Acer becomes first to ship Chromebook with Intel Core i3 processor

[Shawn Knight]

Chromebooks have a solid reputation as affordable portable computers that can excel at light workloads. In order to reach the market at budget price points, however, sacrifices often have to be made - particularly as it relates to the processor.

As such, it's not uncommon to see mobile processors like Samsung's Exynos powering Chromebooks. Intel's Celeron CPU is also another popular choice but if you're looking for a Chromebook with a bit more oomph, you're out of luck - until now.

The latest Chromebooks in Acer's C720 series now feature the beefier Intel Core i3-40005U power plant based on the Haswell architecture with a clock speed of 1.7GHz. Both new machines feature an 11.6-inch display operating at 1,366 x 768, 32GB of flash storage, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, HD webcam and microphone as well as HDMI, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity. Battery life is rated at 8.5 hours, we're told.

In a statement on the matter, Acer America senior product marketing and brand manager Eric Ackerson said they've been breaking new ground with their Chromebooks since 2011. The new Intel Core i3 models will deliver more of what their customers love about our Chromebooks including excellent performance and all-day battery life.

There are two models to choose from: one with 2GB of memory for $349.99 and another with twice as much RAM that'll set you back $379.99 with availability in Canada and the US this month. No word yet on when or if the i3-equipped C720s will make it to other markets.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/57380-acer-becomes-first-to-ship-chromebook-with-intel-core-i3-processor.html

 

[VitalyT]

Upgrading CPU and downgrading screen isn't gonna work, Acer The stone-age resolution of 1366 x 768

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Upgrading CPU and downgrading screen isn't gonna work, Asus The stone-age resolution of 1366 x 768

Acer, Asus who cares? If they weren't the first then somebody else would've been just like the next company who offers an i7 in a Chromebook will be the first. What I'd like to know is why is this news and who the hell would want a Chromebook anyway...

 

[VitalyT]

Acer, Asus who cares?

Yeah, one of those thanks for correction

 

[RustyTech]

I would rather invest $200 more and get a real laptop; but that's just me.
Well actually, I wouldn't get a laptop unless it could come close in replacing my desktop - which there are some that can, but at a price of close to $2k.

 

[captaincranky]

Chromebooks have a solid reputation as affordable portable computers that can excel at light workloads.

Well Shawn, thank God they don't excel at doing nothing. 'Cause that would put them right in my personal wheelhouse.

 

[Seventh Reign]

Upgrading CPU and downgrading screen isn't gonna work, Asus The stone-age resolution of 1366 x 768

Acer, Asus who cares? If they weren't the first then somebody else would've been just like the next company who offers an i7 in a Chromebook will be the first. What I'd like to know is why is this news and who the hell would want a Chromebook anyway...

Oh I dunno, maybe Parents that cant afford a full priced laptop for their kids. Something that they can use for school work and not gaming. Something that if its lost or broken wont be quite as painful as losing an expensive laptop. Dont assume that everyone thinks like you do. Not everyone is rich.

 

[Seventh Reign]

I would rather invest $200 more and get a real laptop; but that's just me.
Well actually, I wouldn't get a laptop unless it could come close in replacing my desktop - which there are some that can, but at a price of close to $2k.

You can get an i7 with a discreet (nvidia or amd) GPU for under a Grand.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Wait is chrome OS even 64bit yet? If not, there is no point in these spec bumps really.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Oh I dunno, maybe Parents that cant afford a full priced laptop for their kids. Something that they can use for school work and not gaming. Something that if its lost or broken wont be quite as painful as losing an expensive laptop. Dont assume that everyone thinks like you do. Not everyone is rich.

What's wrong with buying them a 2nd hand laptop then?

 

[Frank Barnett]

Oh I dunno, maybe Parents that cant afford a full priced laptop for their kids. Something that they can use for school work and not gaming. Something that if its lost or broken wont be quite as painful as losing an expensive laptop. Dont assume that everyone thinks like you do. Not everyone is rich.

What's wrong with buying them a 2nd hand laptop then?

Old laptops are old for a reason. I know somebody witha chromebook and for what they use it for it works.

 

[Nobina]

Upgrading CPU and downgrading screen isn't gonna work, Acer The stone-age resolution of 1366 x 768

Most of the laptops have this resolution, nothing wrong with it on a 15 inch screen. Those with higher resolutions are expensive and need better hardware to support it so I don't mind it.

 

[VitalyT]

Most of the laptops have this resolution, nothing wrong with it on a 15 inch screen. Those with higher resolutions are expensive and need better hardware to support it so I don't mind it.

Expensive? Lenovo is already selling a 4K 15" laptop for $1299. Laptops with 1080P are available dirt cheap.

 

[Nobina]

Expensive? Lenovo is already selling a 4K 15" laptop for $1299. Laptops with 1080P are available dirt cheap.

I've yet to see a dirt cheap 1080p laptop, everywhere I look it's about $600-700 cheapest. That 4k laptop is not cheap at all, but it's 4k so I guess it's reasonable.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I've yet to see a dirt cheap 1080p laptop, everywhere I look it's about $600-700 cheapest. That 4k laptop is not cheap at all, but it's 4k so I guess it's reasonable.

That seems dirt-cheap to me.

Must we forget laptops have always been higher in price than desktops. And desktops were at one time an average of two grand. Now the cost of living is double if not more, Laptops are less than 25% the cost they once were. That makes the dollar value in the area of 10% of what it once was. And that is leaving out performance/efficiency aspects of the product. Lets calculate the performance/efficiency aspect and round it to 0.01% value and call it dirt-cheap.

OK, joking aside I truly don't see 600-700 being high for a Notebook, even the cheapest of Notebook. Now if you are thinking about Netbooks/Tablets, that is a different story. I wouldn't pay over 500 for a Netbook or Tablet. The sad thing about that is it probably cost about the same to make them all, but yet they have different prices by a large margin.

 

[captaincranky]

I'm just curious as to why anyone would need 4K resolution on a 15" screen. I'm sure those numbers would impress the living poop out of a few high school students. But beyond that?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Old laptops are old for a reason. I know somebody witha chromebook and for what they use it for it works.

I guess.