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I’m back at it this morning to continue our efforts in finding decent Chrome OS devices that are actually available and affordable. Many students have already made their return to the classroom and virtual learning environment while many more will head back in the coming weeks. Sadly, a lot of parents and schools are still trying to get their hands on Chromebooks and other PCs to aid and assist in this new online lifestyle we’ve found ourselves in as a result of COVID-19. If you’re one of many who are now working or learning from home, getting a new Chromebook is going to very difficult unless you’re ready to fork over $700 or more on a flagship device. The good news is, there are still some options out there and a Chromebox is a really good choice if you don’t have to worry about portability.
Just recently, HP dropped the price of their base model Celeron 4GB/32GB Chromebox down to $200 and while that’s a very solid deal, Acer has a bundle that you may want to consider. The Acer Chromebox CXI3 features the same updated Celeron 3867U that you’ll find in the HP but this model has 4X the storage at 128GB. Yes, you could buy the HP and upgrade the storage but the cost and time invested would put you out more cash and give you a few grey hairs. As and added bonus, this version of the Acer Chromebox 3 comes with a wired mouse and keyboard. The keyboards aren’t great but they work just fine and with this bundle, all you need is a monitor and you’re ready to go. That said, you can forgo purchasing a monitor if you have a television that’s equipped with an HDMI port which is pretty much a standard feature on any TV made in the last decade.
The Acer Chromebox 3 Celeron 4GB/128GB bundle with included mouse and keyboard are available for a limited time for only $242.99 and you can grab some extra RAM from Crucial for as little as $32 to give it a bump to 8GB. That will give you a formidable mini desktop that’s capable of handling school work, video meetings, Stadia games and more. If you want a dedicated monitor, the Amazon listing has some pre-built bundles that will let you add on a variety of displays up to 27″ and still keep you right under $400. You can find the Acer Chromebox 3 by heading over to the Chrome Shop via the link below.
Acer Chromebox 3 on Chrome Shop
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Shout out to D.J. Lu for this great find.
