B&H Photo taking Chromebox 3 pre-orders for the Core i7 model with 8 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage for $699.
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tepping down to the Core i3 with the same memory and storage saves you some cash, since the pre-order price is $479.
The Core i5 seems elusive — and is the processor we heard might be offered — as I can’t yet find anyone taking pre-orders for it.
Asus also shows that the Chromebox 3 supports up to 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage.
It’s not clear if the company will sell configurations with those specs — it seems doubtful — or if you’ll have to buy aftermarket parts and add them to your original Chromebox 3. There’s also confirmation from Asus that Chromebox 3 will support Android apps, in case you had doubts.
For folks that want to drive multiple or high-resolution monitors, there’s good news since all of the Core configurations use either the HD or UHD version of Intel’s Integrated Graphics 620. Asus says Chromebox 3 supports dual 4K/UHD monitors through the USB 3.1 type-C port with support for DisplayPort and HDMI.
Lastly, Asus’ mini desktop can charge mobile devices through either of two USB Power Delivery ports, which is super handy.
So how about it: Have any of you placed pre-orders for the Asus Chromebox 3 or do you think either the Acer or HP offerings are a better deal?
12 Comments
The mid-priced Acer Chromebox CXI3-I58GKM (DT.Z0SAA.001) is the Chromebox configuration providing the most performance for the price (bang for the buck) from what I’ve seen in researching the new generation of 2018 Chromeboxes hitting the market from Acer, Asus, HP, CTL, and ViewSonic. It is the sole new Chromebox configured with an Intel 8th generation Core i5 processor, specifically the quad core Kaby Lake-R Core i5-8250U. With 8GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD, the Acer CXI3-I58GKM is certain to perform at a high level. Unofficial list price is $519.99 USD. Uncertain at this point if that will include keyboard and mouse.
Canadian dealer:
https://www.cdw.ca/product/Acer-Chromebox-CXI3-I58GKM-mini-PC-Core-i5-8250U-1.6-GHz-8-GB-64-GB/5065359?pfm=srh&expand=TS#TS
I have an ASUS Chromebox 3 with the i7 G8 processor but it can only output UHD 60Hz from the display port output. HDMI maxes out at UHD 30Hz even though Intel claim 60 Hz capability for the 620 graphics. Has ASUS actually limited the HDMI to only v 1.4 or is it a Chrome OS limitation for HDMI 2.0. What is going on?
I don’t think it’s Asus or a Chrome OS limitation: Based on the Intel i7-8550U specs, the chipset supports HDMI 1.4, not 2.0, with a max res of 4096×2304@24Hz. However, if you use DisplayPort, the graphic output jumps to
4096×2304@60Hz. https://ark.intel.com/products/122589/Intel-Core-i7-8550U-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz
I also tend to suspect that it’s not a Chrome OS limitation. It is however a graphics adaptor limitation and obviously an HDMI version limitation. I’m quite happy with the 4K / 60Hz resolution coming out of my dp (USB-C alt mode) connection but I’m not happy that there appears to be a 30Hz max freq on the HDMI connection. That’s what my comments say. My annoyance relates to the weasel wording on Intel and ASUS sites which mention HDMI and dp and then say 4K /60 Hz or slightly better is supported but fail to mention that it’s only achievable using dp. My gripe is that I can only run a )4K(3840×2160/60 monitor from my dp connector plus a 1440P/60Hz monitor using the HDMI 2.0 connection. This is a ridiculous and unexpected restriction given that the Intel HD-620/UHD-620 graphics associated with the i7 G8 processors seems to be capable of producing 4K/60 Hz over HDMI 2.0.
It would be great if someone can clarify what is going on here because I’m talking about my reality on the top-end ASUS Chromebox 3 which should mean that other variants will, at best, be no better. I would also say that, for WebDev, my current mix of a 1440P plus another 4K monitor works fine for me right now. I can also significantly hurt my CPU performance and use a USB 3.1 G1 DisplayLink connection to add another 4K monitor so that I can achieve dual 4K/60 monitor support if I decide to buy another 4K monitor in the future. I just think that the HDMI output from the Intel 620 graphics, in this day & age, should support 4K at 60Hz rather than just 30Hz. That is currently my only real gripe with the ASUS Chromebox 3 as a developer platform.
Sorry Kevin I had missed your point re HDMI 1.4 only being supported, I guess that was because I had read elsewhere that HDMI 2.0 was supported.
So the fault is with Intel for limiting the HDMI output. It’s no wonder AMD are eating their lunch these days. Try to keep up Intel!
Hola amigos, una pregunta en el Chromebox 3 utilizando el Display port aparece la mismo pantalla que veo por puerto HDMI, hay alguna forma de mostrar otra pantalla por ejemplo solo la presentación y en puerto HDMI la imagen de las personas??
Saludos,
Jimmy
Chrome OS Settings > Displays will allow you to extend the screens rather than just duplicate them.
Hi Lloyd, thanks for your information but I need know it from Chromebox 3 if you know this information let me know, Thanks
Do you want to extend rather than duplicate two monitors? If so, as I said, use Settings and Displays i(under Devices) is where you choose that option on your Chromebox. Please clarify if I misunderstood you.
It’s now more than 1 year since this article. The last model CN62 is still “planned” to get Play Store.
The CN63 isn’t even listed.
https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps
This is like the Acer R11 that was supposed to “have” Play Store at the time I bought it, but didn’t until months after I bought it.
Hello Guys,
I got a question, can you let me know if can I send a video and audio (as a trailer) using chromebox asus 3 into a virtual meeting Room? to shering to the other sites,
Reagadrs,
Jimmy