ASUS CHROMEBOX-M004U Mini PC with 4Gb Memory

Our older, kitchen-based Mac Mini was showing signs of hardware failure and getting pretty noisy. When looking at a replacement, I figured why should I pay Apple prices for a box to browse the web, play Spotify and occasionally watch Netflix? I investigated some inexpensive Windows options, such as the Intel NUCs, but finally settled on a Chromebox for the sake of simplicity, price, and experimentation. I'm very happy with the decision, though there are some things to consider before you buy. Read on for the pros and cons.Pros:1) Super simple to set up for basic browsing and media listening/viewing tasks2) Miniscule power consumption. According to ArsTechnica, under 6W at idle and less than 12W at full load. According to Apple, newer Mac Minis idle at a similar 6W but jump to 85W under full CPU use.3) Seven-second startup time. Leaves both my MacBook Pro and Windows laptops with SSDs in the dust.4) Snappy performance5) Low price6) Dead quiet - it does have a fan, but I can't recall ever hearing it run, even when watching streaming videoCons:1) Can print only to Google Cloud Print-connected printers, not USB, Wifi or local network. Depending on what printers you own and your level of tech savvy, this is either no big deal or a major headache2) Minimal storage - 16GB is fine if you only want to download a few Chrome apps like I do, but if you want to play a lot of games or the like, you'll need to expand your storage via the SD card slot. Better yet, if you want to play a lot of games, get a Windows machine or a Mac. You'll be happier.3) Chrome-specific keyboard options are limited. You can buy this unit paired with a keyboard and mouse, but I wanted to have a trackpad instead of a real mouse. My attempts to use a Mac wireless keyboard and Magic Trackpad were only partly successful, as the Trackpad had a tendency to lose its Bluetooth connection, which was irritating. Switching to a Logitech Unifying Receiver-based wireless keyboard and trackpad improved reliability, but the keyboard/trackpad quality is awful compared with the Apple products. Still looking for the perfect alternative.4) I have yet to find a way to keep the box from trying to use both my DisplayPort-connected monitor and my HDMI-connected TV at the same time, even when I just want to use the monitor. For now, I have to disconnect the TV from the Chromebox unless I intend to use it for watching a video. Will update if I find the answer.5) Limited application options. It's a Chrome system, after all, so check out the Chrome app store to make sure you can download any apps you might need. More arrive every day, but you'll be disappointed if you find that your must-have app or a reasonable alternative isn't available.

Maybe your like me and your asking yourself ,"why would I buy a Chromebox?" Think of this like your android phone but as your home computer. Basically these things are trumped up web browsers. So your not going to be installing Photoshop on this or any other PC software for that matter. I use this for web surfing, paying bills, word processing, document creations etc and storing photos in which I have a 1 terabyte hard drive attached via usb . It handles all these things with ease! Honestly I can't believe I have waited this long to get one. I absolutely love this thing and am so happy to throw my PC out the window. Ok so here's what you get with the Asus Chromebox:1) Instant start up - yup, up and running in about 10 seconds2) no crashing3) since it's chrome OS no virus issues to worry about4) wifi built in - yes you get 5g5) Bluetooth built in6) compatible with Logitech unifying mouse and keyboards7) fast internet browsing8) If your already using google chrome everything is transferred the moment you sign in to your account9) 4 usb ports10) speaker output port11) dual monitor support About the only negatives I can give is I would receive some audio feedback through my speakers when nothing was playing. When any audio was playing everything sounded fine. This was an easy fix as I added Bluetooth speakers (see my reviews for what works good here) This next part is more of advice than a negative. When is come to memory 4GB is the lowest i would go with a Chromebox. Even with 4gb you can get a slow down with multiple tabs open or especially if video or music is playing with tabs open. But memory can be upgraded to 16GB in the Asus if needed. In conclusion if your in the market for a Chromebox this really is a nice unit at a good price that should make almost anyone happy.

So when this was first bought it was great, back in 2016. However, I am just learning that there is a "shelf-life" for this. 6.5 years from the BUILD. So while I have had my device for only 4 years...the BUILD is almost 7 years old or older. I was not even aware this was a thing. I thought it was from the time I had it..clearly that is incorrect. I tried to let my son use it to play Stadia and it is absolutely unable...and now I have to buy a new SOMETHING because this is pretty much unusable for anything CURRENT. I am glad I never wrote a review previously. After doing almost 2 hours of research I found that as of August of last year....this was no longer able to update. My son is super disappointed. I am just absolutely furious.

Absolutely love it! Some connect it to their TV . . . works great. Or, you might consider not buying another expensive desktop PC and go with this, which is what I did. If you don't need stand-alone apps (PC or MAC) and are comfortable with storing your docs, pics, music in the "cloud," this is the way to go. You can connect external hard drives for storage of personal files in addition to or in lieu of using "the cloud" (Google Drive). While most keyboards and mice work with this, I would suggest if your mouse runs on software for tweaking/enhancing sensitivity, wheels and buttons, a simple Logitech wireless mouse with no software works best. At least that is my experience. I also added another 4GB of RAM (open RAM slot inside) which, if you can replace batteries in your kids toys, removing a couple of screws, you can do yourself. This helps if you tend to have a lot of tabs open, especially.No worries about viruses or hackers! Save money on anti-virus software!Last, with the instant on (5 sec) you can turn off when not using much more conveniently than a Windows PC. I left my old PC on 24/7 so I believe I'll save $100 or so a year in electric bills. Cut the Microsoft or Apple chord (any money drain) and get one. I've noticed your big box retailers either don't carry or don't display these. That's because they want you to spend $500 - 2,000 dollars for a PC or MAC!