Acer Chromebox CXI2-i38GKM Desktop with Keyboard and Mouse

At the end of 2016 I purchased my first Chromebox ,  HP J5N50UT Chromebox Desktop Computer (Intel Celeron 2955U 1.40 GHz 4GB RAM 16GB SSD)- Mini PC  , because my New Year’s resolution was to find an alternative to Windows which would meet my needs.I was so impressed with that Chromebox but realized that I needed a bit more processing power as well as more RAM to more effectively use Google Sheets with multiple interconnected pages. This Acer Chromebox at 8GB and the 5th Generation Intel Core i3-5005U processor gives me exactly what I need for quick responsiveness on multi-page spreadsheets.It is also very quick to open multiple browser tabs and I have had no difficulties casting 4K video to my Android tv.I had some qualms about fan noise after reading some reviews. The HP Chromebox is completely silent and I really like that. However, I was pleased to discover that while this fan does come on now and then, it is very quiet and most of the time I don’t even notice it.I do not use the wired mouse and keyboard that came with it since I prefer my wireless devices but everything works just fine including my webcam and my speaker system.My only little annoyance comes from the intense blue light that never goes off. It is steady when active and flashes when the Chromebox is asleep. The HP Chromebox has a white light which goes completely off when in the sleep mode. I prefer that but it is a small issue and I just place a piece of black light blocking fabric over it when it is dark.While the HP J5N50UT Chromebox works well for most things, if more power and RAM is required for spreadsheets, etc. then this Acer is a good choice. It also has the advantage of being on Google’s list of devices that will receive the upgrade to use Android apps.

Hard to find 8 GB RAM Memory ! This ChromeBox supports 4 K graphics on my LG 4 K monitor which is useful for photos but not for text since print is too small at that high resolution. Will use dedicated only for online financial transactions,banking since Chrome Operating System is more secure than my 2 Apple Mini Mac Servers. Included YouTube app seems as fast as Macs with videos but this Chrome browser is NOT as fast for general purposes. However This Box is i3 2 core CPU processor compared to i7 4 core ones in my Macs. I suspect this Wi-Fi antenna does NOT pick up signals from my router as well as Apple Macs. Acer box is similar to Mini Mac (so I decided to buy it) but smaller size & stands upright not flat like Mini. I passed on ChromeBook because unsure if their graphics supports external 4 K monitor in addition to laptop screen. May set up Virtual Private Network VPN to make Acer even more secure for banking, investments. Has small Solid State Drive 16 GB (some have NO SSD & use only Google Cloud). I'll still use my fast Macs + Acer too.

This is a good performing chromebox for its day. I bought it in early 2018 because I wanted to also have Android availability and it was listed as "planned" for this Chromebox. It has now -- June 2021 -- had the last Chrome update and still no Android. I'm disappointed.I have liked Acer products but won't buy an Acer product for which a feature I want is listed as "planned".(Might it get a special update to add Android?)

So far, this machine has been a dream. I already have several Chromebooks... too many for any sane man. My Pixel 2015 is for work. (I'm a fiction writer, and I adore the keys and screen and speed.). My Flip is for the road. The venerable Acer is for playing with Crouton and Linux. But I wanted a cheap device to watch videos on our family's HD television. The Acer Chromebox was a warehouse deal. Cheap enough, only one available. I bought before letting reason talk to me. And I'm pleased with the powerful little box.Great graphics. Smooth playback. Some troubles setting it up, which never has happened with Chrome before. But I did a powerwash and tried again.All is well in the TV room.

I was so disappointed when I first got this because on some sites, especially Amazon!, it would take a long time to download some pictures and if I clicked on comments, I would be greeted with a blank page.I finally decided to do a "Powerwash" instead of just a simple reboot and it became the screamingly fast computer I had paid good money for.So make sure you do a Powerwash either before or after a few days to clean out the pipes. All your info is in the cloud so my reticence about doing such a "drastic" reboot were unfounded. Within minutes it had repopulated to the exact configuration it was before. Except now it ran like a peach.

The device is visually pleasing, and if you are looking for something to purely do web based tasks, it's great. However evening running google based applications seemed impossible for myself. I could download files to the hard disk however could not boot anything downloaded from the App Store, it only makes it a favorited page.

Most people scoff at Chrome machines, but...If you don't need/use all the extra programs which Windows comes with (which I don't, and neither do most users)...and you want a computer which is unrivaled for security (which I do), you can't beat a Chromebook or Chromebox. Very fast, efficient little machine...much safer than Apple or even Linux if you buy/bank/trade stocks online.

I love the Chromebox. Easy to use. Easy to setup. I have had this Chromebox for over a year with no issues. I will never use Apple or Microsoft products again.