Chrome OS has pretty much been limited to laptops up to this point but that’ll soon be changing thanks to devices like the one Asus recently revealed. Known as the Asus Chromebox, it’s a small form factor desktop machine powered by Intel’s Haswell architecture that the company hopes will capture the low-end Windows PC market.
Unlike the portables we’ve seen thus far, the Chromebox is designed for stationary use (think homes, schools and businesses). The box measures 1.65 by 4.88 by 4.88 inches which puts it in the same size range as a Roku streaming box.
CPU options include the Celeron 2995U clocked at 1.4GHz, the Core i3-4010U at 1.7GHz and the Core i7-4600U running at 2.1GHz. On the graphics side, Celeron users will receive Intel HD graphics while Core i3 and i7 buyers will get Intel HD 4400 graphics.
Elsewhere, the system can be configured with 2GB or 4GB of memory and comes with 16GB of flash storage and 100GB of Google Drive storage that’s free for two years. Rounding out the package is an SD card reader, four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI connection, a DisplayPort connection, an audio jack, Bluetooth 4.0, 10/100/1000 Ethernet and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless.
Pricing starts at $179 with availability starting sometime in March. Asus is also throwing in a free VESA mount with all orders, an added bonus if you plan for the system to live somewhere that isn’t the top of your desk.
