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The latest lineup of Chromeboxed from Acer, ASUS and HP have lacked any real coordination around their actual launch dated and as a result, we’ve been left to hunt and peck around the web to find sellers who actually have the devices in hand.
HP is the only OEM with in-house availability of their version of the Kaby Lake boxes. The stock has been limited and I’ve frequently visited the HP Store to find the Chromeboxes listed as “out of stock” or “temporarily unavailable” but as of this morning, all but the Celeron model are in stock and ready to ship if the HP is to your liking.
ASUS too has seen a limited release of their devices. Currently, you can find the Celeron version on Amazon and a few other resellers but the Core models seem to be “out of stock” or “coming soon” almost everywhere you look.
If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting for Acer’s pill-shaped Chromebox to hit the market. Performace wise, all three manufacturers should offer up the same experience as the boards and internals are all practically the same. I just like the look of the Acer with its unique vertical design.
There are a few listings of the Acer Chromebox CXI3 sprinkled around the web but Acer’s site is now showing the box as available from Insight and Newegg. Insight’s store is a bit hinky to navigate but I finally found three models of the Chromebox by Acer. They are listing all three of the Core models but you will pay a little extra in comparison to Acer’s announced cost.
Newegg only has the top and the bottom of the Chromebox barrel and what looks to be the best price around at the moment. The Celeron model will run you right at $300 while the Core i7 version with 16GB RAM (because, why not?) comes in at $735. Both variations come with an Acer keyboard and mouse combo and are in stock and ready to ship.
