Lenovo Thinkcentre Chromebox Review

Lenovo Thinkcentre Chromebox Review-Chromebook laptops running Google Chrome OS is not Windows or OS X operating system, it is easy to understand the field. It is generally inexpensive, portable PCs that spend almost all their time online and are useful for basic Web surfing and cloud-based tasks. Taking the same Chrome OS, which is basically the Google Chrome Web browser itself and file management features covers of several, and turn it into a desktop, you have a field that is a little more difficult to make.

Lenovo Thinkcentre Chromebox Tiny

A desktop Chrome, such as Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox, do not try to solve the same problem in the Chromebook, ie how to give people a cheap way to connect to the Internet anywhere. Simple desktop PC, especially for business users, already low, ranging from under $ 300 for a small tower with Windows 8 or Windows 10, and 500GB or larger hard drive. ThinkCentre Chromebox cut off most of them, ranging from $ 199, but it only includes 32GB of SSD storage and very Intel Celeron 3205U CPU. Type Review here is the configuration of the more expensive CPU upgrade to the Intel Core i3 5005U primary, but also costs $ 319. ThinkCentre Chrome OS configuration is not currently available in theBritain and Australia, if configured system Windows 8, in chassis Similarly, starting at £ 255 in the UK and AU $ 599 in Australia.

That's still less than you can get a desktop Core i3 from most PC makers, but you can find a small tower of Windows are supported by similar specifications, such as the HP Mini for under $ 450. Using desktop Chrome OS can offer some unique advantages. Because users will not be able to run the new standalone application, there is little opportunity to install malware or virus (apart from the threat of browser-based), and these are great to give employees unlimited access to online tools and features without giving them a full PC. To use the cloud-based tools, such as Google Docs, Office Online, an online email applications and even entertainment streaming service from Netflix to YouTube to Spotify, Chrome OS works well, and even HD video streaming is no problem. Lenovo also sells a 23-inch monitor separately designed around ThinkCentre Chromebox.

The entire Mini tower slides into the slot behind the screen, which costs $ 229 in the US, creating a Chrome OS all-in-one desktop after you add a keyboard and mouse. To connect to online services with minimal cost, I can not see someone give Chromebox desktop Windows, and this is one of the most expensive way to get the Intel Core i3 CPU.

Design and Features

About 7 inches square, Chromebox can lay flat, similar to the Mac Mini, or standing upright in a plastic desktop stand included. Either way, it's more like a router striking than desktop computers, and will be fairly easy to tuck out of the way. A colorful Chrome OS logo on the side panels and the power button lights up on the front edge is eye catching elements, along with white ThinkCentre logo at the bottom of the front panel. Actually Lenovo branding is practically invisible, with black logos arise near the rear of the chassis. Most ports are stored on the rear panel, making the look like clean, with only a pair of USB 3.0 ports, headphone / mic jack and the power button on the front. When you connect the supplied Wi-Fi antenna, black plastic air will still rise a few inches past the top of the box.

The included desktop stand is not required, the system stands on the side edges are fine, but stood lifting the front half rose slightly, putting the entire Chromebox in the corner. Which can make it easier to access front ports, depending on where you have it set up, and the wide wings on the stand also provides a lot of stability. A basic black wired keyboard and mouse are included. Both felt cheap, but totally appropriate for sub $ 300 computers. Keyboard least have the key. For a less cluttered work space, you should seriously consider upgrading wireless.

Connection and Performance

Especially compared to mobile Chromebook laptops, Lenovo Chromebox offers a generous selection of ports and connections, including four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort in both output and Ethernet jack cable. Working with system Chrome OS requires some advance planning, but it can also be a very efficient way to work, depending on your needs. Many people, both in their personal and professional lives, have migrated towards online tools, from Gmail and Office Online Netflix and Spotify. For basic tasks, system Chrome OS works well. Many businesses use online tools as well, from web-based email to cloud tools for content creation and management of customers, so the Chrome system to work not out of the question. It gets harder if you work with media files, such as photo and video editing.

Adobe still does not have a compatible version of Chrome OS full Photoshop program, and that can be a non-starter for many people who need it. However, there are some surprisingly good image editor you can access, is essentially a cloud-based tools found either on the web or in the Google Chrome app store. Pixlr and Polarr are two popular, and the former looks and feels very much like Photoshop. For the game, the situation is not quite as rosy. Most games will be played in a browser Chrome OS mobile game basis, and there are a lot of shovelware to pass to find some decent games. In a series of benchmarks online, the main system used Intel CPUs to score higher than the Lenovo Thinkcentre Chromebox with a slow Celeron or ARM chips, and even cheap 11 inch Windows laptop with Intel Celeron processor.