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Gaming Chromebooks are the latest craze to land in the ChromeOS ecosystem and the first entrants into the segment are, for the most part, very solid machines. ASUS’ 11th gen Intel convertible Vibe Chromebook remains the outlier with a 144Hz display that is interesting but honestly doesn’t offer any real world advantages over the 120Hz screens offered by Acer and Lenovo’s gaming laptops which also feature newer, arguably better 12th Gen Intel processors.
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE has captured Robby’s heart and it is currently on sale for the very delectable price of only $549. At that price, it is most definitely the best value going on any of the three gaming Chromebooks presently available to consumers. That said, Lenovo’s IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook is no slouch and the Core i3 base model is a steal when you can find it in stock at Walmart for $399. (Sadly, it’s sold out at the moment.) The Core i5 version of the Lenovo offers a very similar experience and features as the Acer but unfortunately, retails for $799. That’s $150 more than the Acer which makes it a very difficult device to recommend.
Now, the price doesn’t detract from the capabilities of the Lenovo but it does determine its value. For $799, the Core i5 IdeaPad gaming Chromebook isn’t a bad value. As a matter of fact, it is totally capable of handling any task you can throw at it. It just feels pricey when placed next to the Acer that looks and feels a bit more premium. However, knock a couple of hundred dollars off the MSRP of the Lenovo and we have a completely different story.
For the past few weeks, Lenovo has been selling the IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook for $599 which makes it a very good value on a formidable laptop. That’s still a bit more than you can buy the Acer for at the moment but don’t worry, I’ve got a little secret that will get that price down even more – if you’re interested. Whether you prefer the Lenovo over the Acer or perhaps you just want to stay under that $500 budget. Whatever your reason, you can buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook for just under five Benjamins at the moment when you use the promo code SUPERCLEAR at checkout and then, be sure to activate your free Rakuten account for an extra $46 cash back on your Big Fat Check. There you go. You now have a powerful Core i5 Chromebook with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a bright 120Hz display and an RGB keyboard for just under five hundred dollars. Get one before they’re gone. If you don’t have a free Rakuten account(or even if you do) don’t forget to sign up to win $250 from us and Rakuten.
