Even if you’re not in the market for a cloud-gaming Chromebook, you can get a large-screened, high-performance laptop on the relative cheap. Best Buy is currently discounting the Acer Chromebook 516 GE by $200. That brings the cost down to $449, for a Chromebook that’s worth every penny of that price, if not more.
I enjoyed the Acer Chromebook 516 GE
I can say that because although I didn’t write up a review, I purchased the Acer Chromebook 516 GE in late November. I ended up returning it in early January, but not because it was a “bad” device. I have enough Chromebooks and decided to return the money to my wallet.
In fact, I was very impressed with the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, both for cloud-gaming and every day ChromeOS use.
Acer chose to put in a 12th gen Intel Core i5-1240P inside this laptop. Essentially, with some minor differences, this performs as well as the Core i5-12xxU processors found in other premium Chromebooks. The key tweak here is that the chipset is capable of providing more energy to the processor. So you give up some battery life but gain for longer bursts of higher-performance compute capabilities.
When I used and tested the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, it worked at least as well as Chromebooks such as the HP Elite Dragonfly, Lenovo ThinkPad C14 and other comparable 12th gen Intel Chromebooks. For some coding tasks it actually outperformed these.
What you get in the Acer Chromebook 516 GE
Of course, the CPU is just part of the value proposition. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE uses a fast, 256 GB NVMe SSD and 8 GB of memory. It’s a plus-sized model with a 16-inch, 2560×1600 resolution screen capable of 120 frames per second. You’ll only see that fast screen refresh for supported cloud gaming, though. And if you want a touch screen, you’re out of luck.
The only real other nit to pick here is battery life because I never saw the claimed 9 hours of run-time. I experience more like 6 to 7 hours which was a little disappointing. Clearly, there’s enough room for a larger-than-average battery inside the Acer Chromebook 516 GE.
Other than that though? I have little to complain about.
There are plenty of ports, including a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet jack. The 1080p webcam wasn’t stellar but it’s better than most. And if you’re looking for something light, this isn’t the device for you considering it weighs 3.75 pounds.
Still, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE can fit your needs if you can live with some of the “so so” qualities or missing features.
Yes, it’s great for cloud gaming. But it also makes for a really good Chromebook that’s worth the full MSRP in my opinion. Getting one for $200 off is a steal for the right use case.
4 Comments
Ordered.
Nice! Let me know what you think after spending some time with it.
I’m one of the people who got burned on the Spin 714 (erratic cursor, speaker pops/crackle, loose trackpad). That machine is fast (12th gen, of course) and has a great keyboard and a decent screen. I figured I was out of the chromebook market for a while . . . until this deal.
Well, let’s talk the 516 GE. I got it this afternoon. I never thought I’d want a screen larger than 14″ (Spins notwithstanding with their square-ish screen ratio), but this has thin bezels and a small chin, and the keyboard is centered — no numberpad (don’t want). The upward firing speakers are nice and loud — crisp and clear until the very top, then there’s a bit of distortion. The screen is bright and colorful — 100% sRGB sounds exactly right. This is my first machine with a refresh faster than 60 Hz. It’s nice.
The keyboard is tight — just great — flawless typing. The trackpad is rock solid and responsive. And of course, the machine is FAST. >84K on Octane 2.0. I never actually fold my 2-in-1s or touch the screens, so I don’t miss having those options here. There’s no glare.
The chassis feels very sturdy, though plastic, and the machine does not feel heavy at all — the weight is well distributed.
Obviously I don’t have a feel for battery life yet. I don’t hear any fan noise … not even during set up.
For $450 I couldn’t say no to this. It feels like a great buy — speed and future proofing. I do a LOT of work that requires screen real estate and typing, but I never wanted a giant laptop before. This thing has a really nice balance. I think this is going to be a real joy — a good replacement for my BELOVED 11th gen Spin 713 that died mysteriously a couple weeks ago. I’m not a gamer, but I’m looking forward to watching TV/movies with the screen and speaker combo. I’m looking forward to working on this giant 16×10 screen and this responsive keyboard.
Yup, sounds about like my limited time with the 516 GE, meaning: very good. I was torn between keeping it and returning it because it really is a nice device. And the price you paid, I think it’s a relative steal.