Need a new chromebook

[Google_Superuser]

I have one of the first Samsung Chromebooks (Series 3). It has served me for a bout 2 years but it's limited memory and littler cpu just don't seem to be up to the task of running chromeos with its new features and large number of extensions I use. I am thinking about getting a new one but I'd like to know which is the best option. I need at leas 4-6 hours of real world battery life. My current chromebook is pretty good in that department.

I am seriously considering the Chromebook Pixel for that great screen and aluminum body but I am wondering if some of the newer Chromebook are more competent. I know most have 4gb of memory vs the 2 of my current chromebook which should help. Is the Pixel really the best when it comes to performance? I know there really isn't anyway to benchmark them.

 

[Christian Koncz]

If you value battery life, the pixel is the worst, it barely gets 4 hours of average usage. The HP 11 is more like 5 hours, again a step down from the samsung and some reviewers have indicated it actually had worse cpu performance. The only way to go right now is Haswell, so you can choose between the 11" acer C720 or the 14" HP, both have good performance and will get over 8 hours of battery life. However since you already own the series 3 I'm curious why you would like to upgrade at this point? Personally I am not convinced by either of those two and am holding out to see what Toshiba will come up with. It is rumoured to be a competitor to the 13" macbook air in terms of form factor, it will have the haswell processor and should be light and portable. Samsung is also coming out with new models next year if you can wait.

 

[oskar25]

I wouldn't recommend chromebook I would recommend windows 8 or Windows 8 .1 everything's just better on it browsing photos browsing the internet videos movies different applications that regular notebooks or laptops don't have that's why I would recommend windows 8 or Windows 8 .1

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

 

[Google_Superuser]

However since you already own the series 3 I'm curious why you would like to upgrade at this point?

Thanks for the input. The 3 series just doesn't have enough memory or power to run ChromeOS with the extensions and plug-ins I need and its just painfully slow. Even on a fast network it too a good 2 minutes just to load a photo in the G+ photo editor. ChromeOS was a very different beast when I got it and I think it's just not up to the task anymore. Pretty much everything is pretty slow.

I wouldn't recommend chromebook I would recommend windows 8 or Windows 8 .1 everything's just better on it browsing photos browsing the internet videos movies different applications that regular notebooks or laptops don't have that's why I would recommend windows 8 or Windows 8 .1

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

I like chromeOS and it does what I need. It just comes down to deficient hardware but I am trying to ascertain whether the newer chromebooks do not also have this issue.

 

[Algus]

The Pixel is every bit a $1400 laptop. It has excellent build quality and the components provide an excellent end-user experience. With the new Haswell Chromebooks though, the gap is closed ~significantly~ The Haswell devices blow the Pixel out of the water in terms of battery life and as there aren't really enough apps out there to push a Chromebook, you'll generally be fine with the cheaper devices multitasking for web browsing. I would only strongly recommend the Pixel if you want to own a premium product or plan to do some Chrome OS development work.

I use a Samsung 3 too and I definitely want more RAM. The HP 11 would have been a Day 1 purchase for me if they had boosted the specs at all. If size isn't an issue, I recommend the HP 14 (it is the device I am considering). It has pretty solid internals, the intel chip makes it easier to dual boot, and while the screen isn't as great as the HP 11's, it is still quite good. Be careful with the listings as the version Amazon is hawking only comes with 2 GB of RAM (priced at $299) where as the 4 GB model is priced at $349.