Should I get the HP Chromebox? +Extra Questions

[Deferno54]

Okay so I at the moment have a Toshiba Windows 8.1 Laptop with intel Pentium (64 bit processor and 6 gigs of ram, it is a Satellite C855) and I find it to be a slow laptop now. At first I was planning to get an HP Chromebook 14, either the 2nd or 3rd Gen. But now looking more deeper into it I though about getting a Chromebox. It appears the HP chromebox is about the same as the acer one but cheaper and nicer design so I am planning now to set up a desktop work station and use that. I used to game but now I am more into my school work and I don't use my computer for much besides web-browsing/social media, youtube, and school work (Which is all google drive). My toshiba laptop is pretty slow in general now, it is about 2 years old so I can see why. I was wondering if the hp chromebox would be a super snappy software for what I will use it for,will it ever start to lag and freeze for a moment like my toshiba does right now? Also are the chromebox's are better than the chromebook?. I wanted to know the best chromebox that isn't one of the $700 ones. are there any new chromebooks/chromeboxes that will be released soon that I should wait for? Should I get the 2nd gen hp chromebook or the hp chromebox that is currently out right now, which one of the two will be better (By better i mean speed). Lastly, will the hp chromebox work on any size TV and size and scale the os to it? Because I have a 30-31" TV that I was wondering would work with it.

Thanks for reading that as I kind of had to rush on typing that up because I have to go somewhere in a minute. There are a lot of things I have to ask, please give me your opinions and answers to the questions as they will help me out a bunch. Thanks again! Bye!

 

[manoffewwords]

without getting into specific details, I will say that if the chrome box will do what you need it to do at a price you wanna pay, then go for it....but if you find yourself hesitating because of the specs on one component or another, then wait till you find something you are 100% comfortable with.......

but I will say this, my 12 year old son has a 2 year old Acer chromebook that I got him for xmas in 2012, and although he does NOT game or do anything real heavy on it other than his schoolwork surf/email/defacebooook etc, it still does everything he needs done very well. Granted, next year he will need a windblows machine for Jr high (but only because the school requires it), but for $129 and 2 full years of heavy everyday use by a child, I feel like I definitely made a great choice.

Personally, I like the HP boxen (I'm typing this on an HP laptop) and if I had not just built a custom I7 rig this summer (which I need for work as well as personal use) I might consider getting one

 

[B. Diddy]

I have an Acer C720 (with the Haswell Celeron, not the more recent i3) as well as an HP Chromebook 14 (also with the Haswell), and both perform admirably. The speed at which you can do things depends largely on how fast your web connection is. Keep in mind that connecting the Chromebox to a big 1080p screen might potentially cause a little slowdown, because the device has to push a few more pixels than the typical 720p screen--this is something I've read in reviews about various Chromeboxes. But I've also read posts from users who have not noticed any problems either.

Have you considered getting one of the better Chromebooks (like the Acer C720 with the i3 or the Toshiba Chromebook 2) and connecting it via HDMI to your existing monitor? That way, you still have the portability of the Chromebook. I'm not sure if Chromeboxes have any other real advantages over Chromebooks, besides looking nice on your desk.